What is "doffer"

Doffer \Doff"er\, n.

1. (Mach.) A revolving cylinder, or a vibrating bar, with teeth, in a carding machine, which doffs, or strips off, the fiber from the cards.

2. (Spinning) A worker who replaces full bobbins by empty ones on the throstle or ring frames.

n. 1 (context textile manufacturing English) A revolving cylinder, or a vibrating bar with teeth, in a carding machine, which doffs, or strip off, the cotton or fiber from the cards. 2 A worker who replaces full bobbins by empty ones on the throstle or ring frames.

A doffer is someone who removes ("doffs") bobbins, pirns or spindles holding spun fiber such as cotton or wool from a spinning frame and replaces them with empty ones. Historically, spinners, doffers, and sweepers each had separate tasks that were required in the manufacture of spun textiles. From the early days of the industrial revolution, this work, which requires speed and dexterity rather than strength, was often done by children. After World War I, the practice of employing children declined, ending in the United States in 1933. In modern textile mills, doffing machines have now replaced humans.