Abstract: An automatic towel winder includes a frame supporting a plurality of winding units and a conveyor assembly for feeding a plurality of towels respectively to the winding units along a plurality of parallel side-by-side lanes, each of the winding units occupying three adjacent lanes and including a hollow winding mandrel having side perforations therein for winding the towel into a roll thereon, a constant-torque electric motor to drive the mandrel, suction means coupled to the hollow mandrel for urging the leading end of the fed towel against the mandrel to initiate winding thereon, an ejector for removing the wound towel roll from the mandrel and a receptacle for catching the ejected roll, the winding units being staggered on the frame to occupy a space only slightly wider than the combined widths of the fed towels; electric control circuitry for the winder and alternative embodiments of mandrel drive means and roll ejector are also disclosed.