Runner w. spool

Braider with spool-runners and spools

All the bits before attaching motor. 6 out of eventually 18 runners are tested.

Test video with motor

How the braider works

The braider uses 6 gears connected in a circle. Each gear drives a plate with 4 notches. The notches drives pegs mounted on spool runners (red and green dot). The runners are guided by a track following the movement of the grooves except where each of the gears meet. Here a switch track let the runners pass from one plate to another.

Maypole brading machine

While doing some 1910 era props i needed tubular braid around some wirers. I got interested in how these were made and thought I would to make a machine that does tubular braiding.

This is my first prototype:

The idea is that 18 spools are racing around each other in a Møbius knot like pattern. The result is the same as Maypole weaveing.
Here is a short video of the first results:

The method seems to work but I still need to design the actual spools and a sustem for advancing the finished braid.