I have got several stick shuttles of different lengths and thicknesses. Is there a standard thicmness/ length? What are the pros and cons of thiscker/thinner, longer shorter shuttles? What about the length of the end bits where the wools are wound onto?

MAny Thanks

Paul

Comments

Mon, 12/19/2011 - 17:37

Sara von Tresckow

You are the judge of stick shuttles. They can be anything from a dogwood twig wrapped in wool Navajo style to a fancy beveled belt shuttle.

You'll simply need to test them out to see which style appeals to you and then get or make more.

Mon, 12/19/2011 - 18:19

mrdubyah (not verified)

I'm not aware of any standardization.  There seem to be nearly as many styles of stick shuttles as there are sticks.  Stick shuttles are affordable and fun to collect, so most weavers own several.  The shape of the "jaws" at either end is mostly just a matter of style, but smooth tapered edges generally do improve ease of use.  Buy or make your own collection so you can pick a stick shuttle that suits your every task. 

In general, big ones are good for heavy yarns, little ones for fine yarns.  Approriate length depends on the width of your warp.  To work efficiently, stick shuttles should be long enough to pass through the shed (across the warp width) hand-to-hand.  If you have to reach into the shed very deeply to retrieve the shuttle each pick, then the stick is too short.  Similarly, a stick much longer than an arm's length is cumbersome, so wider warps are usually woven with boat or ski shuttles that can be thrown. That's why stick shuttles are mostly used with table looms and relatively narrow warps.  Stick shuttles with a taper along one edge may also be used to beat weft yarns instead of the reed.

Once you've built up a collection, you'll be sure you have the perfect stick shuttle in your studio for every job.  Too bad you won't be able to find it!

Mon, 12/19/2011 - 19:18

laurafry

In addition to stick shuttles there are other types like ski shuttles.  I wind my stick shuttles like this:

More info on my blog http://laurasloom.blogspot.com as I just yesterday posted about this.  :)

cheers,

Laura

Mon, 12/19/2011 - 20:02

paulz

Wouldn't there be less wool on one of these because there is a cross over point where - by neccessity the wool would be twice as thick and hence take up twice the space?

Mon, 12/19/2011 - 20:07

sarahnopp (not verified)

Paul, yes there is a bit of a lump at the corss over point, but I find it is much easier to control the weft if wound like this. When I just go round and round, it is much mor likely to fall into a puddle or wefty mess right when I have my hands full and need it to be controlled :)

Mon, 12/19/2011 - 20:56

laurafry

It is also easier to slide through the shed because it is mostly flat and wood on the bottom, not yarn dragging across yarn....

cheers,

Laura

Mon, 12/19/2011 - 22:16

sally orgren

...occurs at the outer edges of the shuttle when winding as Laura depicts with her crossover, not in the center (and parallel to the shaft of the shuttle). So actually, with this crossover method, you get more weft onto your stick shuttle with *less* of a "hump"! 

As a newbie weaver seeking efficiency, I thought a longer shuttle would hold more weft yarn. But on a shorter width loom, a long stick shuttle will drive you bonkers in trying to get it into the shed!

Also, I want the thinnest stick shuttle material possible, so I can store more weft yarn on there, but not so thin that it folds in half or gets limp when it is damp. I have cut illustration board to use as temporary stick shuttles when I need a lot of small bits of many weft colors. Pizza & cereal boxes, UPS, FedX & USPO express mailing boxes are all WAY too flimsy. Corrugated cardboard is not strong enough either, it gets damp and it will bend. You need a pressed, hard, layered material. Illustration board only works for a short time before needing to be replaced. (So going cheap is not always so efficient after all! ;-)

A final factor to consider about stick shuttles is the time it takes to wind one. I can wind a bobbin or prin with a bobbin winder much faster than winding a stick, and an additional benefit is I find my selvedges are much less fiddly with a more "automatic" feeding shuttle. I just finished a blanket project using novelty knitting yarns with an end feed and boat shuttle combination. (End feed shuttles typically can be adjusted for grist /fiber size.)

In reality, you need a variety of shuttles in your weaving tool tote, and what makes a good shuttle for one person may have as much to do with the loom type being used as personal preference. (i.e. the shed size of the target loom.) I was using stick shuttles with the Structos (240 and 600 table looms) until I found low-profile boat shuttles I prefer instead. Just because stick shuttles came with the original looms didn't mean there wasn't a better alternative out there. They probably provided stick shuttles to keep the original cost of the loom down.

I am curious, have you tried other shuttles? Do you have a guild or weaving buddy nearby that you can borrow a few different kinds of shuttles to try out?

Sally

Tue, 12/20/2011 - 18:23

paulz

Many thanks for all of your comments.

The reaon I have asked is that a neighbour is going to make me some shuttles and wondered what size to make them - He's such a nice man as he gives me all of his sawdust for smoking cheese and fish in my smoker as well.

Paul

Sun, 01/15/2012 - 09:38

paulz

I have just been using this crossover method of winding wool onto my stick shuttles and will defiinitely be swapping to this method. It was surprisingly good.

MAny Thanks

PAul

Sun, 01/15/2012 - 15:59

Cat Brysch

I've started using what Hokett Would Work calls a "rug shuttle" to carry lots of threads.  This thing holds TONS and just skitters right through an average shed....they are only about 1.5" tall and they were made at the request of a rug weaver...thus the name.