The first operation of dressing the warp being finished, the weaver begins that of forming the cloth. The operations re quired are only three, and these are ve ry simple.
1st. Opening the sheds in the warp, alternately, by pressing the treddles with his feet 2d. Driving the shuttle through each shed, when opened. This is performed by the right hand, when the fly-shuttle is us ed, and by the right and left hand, alter. nately, in the common operation.
3d. Pulling forward the lay, or batten, to strike home the woof, and again push ing it back nearly to the heddles. This is done by the left hand with the fly, and by each hand, successively, in the old way. See Fly Shuttle, in MANUFAC TURE of Cotton.
In describing operations so simple and uniform, it is neither easy nor necessary to go much into detail.
By examining any piece of plain cloth, it will be found to be composed of two or more distinct sets of threads or filaments, running in opposite directions perpendi cularly to each other ; those threads (or, as some weavers call them, yarns) in the direction of the cloth's length are called the warp, and extend entirely from one end of the piece of cloth to the other The thread or yarn running across the cloth in an horizontal direction is called the woof, or weft. It is in fact one con tinued thread through the whole piece of cloth, being woven alternately over and under each yarn of the warp, until it ar rives at the out side one. It then passes round the yarn, and returns back over and under each thread as before ; but in such a manner that it now goes over each yarn which it passed under before ; thus firmly knitting or weaving the whole to gether. The outside yarn of the warp round which the woof is doubled, is call ed the selvage, and cannot be unraveled without breaking the woof. The breadth of the cloth determines the number of yarns the warp shall contain ; and its qua lity limits their distances from each other and determines the fineness or set of the reed.
Though we have already generally ex plained the references to the plates, it will be necessary to be more minute in our description, in order to show the use to which the different parts of the appara tus are applied : d d are two sticks, con nected together by several threads ; which system of threads is called a heddle e e is another heddle behind the former : in the middleof each thread composing the heddle is a loop, through which the yarns of the warp are passed ; one half of them going through the loops of the heddle, e e, the other half of the yarns passing be tween the threads of the heddle, and after wards through the eyes or loops of the other heddle d d. The two heddles, d d
and e e, are connected together by two small cords going over pulleys suspended from the top of the loom, so that when one heddle is drawn down the other will be raised up. The heddles receive their motion from the levers, or treddles, D E, moved by the weaver's foot. The yarns of the warp are passed alternately through the loops of the heddles, so that by press ing down one treddle, as E, all the yarns belonging to the heddle, e e, are drawn down : and by means of the cords and pulleys, the other heddle, d d, with all the yarns belonging to it are raised up: leaving a space called the shed, of about two inches between the yarns. F G, G H(fig. 2) is a frame called the batten, or lay, suspended by the bar, F, from the upper rails of the loom, so that it can swing backwards and forwards. The bot tom bar, H, is much broader than the rails, G G, and projects before their plane about an inch and a half, forming a shelf called the shuttle-race. The ends of the bar, H, have boards nailed on each side, and at the ends, to form two short troughs or boxes, I I, in which pieces of wood, or thick leather, k k, called peckers, or dri vers, traverse : they are guided by two small wires, fixed at one end to the up rights, G G, and at the other to the end pieces of the troughs, I I. Each pecker has a string fastened to it tied to the han dle, y, which the weaver holds in his right hand when at work, and with which he pulls each pecker, alternately, forward. R, is a small frame fixed upon the shuttle race, H, fbrmed of a number of small pie ces of split reeds, or canes : or else of pieces of flat wire of steel or brass. This frame is called the reed. When this is in its place the yarns of the warp pass be tween the canes, or dents. The shuttle is a small piece of wood, pointed at each end, about six inches long. It has an ob long mortice in it, containing a small bob. bin, on which is wound the weft, which runs through a small hole in the shuttle, called the eye. The shuttle has two lit tle wheels on the under side, by which it runs upon the shuttle-race. H. See Fly Shuttle, in the article MANUFACTURE of Cotton.