Should floor space be limited, a horizontal reel is used, which is about six feet long and about five feet in diameter. On this the sheet of rubber is wound after being split in proper sections at the head end and divided by a coarse reed, so as to be able to distribute the different sections all across the reel. Each section can then be taken off the reel as required for the beams. The tension of the threads is governed by a weighted leather strap passed over the face of the reel. CHAPTER III. _Head Motion Looms and Dobbies for Making Fancy Effects—Tying Up Harness—Construction of Loom Webs, Lisle Webs, French Web or Railroad Weave and Cable Webs—Making Good Selvages and Preventing Long-Sided Effect_ So far we have mentioned only plain looms, or those limited to the capacity of eight or twelve pick cams. Before we consider any of the varied constructions relating to elastic webs it will be well to speak of fancy looms. There are different types, adapted to a wide range of fancy effects, but the fancy loom most generally used is what is known as the chain head, an example of which is shown at Fig. 1. Such looms are usually of 18 and 24 harness capacity, and are operated by a figure chain of the length required to produce the desired figure. Chains are made up of a series of bars, one bar operating with each pick of the loom and having on it space for a roller or sinker for each harness to be operated. Wherever a roller is placed on the bar, the corresponding harness will be raised, and wherever a sinker is used, the corresponding harness will be dropped. A series of rollers following each other will hold the harness up, and likewise a series of sinkers following each other will keep the harness down, thus maintaining at all times an open shed. THE SHEDDING OPERATION The shedding operation is very simple. In the fancy head there are two cylinders, each of which has gear teeth running the entire length. These cylinders operate continuously in opposite directions. The teeth of the cylinders do not go around the entire circumference as will be noticed on the upper cylinder shown in Fig. 1, but there is a blank space provided so as to allow for the engaging of the gear wheels brought into position at the right time as the cylinders revolve. Between the two cylinders are vibrator gears, one for each harness, and to these gears are attached arms which are connected with the different harnesses. These vibrator gears can be thrown into position by the chain rollers or sinkers, so as to come in contact with the teeth of either the upper or lower cylinder, and are so timed that they take their position at the moment when the blank part of the cylinder presents itself. A vibrator gear engaging the upper cylinder is turned so as to lift the harness connected with it, while a vibrator gear engaging the lower cylinder drops that particular harness. The harnesses stay in their relative positions until the chain calls for another change.