Both cylinders and engaging gears are made of hard chilled steel, so that wear and tear by hammering at the time of engagement are reduced to a minimum. To further soften the engagement, the speed of the cylinder is controlled by elliptical driving gears, which reduce the speed of travel just at the moment when the engagement takes place. The timing of the various movements of the head is so well controlled that there is little risk of any part failing to maintain proper relationship with the other parts. But in the event of any accident or breakage occurring which interferes with the free motion of the head, such strain is taken care of by a soft pointed set screw on the head driving shaft, which shears off and so prevents further serious damage. The capacity of the head is such that by careful arrangement of figures and repeats it is quite possible to make several simple designs to run side by side in the same harnesses and this is often done. Of this we may write more later. [Illustration: Fig. 1.—Fancy Loom for Weaving Narrow Fabrics] [Illustration: Fig. 2.—Double Index Dobby] [Illustration: Fig. 3.—Overshot Dobby] THE OVERHEAD DOBBY A popular machine for light fancy warp figures is the overhead dobby shown at Fig. 2, which may be used as auxiliary either to the plain cam loom or the fancy head loom. It is placed on a well braced, rigid frame and built as high as convenient so as to reduce the angle of the harness strings. It is driven directly from a two to one shaft, which may be either underneath the loom or at the end, and is connected with a threaded adjustable rod, which is attached to a slotted lever and can be adjusted to govern the depth of the dobby shed. It is customary to put two of these dobby machines over each loom, but having only one main drive the two machines are coupled together and work in unison. Such an arrangement has the double advantage of a less acute angle at the harness tie-up, and also affords facilities for a distinctly different pattern on either half of the loom. It minimizes the risk of the harness threads cutting into the compart boards, and prolongs relatively the life of the dobby harness. Furthermore it allows for a straight tie-up on either machine so that there is no limitation to the length or character of the design, as is often the case where two patterns are run together on the same machine, or where point tie-ups are used, as would very likely be necessary if only one machine was installed to cover different designs on both halves of the loom. As we have previously stated it is not advisable to limit capacity for the saving of a few dollars in the initial cost. OVERSHOT DOBBY