At Last! The OCTADO is completely finished ( well almost!)

Yes it is finished and ready to warp up. (well shaft N'8 is missing the wooden top rail as I have run out and need to buy some more) It is working perfectly with the mechanical dobby and if anything, it is smoother and definitely lighter to operate than the original. I selected the springs myself and they are variable pitch, so are much lighter to operate in the initial press of the foot.

 8 shafts, like the original, these were (surprisingly) the most difficult part to replicate and not the piano-key mechanism. 8 shafts in less than 80mm of width all operating smoothly was a tall order. They are weighted (like the originals) and the whole castle assembly is built around roller bearings and texsolv like the original...smooth as a nut!

The business end of the dobby. I made the castle and got this working before I made the frame. The tolerances on the wooden piano keys had to be 0.25mm on the width. I also soon found out why every little detail of them was important - my keys ended up identical to the originals- every slope and cutaway as crucial to ensure 100% accurate selection by the dobby and the transfer to the knife.





I am incredibly pleased with it. Total cost of materials was less than 500 euros  ( I did of course have the dobby mechanism already). I have have a quote from the USA to ship a new electronic interface to France for an all-in price of 1000 euros, which is exactly half what Louet want from Holland or any of the UK stockists can offer me delivered within the UK...good old US of A!!!! But fr now, I am happy with the mechanical dobby for the work I am now doing.....the enforced sabbatical from weaving has generated a large backlog of design ideas.