raffia fence weaving jig...

Post by **Howard** » Sun Oct 20, 2013 12:49 pm

good afternoon...

this easy to build and simple to use jig will yield two strips of finished fence about 8” long…i'll post pictures of the jig in use and weaving steps later...but i'm sure all of you have already figured that out from all the previous posts about making raffia fence...

PARTS…

wood base…3 ½” wide x 10” long x ¾” thick…

coarse tooth combs…i bought a bag of 4 at the dollar store and cut off the fine tooth part…

8 screws…

2 strips of folded cardboard…these shims make the comb teeth angle away from vertical so the raffia won’t ride up and over the tips while weaving…

thin plastic to cover top of base…I cut from one of those narrow plastic leaves found in heavy duty 3-ring binders…the plastic keeps the white glue from sticking to the top of the base if any glue oozes out from the edge of the cardboard strip and the raffia…the plastic strip is attached with 4 small brads or tacks…

bottom cleat…(optional)…block of wood and two screws…this cleat makes it easy to clamp and hold in a vise…

my very best regards...howard...

Post by **paulrace** » Sun Oct 20, 2013 1:34 pm

VERY clever!

Thanks for posting

I DO need to see this in action, though.

Post by **Howard** » Sun Oct 20, 2013 6:31 pm

good evening…

I hope you can follow my disjointed writing style…

MATERIALS…

cardboard strips…1” to 1 ¼” wide x 10” long…

raffia…make 4 or 5 bundles of 3 to 4 strands each…knot at one end…

white glue…

paper clamps…

short lengths of tape…

WEAVING IS EASY…

align center line of cardboard strip with center line of base and attach with tape…

bundle and knot 3 to 4 strands together…make knot large enough not to go through gap in teeth…

start with the knot end and weave raffia back and forth between teeth…

make sure there is enough white glue on the cardboard to get into raffia…

apply thumb or finger pressure from time to time for good contact between cardboard, raffia and glue…

use paper clamps to hold the loose end of the bundle where it exit’s the teeth…

let dry thoroughly…probably overnight...

cut down center of raffia and cardboard with sharp utility knife and remove from jig…

if raffia looks thin in any area or strands falls off…glue short pieces back as needed…

(this would be the time to run through a sewing machine to mimic the look of vintage raffia fence)…

trim fence to height and length as needed…

i'll post a couple of more pictures later of the final steps...

my very best regards...howard...

Post by **paulrace** » Sun Oct 20, 2013 8:51 pm

Thanks for showing the steps, Howard.

Post by **BrianB** » Mon Oct 21, 2013 12:41 am

That is AWESOME! Howard, I LOVE your ingenuity!!! Thank you so much for sharing, I'm really looking fwd to trying this!!! I also have to applaud the neatness of your work and workspace! My workspace looks like a bomb went off leaving coco, sand, and paint splatters in it's wake.

Post by **Howard** » Mon Oct 21, 2013 9:20 am

good morning...

what do you know!...it works!...

wish i had access to a heavy duty sewing machine to add the stitching like the vintage raffia fence...

i do have a sign painter's pounce wheel...may punch holes with it and then stitch by hand...

now...time to be on the lookout for a fitting project...

my very best regards...howard...

Post by **Lynn** » Mon Oct 21, 2013 7:22 pm

Hi Howard, do you really need a heavy duty sewing machine? Have you tried it on a home sewing machine? I would be happy to give it a try on my sewing machine. Would the stitching only be through the raffia or the cardboard as well? If just the raffia I think maybe if I put it between some tissue paper it may hold the fence in place while sewing and then the tissue paper will be easy to remove.