Editing Flying shuttle (section)

==Operation==
[[File:Yarn and cloth making; an economic study; a college and normal schools text preliminary to fabric study, and a reference for teachers of industrial history and art in secondary and elementary schools (14598368328).jpg|thumb|Holding the [[reed (weaving)|reed beater bar]] in the left hand, and the (''picking-stick''-mounted) string tugged to return the flying shuttle in the right hand. See video below.]]
In a typical frame loom, as used previous to the invention of the flying shuttle, the operator sat with the newly woven cloth before them, using treadles or some other mechanism to raise and lower the [[heddle]]s, which opened the [[shed (weaving)|shed]] in the [[warp (weaving)|warp]] threads. They then had to reach forward while holding the [[Shuttle (weaving)|shuttle]] in one hand and pass this through the shed; the shuttle carried a [[bobbin]] for the [[weft]]. The shuttle then had to be caught in the other hand, the shed closed, and the [[beater (weaving)|beater]] pulled in against the fell to push the weft into place. This action (called a "pick") required regularly bending forward over the fabric. 

More importantly, the coordination between the throwing and catching of the shuttle required that the weaver was weaving [[narrow cloth]] (typically {{convert|60|in|cm}} or less). If the loom was for weaving [[broad cloth]] multiple weavers were needed: one on the left side at the shed, and one on the right side at the shed (and sometimes, one to operate the treadles). These two reached across the loom, passing the shuttle back and forth through the shed.

The flying shuttle employs a smooth board, called the "race," which runs, side to side, along the front of the beater, forming a track on which the shuttle runs. The lower threads of the shed rest on the track and the shuttle slides over them. At each end of the race, there is a box which catches the shuttle at the end of its journey, and which contains a mechanism for propelling the shuttle on its return trip (which may be yanked into action by the cord from the handheld picking-stick, or fully automated) 

The shuttle itself has some subtle differences from the older form, especially for automated and powered looms. The ends of the shuttle are often bullet-shaped and metal-capped, and the shuttle generally has rollers to reduce friction. The weft thread is made to exit from the end rather than the side, and the thread is stored on a [[pirn]] (a long, conical, one-ended, non-turning bobbin) to allow it to feed more easily. Finally, the flying shuttle is generally somewhat heavier, so as to have sufficient momentum to carry it all the way through the shed.

{{clear}}
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Handloom Telar artesanal Webstuhl 02.ogv|Handloom with a flying shuttle. The shuttle runs in a shuttle race attached to the front of the (bottom-mounted) beater bar. Subtitles describe step-by-step.
File:19C (late) Japanese hand loom with flying shuttle.jpg|Narrow [[tanmono]] loom with an obvious shuttle race on a top-mounted beater bar. Late 1800s Japan.
File:Pedal-driven-weaving-machine.jpg|This 1893 Yorkshire-made handloom has a flying shuttle; it is not just controlled but powered by the pedals.
File:Jacquard weefgetouw in actie.webm|The fully automated shuttle moves almost too fast to see.
File:Narrow shuttle loom.webm|An early fully automated loom. The arms at the sides can be seen swinging to bash the flying shuttle back and forth.
</gallery>