Viking cord making tool

The lucet is believed to date back to the Viking and Medieval periods. Lucet cording was used on clothing as drawstrings and button loops or to hang things from belts in the Viking Era.

From archeological finds and literary descriptions, the lucet declined after the 12th Century, but was revived in the 17th Century. It had a few revivals though, first in the Mid 19th Century, and then in the Edwardian Era — Today, due to more information and interest in the weaving world, the lucet is making another comeback.

Lucet cording is the birthplace of bag ties, eyeglasses cords, shoelaces — the list is endless. The small hand-held lucet was normally made from wood, horn or bone, but some were carved of ivory, mother-of-pearl or tortoiseshell for wealthier women. Above are two of my favourites. Great tutorial, thanks! That technique looks like a little japanese kumihimo. I will try as soon as possible!

Merry Christmas! Question 1 year ago. Answer 1 year ago. There should be 8 slots for this wheel, but you could probably make a version with 7 slots and 6 strings. Would be interesting to see how that changes the pattern of the braid :. By snowbiscuit Follow. More by the author:. About: Making the most of things by making the most out of things. More About snowbiscuit ». Trollen wheels are simple to make, fun to use and produce beautiful braids in minutes.

Mark on 8 points around the edge equally spaced out and make small cuts on these marks. Gather up the ends of the yarn and tie together in one knot. I found it easiest to use a hand saw for the initial cuts, then a coping saw with a fine blade to cut the base of the U. Use the pencil to draw a rounded shape that smoothes off the top edge of the U, tapering each prong to the outer edge of the wedge refer to photo.

Remove the excess wood down to this line with coarse sandpaper. Mark a point on the centre line of the wedge that is about 25mm 1" below the U. Support the wedge with its midline horizontal again and drill an 8mm hole right through it.

Use the coarse sandpaper to round off the hard edges of the base and sides of the U a little. Smooth all the cut surfaces with the coarse paper and then the fine. Wrap sandpaper around a pencil or something like a paintbrush handle to get into the curve at the base of the U and the inside of the drilled hole.

Take particular care that the tips of the prongs and the edges of the hole have no sharp edges that could catch the thread used to make cord. Remove any remaining pencil marks with a rubber. Finally, you may want to wax or varnish the lucet. I LOVE it. Thanks so much for posting. I've always wanted a lucet but was discouraged with how much a simple thing like that costs. I am going to make one! By Yorkshire Lass Follow. More by the author:. The simplest type of lucet cord is made as follows, but I'll do another Instructable some time on making more interesting cords on a lucet.

Refer to photo 1. Hold the lucet in your left hand with a flat side towards you. Reverse all these instructions if you are left handed.