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Measuring for Hybrid Sets

I do a lot of hybrid string jobs, using strings from full sets of string. This means cutting each set in half, which can be a pain because the string wants to stay coiled up, and then it invariably tangles while I’m trying to find the center. To introduce a little control to the situation, I now use my machine clamps to hold each of the two ends of the string package, after the normal uncoiling process. I cut each end at an angle, and clamp the first in one of my machine clamps. I usually clamp a couple of inches back from the tip, so the indentations from the clamp don’t create unwanted drag when weaving the crosses. My stringing area has enough room that I was able to mount a hook on the wall 18 feet away from my machine, so I run the string out to the hook, loop it over, and then run the free end back to the other machine clamp. With the string stretched out like this, I can walk back to the hook, and cut the center of the loop at an angle, which prepares both ends for stringing at once. When you let go of the newly-cut center, the ends are still held securely by the machine clamps.

Greg Raven, MRT, Apple Valley, CA

From the June 2006 issue
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