Dwing8 Report post Posted February 16, 2012 Good morning, I've been braiding some necklaces and bracelets with 1/8" kangaroo lace using a 1/8" round cord as a core and the 8 strand herringbone method of braiding. I usually cut my strands about 1 1/2 the length of the finished length plus a little to be safe and it works out pretty good. My next project is using the same braid on a flat core, a 1/4'" wide strip of 4-6 oz oil tanned leather for the core. It's obvious it's going to take a lot more in length to braid because of the width of the core, what's a good way of determining how long to cut the strands? Thanks, Dano Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roo4u Report post Posted February 16, 2012 i use the same formula for all my braiding....because it doesnt matter if your braiding over a round core or flat...as long as the width is correct... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwing8 Report post Posted February 16, 2012 i use the same formula for all my braiding....because it doesnt matter if your braiding over a round core or flat...as long as the width is correct... Could you give me an example please? I don't quite follow, I'm not familiar with the formula you use. How long would my strands be? Or how wide for what I'm doing? Thanks, Dano Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roo4u Report post Posted February 17, 2012 um...ok, first what are you making? i ask because oil tanned can be kinda soft and may curl if you braid too tight. anyway braiding over flat is the same formula as braiding over round. 1 1/2 x circumference divided by how many strings used = width. now if you are using precut lace then instead of dividing by string divide by your lace width to get how many strings to use. example---circumference is 3/4" (.75) x 1.5 = 1.125. divide this by 1/8" (.125) = 9 so by formula 9 strings would be required to cover, you could try 8 it might cover, depends on you braiding style. formula for length is always 1 1/2 x needed plus however much you need on each end to finish your project. the challenge in braiding over flat is keeping your lines absolutely straight, as deviation will be more obvious than braiding around a round core. hope this helps you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dwing8 Report post Posted February 17, 2012 I'm making a necklace that measures about 18" or so when laid out flat. I don't have to use oil tanned leather, I have some 1/4" wide latigo that measures .080" thick. It's just not quite as soft as oil tanned. I've made a few bracelets with a flat core and I see what you are saying about the challenge, the backside is hard to keep right. So...if I use the latigo, .080"+.080"+.25"+.25"=.660" circumference or .210" dia. if it's round. If I multiply that circumference by 1.5 I get .99" divided by 8 strings=.123" so I guess 1/8" lace is good. All that' s left is 24" or so for the strands? Sounds good to me! Thank you! Dano Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
roo4u Report post Posted February 17, 2012 glad to help! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
