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YOU CAN BUILD A MACHINE THAT BRAIDS ROPE

Three bobbins dance in a figure-eight on printed gears and braid a cord in real time, while a second motor reels the finished braid up.

by Mr Innovative

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

WorkshopAutomation

Built withArduino3D printing

difficulty
●●●○○
time
a weekend
license
license not specified
repo
repo 0 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

This is a mesmerising proof of concept: three bobbins travel around a figure-eight track driven by printed spur gears, the threads cross, and a braided cord grows upward the same way a factory braider works, scaled down to three carriers. A second stepper on a bracket above reels the finished braid in. The STL files are on Thingiverse under CC BY 4.0. What is missing is the written part: there is no parts list, no code and no wiring diagram. The 13-minute video shows the build step by step, including the creator's own control PCB with plug-in stepper driver modules and aluminium bobbins turned on a lathe, so you can work out a lot from it, but you have to read sizes off the screen. If you have built gear-driven mechanisms and can write basic stepper code, this is a satisfying weekend or two of mechanical problem-solving. If you expected firmware and a step list, you will not find them. Measure the bearings in the video carefully before you order, because a wrong size only shows up after printing.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —STL files for all gears and carriers are on Thingiverse (thing:4038540), licence CC BY 4.0, unrestricted commercial use permitted.
  • —No bill of materials provided — you must work out hardware sizes, bearing types, and the Arduino shield from the photos.
  • —No firmware uploaded — the description says Arduino plus stepper motor, but there is no code file and no mention of motor driver type.
  • —No written assembly instructions: the Thingiverse page has the files, a one-line description and a link to the build video.
  • —The video (about 481,000 views) shows the build and the creator's control PCB, but there is no wiring diagram or code.
  • —This is a demonstrator build, not a documented tutorial — expect to reverse-engineer the electronics and write your own control code.

Parts to buy

6 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • ArduinoFind
  • Two NEMA 17 steppers and two stepper driver modulesFind
  • Bearings (sizes must be read from the video)Find
  • M3/M4 bolts and threaded rodFind
  • Plywood or board for the base and track platesFind
  • Bobbins and threadFind

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Can I build this?

PrintGears, carriers, spool holder and base parts — total print time not stated, likely 12–20 hours depending on gear infill.
BuyAn Arduino, two NEMA 17 steppers (one for the gear train, one for the take-up spool) and two stepper driver modules (the creator does not list exact models), bearings (sizes must be read from the video), M3/M4 bolts and threaded rod, plywood or board for the base and track plates, bobbins (machined from aluminium in the video, printed ones may work) and thread.
Tools3D printer, drill or drill press, scroll saw or jigsaw for the figure-eight track plates, soldering iron, screwdrivers; the creator turned his bobbins on a lathe, so without one you will need printed or bought bobbins; a computer to write and upload Arduino code.
SkillsIntermediate — you need to interpret photos to spec hardware, write basic stepper control code, and tune gear mesh by trial.
TimeA weekend if you already know Arduino and have built geared mechanisms; longer if you are learning as you go.
Cost$$ — the prints and electronics are cheap, but expect one or two hardware re-orders when sizes do not match.
SafetyNone beyond ordinary electronics care — low voltage stepper, no cutting blades, no mains wiring.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

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Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Download the STL files from Thingiverse thing:4038540 (The page has the STL files and a link to the build video, but no print settings; standard PLA settings with solid enough gears are a reasonable start.)
  2. 2.Study the video stills to identify bearing sizes and bolt threading(No dimensions are given — you will need calipers and a best guess from the photos.)
  3. 3.Write basic Arduino stepper control code(AccelStepper library is the usual choice; start with constant-speed rotation and tune from there.)
  4. 4.Test gear mesh and carrier clearance with the motor off before wiring(The printed spur gears need the correct centre distance and must turn freely by hand. Check this before the electronics go in, because it is much easier to fix then.)

KNOWN ISSUES

  • No bearing spec is given — if you guess wrong, the carriers will bind or wobble and you will only know after printing and assembly.
  • No firmware provided — you must write the stepper control yourself, and tuning the speed so threads do not tangle takes trial and error.
  • The video shows the build but gives no written dimensions; you have to read hole positions, bolt lengths and bearing sizes off the screen.
  • The printed gears need accurate centre distances; if your printer is not well calibrated or you over-tighten the bolts, the gears will bind.
  • Thread tension matters — too loose and the braid is slack, too tight and the bobbins stall; there is no mechanism shown for adjusting this.
  • This is a three-carrier hobby demonstrator — it will not match the speed, capacity or braid tightness of a commercial machine, and scaling it up to more carriers is a redesign, not a print-more-parts job.

What Arduino board and motor driver does it use?

The video shows the creator's own control board ('Machine Control PCB V0.1') with plug-in stepper driver modules, driving two steppers: one for the gear train and one for the take-up spool. Exact models are not written down. Any Arduino with two common stepper driver modules (A4988 or DRV8825 type) can do the same job, but you will have to write the code and check pinouts yourself.

Can I braid thicker rope with this design?

The bobbins and carriers are sized for thin thread, which is what the video braids. Thicker rope needs bigger bobbins, stronger gears and more motor torque; that is a redesign, not a simple scale-up.

How does it compare to a commercial braiding machine?

Industrial braiders use many more carriers and run continuously at speed. This three-carrier version is a desktop demonstrator of the same principle, not a production tool.

Is there a way to add more carriers?

Yes in principle, but it requires redesigning the gear train and carrier paths — the geometry changes completely beyond three or four bobbins.

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

The video has around 481,000 views, but the Thingiverse page itself carries no code and no written parts list. What would you tackle first: writing the stepper firmware or working out the hardware from the video?

CompareeTEAM6d agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the Thingiverse page has the printable files and a fully open licence (CC BY 4.0), and it links Mr Innovative's 13-minute build video, which in turn links back to the files. What the page does not include is a written parts list, the Arduino code or a wiring diagram, so most of the detail has to be read off the video, including his own control board and the second stepper that reels in the braid. If you have done Arduino stepper projects before, this is an enjoyable build; if this is your first geared mechanism, expect to learn by trial and re-order hardware at least once. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

Mr Innovative

Mr Innovative (electricdiylab) builds mechanical demonstrators and shares them on YouTube and Thingiverse. The braiding machine video, published in December 2019, has since passed 480,000 views.

Star the project on GitHub

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