How Twine Was Made
Almost all the texts and photographs here were compiled by Tony Brook - to whom we are most
grateful. Text in normal type was mostly written by the late Neil Evans, who ran the West Of England
Twine Works in East Street, West Coker and guided the machinery restoration at Dawe’s.
Text in italics comes from an article from the 1930s in ‘The Country Illustrated’ and from the Nathan
Archives. Most of the photos are of the twineworks in East Street, West Coker.
First Floor
The twisting process
Two, three, four or even more strands are then
twisted together in the twisting walks by means
of twisting jacks. Twelve hooks, each with
three or four strands attached, are revolved
by means of the large wheel beneath, this giving the necessary twist. The loose ends of the
strands are attached to a drag at the other end
of the walk which keeps them under constant
tension, while still yielding to the contraction
brought about by the twist. Each twisting walk
is about 100 yards in length.
Two twisting walks survive at first floor level at
Dawe’s.
Up to 16 spools of yarn are fixed into each of 6
racks or ‘creels’ which are positioned vertically,
but at an angle, in front of four twisting heads at
the eastern end of the walk. The creels are set
in position by battens nailed to the floor. Remnants of the battens survive.
A single strand of yarn is taken from 2,3 or 4 of
the spools, depending on the ply of the twine
being made. The strands are looped around
pairs of grooves in the top of a moveable horizontal timber bar or ‘cross’ and locked into position by a sliding metal bar on the cross. The
Twisting head; 12 hooks with twine attached.
‘cross’ is supported by a pair of guide wires
Drive belt on right is from theoverhead shaft.
which run at waist-height along the length of
the walk. The yarns are then run back together to alternate twisting hooks on the twisting heads.
There were four twisting heads (two per walk) each
of which had 12 twisting hooks. The hooks are attached to ‘reels’ which are rotated by belts run off
the line-shafting above, causing the hooks to rotate.
The single complete twisting head which remains in
situ was installed by the present owner.
The twine maker pushes the cross westwards along
the walk causing the yarns to be played out. As he
does this, each group of yarns drops between upright wire loops set in ‘rakes’, which are positioned at
regular intervals along the length of the walk.
At the western end of the walk the cross is hooked on
to the eastern edge of a moveable horizontal timber Pushing the Cross to the west end
framework or ‘spreader’, which is supported by the
same waist-height guide wires as the ‘cross’. Two
ropes run from the western edge of the ‘spreader’
through two guiding loops set in the top of a horizontal timber. The ropes run over the top of two pulleys
wheels which are fixed to timber posts which butt
up to the western gable end. The pulley wheels are
linked by an axle. Weights which vary in heaviness
according to the twine being made, are hung from
the axle down through holes in the floor, between
two pulley wheels. The weighted pulleys put tension
on the twine.
Then twine maker walks back to the eastern end
of the walk where he draws out further yarn from
the unused creels and ties it to the unused twisting
hooks, thereby creating double (200yd) lengths.
The twisting heads, which are powered via belt
drives from overhead line-shafting at the eastern
end, are set in motion by one of two cords which
run along the floor of the walk. As the twine maker
walks back up the walk the ‘spreader’ and ‘cross’
are drawn eastwards along the walk and the twine
is formed. The distance the cross and horizontal
frame travels eastwards varies according to the type
of twine being made.
Twisting head. Driven from overhead shaft.
Two narrow belts drive all 12 twisting spools.
The twine maker walks back to the eastern end of
the walk lifting the twine out of the rakes as he goes,
but leaving it in the easternmost set of ‘rakes’ and whilst still under tension the ends of each length
of twine, on each adjacent pair of hooks, are spliced together to form endless loops.
Each loop is slipped on to a horizontal peg placed in an angled post, next to the twisting heads.
When sufficient loops have accumulated, the twine is wound around the pegs to form a large ball
which can easily be carried down to the ground floor for finishing.
Rotating Machinery Can Be Dangerous
On April 17th 1931, Stanley Robert Shorey of Upland Terrace, an employee of Messrs W J Dawe
& Co had his arm broken and lacerated by being caught in the shafting of the engine at Millbrook
Works. In this case a prosecution was initiated by Miss Pearson H.M Inspector of Factories, for
neglect to observe certain provisions of the factories and Workshops Acts of 1901 and 1920, in
that part of the mill gearing, namely the overhead line shafting and the belt of a twisting and laying
machine, were not securely fenced etc. In this case also the accident was due to an attempt to put
on the belt with the engine running and though Mr F J Dawe who had been in sole possession of
the factory for 38 years, gave evidence that after the accident at the other mill he had individually
warned every employee against putting on belts when shafting was in motion, the prosecution succeeded and the Yeovil County Petty Sessions bench imposed a small fine.
(From the Nathan Archives, found by Tony Brook)
Ground Floor
The Finishing Process
After twisting the twines are taken to the finishing walks to be thoroughly cleaned and polished. The
drum polisher consists of a pair of grooved drums, one power driven and the other merely a tension
drum.
The finishing walk on the ground
floor is divided into three aisles
which retain virtually all the finishing machinery in situ. The number
of finishing walks exceeds the number of twisting walks because of the
time taken to dry the twine. Drying
was weather-dependant and therefore more time-consuming than
twisting but was facilitated by the
fact that the walk was open-sided.
The twine from the first floor is paid
out along the finishing walk by placing one of the pegs around which
the twine is wound in one of the peg
holes in the slanting peg boards
at the eastern end of the finishing
Setting up the finishing process was not good for the back
walk and paying out the twine to the
western end, where the loop is held in place in similar angled peg boards.
The lengths of twisted twine are spliced together at each end by twos, endless bands thus being
formed which are passed round the drum and through the size and water troughs. The driving drum
turns at a high speed, and the tension drum is drawn backwards by means of a winch and rope, to
keep the twine taut.
Loops of twine are
taken from each peg
at the eastern end of
the walk and slipped
into grooves on castiron ‘driving’ drums.
Each drum has 24
grooves.
When all
the loops from the
pegs are in place on
the drums the finisher walks westwards
along the walk guiding
the twine by means of
a hand-held comb, so
that the twine drops
between spikes set in
the upper surface of
‘rakes’.
The loops of twine
are then fixed around
Twine forced down under a bar into the tank
grooved drums which
for washing
Tensioning drum. The cable from the
winch passed through the chassis, then
round a fixed pulley and back to the
hook below the drum
are fixed to cast-iron moveable trolleys set
on rails at the western end of the walk.
The trolleys are attached to floor mounted
winches which lie towards the eastern end
of the walk, by means of thick wire ropes.
The hand winches at the eastern end of the
walk are then used to winch the moveable
trolleys westwards. This action tensions
the loops of twine
The cords run round at a considerable
pace, are washed, cleaned, and sized in
the troughs, and squeezed and carded as
they leave, being polished by friction at the
same time. Polishing and drying goes on
until the desired results are obtained, and
it is only when thoroughly dry that the twine Dawe’s finishing walk west end after the works closed. The
is taken off the drums and wound up into (slack) winch cables are still in place. This part of the walk later
collapsed, but has now been rebuilt.
skeins ready for balling or winding.
The belts at the eastern end of the walk
are then engaged to drive the grooved
drums. This rotates the drums causing
the twine to run through narrow troughs
which lie a short distance to the west
of the driving drums. The troughs are
divided into two sections, one of which
contained water, the other size.
The twine is then allowed to dry in situ
on the drums before being run through
the size in the smaller sections of the
tanks. After sizing the twine may have
been polished between coir pads about
14 inches by 6 inches and waxed by
hand.
Size being applied at the far end of the tank, by the drum, and pol- The loops of twine are then put into
ished by a ‘snugger’ (horsehair rope) nearer the camera
nets which are hung from the ceiling for
2 to 3 hours for drying. The splice in
the loop of twine is removed and each
length of twine wound onto a ‘skeiner’
at the western end of the walk, probably
four at a time.
The twine is then formed into a ball in a
separate process called balling.
Polishing the twine using a weighted pad, next to the drum
Finished Products
Balls weighing from 4 oz to 16 oz are
then made up on power driven balling machines, or the twine is crosswound in roll form on Leeson winding
machines. The finer sizes are usually
made up into 8 oz balls, and the heavier
sorts into balls of 16 oz each. Six balls
go into each packet when the packing
department is reached, and the product
is then ready for sending out. In some
cases the heavier cords are supplied in
cut lengths or hanks, which is more convenient for baling purposes.
About 40 running sizes are made in the
West of England Works, but a great deal
of the firm’s time is also taken up with the
manufacture of twines to match samples
sent them. During the War a considerable quantity of special cords for rifle pullthroughs was prepared, the special size
or glue for this material being obtained by
boiling down rabbit skins by steam.
The principal products of the West of England Twine Works are mattress twines,
sewing twines for upholstery work, brush
makers’ twines, laid cords for bailing purposes, harness cords, loom cords, mason’s lines, chalk lines and whip cords.
A variety of cheaper twines for parcelling
and general packing purposes are also
manufactured. Dutch, African, Russian,
Belgian and English flaxes are chiefly
utilised in the production of these goods, The uses of twine in 1951
some of the coarser twines being made
of jute. Only the finest of qualities of Dutch flax are used, however, for the best twines. This flax is
generally bought by the firm directly from Holland, and is hackled by hand on the premises, the line
or finer portion of the flax being separated from the tow, or coarser part, by the use of hackling pins
over which the flax is drawn. The line is used for the best quality twines, and the tow for the cheaper
grades. Both line and tow are sent to the spinners to be made into yarn.
Spinning is of course a trade entirely separate from twine making, and most of the spinning for the
West of England Works is carried on at Bridport. The flax returns to West Coker in the form of yarn;
in the case of other materials Messrs Gould buy the yarns direct, and thus save the expense of
hackling.
How Many People Worked At Dawe’s?
The two twine factories that had been at work in the village before 1926 were still operating at the
beginning of 1927 but the bulk of their labour and output greatly diminished at the time of the trade
depression and has never recovered. Since 1931 neither has worked at full capacity.
At the West of England Factory out of 14 pairs of drums only 8 are working and at W J Dawe &
Co out of 10 only 7. At the former where 20 men and 7 women were working before now only 11
men and 4 women are employed and at the latter the former figures of 12 men and 4 women have
been reduced to 7 men and 3 women.
Both firms still send their finished products to London and Dawes also supply Yeovil shops with
cheap twine.
(From the Nathan Archives, found by Tony Brook)
In earlier times when demand was greater, there may have been 25 workers
Compiled by Chris Barker. Coker Rope & Sail Trust March 2015