I wrote a post a couple months ago about using shed sticks which included the few options that I could find readily available. Since then I’ve had several updates to the shed stick situation and I now have a healthy list of great options. I am quite sure there are more great tools out there. Here I was focusing on makers who have their work in stock all the time or at least with good consistency.* These are all US makers, but there are woodworkers all over the world and I am sure there are small tool makers in your neighborhood also if you do not live in the US.
I recommend watching the video in my original post if you haven’t seen it because it talks about what I like in a shed stick, why I use them, and what I need this tool to to do for me. I’m using them on looms that are fairly small and usually do not have shedding devices. On a larger loom without a shedding device such as a copper pipe loom, I may not need a shed stick quite as much because the warp is longer and I have the ability to just pick the warp with my fingers. But for shorter, small looms, a shed stick is an important tool. I want the stick to be pointy enough to pick up the warps at a sett as fine as 12 epi, about 1/4 inch thick so that it slides through the warp easily and about 1/2 inch wide so that when I turn it sideways in the shed, I have an opening I can pass the weft through easily. The length of the shed stick could vary though and on very small looms, I like a shed stick about 7 inches long.
The image below shows all the shed sticks I’m reviewing in the attached video. The ones I’ve added since the last post are the three on the bottom plus a narrower version of the Handywoman Shop stick.
My current shed-stick love list
(in no particular order because the one I love the best might not be the one you do depending on what equipment you’re using and what you’re weaving)
Schacht Spindle Company weaving stick
Yarnworker pickup stick
Handywoman Shop mini pick-up stick
Don Betterley’s shed stick
Stephen Willette shed stick and shed stick/beater
Threads Thru Time/Thomas Creations shed stick
The video below reviews all 6 shed sticks. The longer first video discusses why I use shed sticks and what sorts of looms they’re most useful for.
The gallery below has a few more images. Click on the image for a larger version, hover for captions.
Happy Weaving!
*I do not have affiliate agreements with any of these makers or vendors. I purchased some of these tools and in other cases, the makers sent me new prototypes for free to see what I thought. I never promise to showcase a tool on my blog and will only recommend something if I actually like it and use it myself. That said, all of these tool makers are stellar people who stand behind their products and that goes a long way in my book! They’re all very small makers with the exception of Schacht Spindle Company which isn’t as large an operation as you might think given their global reach. Schacht is right down the road from me and is also run by a team of committed fiber enthusiasts. Many other makers sell small batches of lovely shed sticks and if you know one of them, purchase their work!