Weft-beating mechanism with variable-stroke reed

In a loom for weaving toweling fabric having a reed carried by a sley for beating up the weft and a sley drive having an output shaft for displacing said sley, the improvement which comprises a transmission between said shaft and said sley for varying the stroke of said reed, said transmission including a first cylindrical member connected to said drive, a second cylindrical member coaxial with said first member and connected to said sley, a cylindrical control element coaxial with and interposed between said members, said first member and said element being formed with a first set of confronting grooves and respective bridging elements received in the confronting grooves and mobile therein, said control element and said second member being formed with a second set of mutually confronting grooves and respective bridging elements received in and mobile in the confronting grooves of said second set, the grooves of one of said sets being rectilinear parallel to the axis of said members and said control element and the grooves of the other set lying on a helix centered on said axis;

• and means for selectively regulating the axial displacement of said control element to vary the stroke of said sley.