Rotary reed having facilities for adjustably separating groups of leno warp threads

In a rotary reed for a travelling wave loom, the reed comprising a reed shaft, a plurality of first relatively thin discs arranged in axially spaced relation at first intervals on the reed shaft for guiding fabric warp threads therebetween, and means including relatively thick second discs disposed on the reed shaft on respectively opposite sides of the first discs, the peripheries of the successive first and second discs along the reed shaft exhibiting angularly offset recesses which cooperate to establish a substantially helical weft-receiving passage, the improvement wherein first and second sets each including at least three of the second discs are arranged on respectively opposite sides of the first discs for guiding a plurality of leno warp threads, each set of the second discs being arranged to define a warp-free zone therein separating selected ones of the leno warp threads so that said selected threads establish, with an inserted weft, a main inner fabric leno weave and a reinforcing outer leno weave separated by a distance greater than the first interval, and wherein variable spacing means are disposed between and in contact with the opposed surfaces of a predetermined pair of adjacent second discs in each set for establishing the warp-free zone therebetween.