Where thread length is limited, such as the hanging warp threads of a woven piece, a narrow notch or saw cut in one end of the bobbin will secure the thread at its end without requiring knotting. If this notch is put on the lower or handle end, it will not interfere with normal thread attachment. Bobbins can easily be made from straight dowel stock of various sizes or improvised using chicken leg bones that have been cleaned and bleached, ordinary sticks, or straight twigs, pencils, clothespins, and so on. Common construction nails, which come in many sizes and weights, can be used, although double headed nails work better. Tubular porcelain electrical insulators work well and have a lovely sound.
Weavers can use their fly shuttle bobbins or tapestry bobbins as working bobbins.
If the weight of your bobbin is not sufficient, additional weight can be hung from the bobbin by a wire. It should be between 6 and seven inches long, and the ends rounded. This is the holding groove for the thread. Then wind the rest of the thread on the dowel. Robert I. Spragg Sr.