Arrange Shafts
What It Does
Arrange Shafts lets you reorder the shafts in your draft by dragging them into a new position. When you move a shaft, its tie-up connections move with it, and all threading references are updated automatically. The cloth structure stays exactly the same — you're just reorganizing which physical shaft controls which threads.
This is useful for organizing your shaft assignments so the threading reads more logically, or for matching a specific loom setup. Weavers often want shafts arranged so the threading follows a clear visual pattern — for example, grouping related shafts together or putting the most-used shafts in the most accessible positions.
Opening Arrange Shafts
Ribbon: Tools tab > Optimize group > Arrange Shafts button
The Arrange Shafts Dialog
The dialog shows each shaft as a horizontal tile you can drag up and down. The tiles are arranged vertically with shaft N at the top and shaft 1 at the bottom (matching the standard weaving convention where shaft 1 is closest to the weaver).
Each tile displays:
The shaft number — So you can identify which shaft it is
A mini tie-up row — A horizontal strip showing which treadles are connected to that shaft (colored cells = connected treadles). This helps you see at a glance what each shaft does, so you can arrange them logically.
To reorder, simply click and drag a tile to its new position. The other tiles shift to make room as you drag. You can rearrange as many shafts as you like before clicking Apply.
How to Use It
Go to Tools tab > Optimize group > Arrange Shafts
Look at the shaft tiles — each one shows its tie-up connections
Drag shafts up or down to the positions you want
Click Apply
Your tie-up rows are reordered and all threading references are updated. The drawdown looks exactly the same — only the shaft assignments have changed.
Step-by-Step Example: Cleaning Up an Imported Draft
You imported a WIF file where the shaft assignments are scattered — shaft 3 should logically be shaft 1, shaft 7 should be shaft 2, and so on. The threading pattern is hard to read:
Open Arrange Shafts from the Tools tab
Use the mini tie-up rows to identify what each shaft does
Drag the shafts into an order that makes the threading pattern clearer — for example, arranging a twill so the threading progresses neatly from shaft 1 upward
Click Apply
The threading now reads in a logical sequence. The cloth is unchanged.
Step-by-Step Example: Grouping Shafts for a Compound Structure
You have a 12-shaft draft where shafts for the ground weave and the pattern weave are interleaved. You'd prefer the ground shafts grouped together (1–4) and the pattern shafts together (5–12):
Open Arrange Shafts from the Tools tab
Identify the ground and pattern shafts by their tie-up connections
Drag the ground shafts to the bottom positions (shafts 1–4) and the pattern shafts above
Click Apply
The threading and tie-up now clearly separate ground from pattern, making it easier to understand and modify the draft.
When to Use It
After importing a draft — Imported WIF files may have shafts in an order that doesn't match your preferred convention or loom setup
Cleaning up threading — Rearrange shafts so the threading pattern reads more clearly — a straight draw, point twill, or other sequence
Matching your loom — If your loom has a specific shaft order or you're used to a particular arrangement, rearrange the draft to match
After design changes — Edits to the threading can sometimes leave shafts in an illogical order. Rearranging restores clarity.
Limitations
Requires at least 2 shafts — You need two or more shafts for rearranging to make sense.
Works in both tie-up and liftplan modes — In tie-up mode, the tie-up rows are rearranged. In liftplan mode, the liftplan columns are rearranged along with the threading.
Tips
Undo works — Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z) reverts the rearrangement in one step.
No change is fine — If you open the dialog, look around, and decide the order is already good, just click Cancel. If you click Apply without moving anything, TempoWeave recognizes that nothing changed and leaves the draft alone.
Check the mini tie-up rows — The horizontal connection strips on each tile are very helpful for identifying which shaft does what, especially in complex drafts with many shafts.
The cloth never changes — This is a reorganization tool, not an editing tool. No matter how you rearrange the shafts, the resulting fabric is identical.
Shaft 1 is at the bottom — The tile layout matches the weaving convention where shaft 1 is at the bottom of the display. Dragging a tile downward moves it to a lower shaft number.
Quick Reference
Location
Tools tab > Optimize group > Arrange Shafts
Works in
Both tie-up and liftplan modes
What moves
Tie-up rows + all threading references (+ liftplan columns if applicable)
What stays the same
The cloth structure — identical before and after
Minimum shafts
2
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