Creating Leather and Wooden Card Weaving Cards

While I initially had no intention of trying card weaving I have found myself giving it a go.  A friend was going to attend a demo and asked for some more period looking cards.  She didn't like the modern playing cards she currently used and wanted a set of wooden ones.  I thought I'd give it a try.
I started with a chunk of wood from an old pallet.

I drilled holes in the block with the intent of making two different sized cards.

I then used a table saw to cut the block into fins which I could then cut off all at one time.

I also tried the same process on a block that had not yet been drilled to see if I could make the cards and then drill them.

I took the cards to my belt sander and rounded the edges.  I used a Dremel to soften the inside of each of the holes.  As it turns out, the woman I made them for found that there were still a number of burs on the wood and therefore they didn't work nicely.  I'll try sanding them again and perhaps varnishing them to make a better finish.

  

Sanded cards ready for use?  Nope.  I recall that when my friend is doing weaving there are numbers on each of the holes.

 

 

I used a wood burner to make roman numbers on the cards for use when warping and patterning.

 My friend had also mentioned that perhaps leather cards might have been used.  I tried my hand at making some of those as well.


My first batch included trying to harden them in hot water but that was a fail!  As I recalled the cards my friend used were playing cards.  Leather is about as stiff as a playing card so I decided to scrap the leather hardening adventure and just toss these.

 Turns out that the leather cards were about the same thickness as the oak cards.

 

 I cut some leather squares from scraps in the basement.  I then used a small knife to round the edges.

I then drilled the cards and used my dove makers mark in the middle.

I then used a wood burner to mark the holes as I did on the oak cards.

And... just for the heck of it I tried making some triangle shaped cards.  The process is the same, only the shape differed.

 

For the heck of it I thought I'd give the triangle cards a go.

Well, how did the experiment with the triangle cards go?  It was not good.  Not good at all!  That is all I shall say on that matter.  Card weaving... YUCK!