How can You make such long braids?

With a little device called a footbeater from Japan. Essentially a beater that can rotate vertically and activated by pulling a cord attached to the beater with your foot. Here is a more in depth paper I wrote a few years ago on my thoughts about foot beaters, their purpose, design, and construction. For today, we'll just go over the essentials.

"Ok, it's a Japanese tool, how does that help me?" Unless you're going for complete authentic reproduction methods, all the foot beater does is replace your assistant that beats the braid for you. It doesn't change anything about the braid itself as the beater rests below the braid when not being pulled.

Right now, the foot beater can only be traced back to the 14th CE based on available evidence. Complicated braids originated much earlier so it's possible that it is older, however, barring some fantastic new dig find we'll never know. Initially the foot beater was a flat board with uprights holding an axle for the beater to rotate. The braid was secured to a pole or some other anchor and the board just slid along the ground backwards to the braider. Some time later, a base was created with an integrated anchor and a slot for the board to travel on.

Both types have their pros and cons. The single board meant that the braider could braid non-stop until they reached the desired length. But it meant that there had to a dedicated space/studio and the only thing keeping the board traveling in line with the braid was the braider's skill in pulling the board. The base and board allowed for braiding anywhere that was long enough and kept the board in line with the braid. However, the braider had to stop every 10-15mins to have the braid wound onto the anchor and then move towards the base.

In my research on the foot beaters, I've seen several working versions that do the same thing but what I didn't see was one that looked almost identical to drawings and paintings. So that was my goal in making one but it's not the only way to make one if you just want a beater.