Basile Bouchon

French inventor

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Last updated

June 22, 2026

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Basile Bouchon was a French inventor who made significant improvements to the drawloom in 1725. His innovation involved a mechanism that used a perforated roll of paper to control which cords were drawn to create a pattern. This paper, with holes punched according to the desired design, would pass around a cylinder. Needles interacting with this cylinder would either slide along unperforated sections or pass through holes, thereby selecting the correct cords to be pulled by a treadle. This system aimed to automate the pattern selection process, reducing errors and the need for manual assistance in operating the loom.1

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textile
Drawlooms
In 1725 Basile Bouchon added to the mechanical drawboy a mechanism that selected the cords to be drawn to form the pattern. Selection was controlled by a roll of paper, perforated according to the pattern, which passed around a cylinder. The cylinder was pushed toward the selecting…
Read More
In 1725 Basile Bouchon added to the mechanical drawboy a mechanism that selected the cords to be drawn to form the pattern. Selection was controlled by a roll of paper, perforated according to the pattern, which passed around a cylinder. The cylinder was pushed toward the selecting…
Read More