Philippine mat straws can be divided into three classes—palm straws, pandan straws, and straws obtained from sedges. The first two are obtained by stripping the leaves of the plants into narrow lengths. For this purpose there is used in most localities a small gauge held between the thumb and index fingers. A knife blade fitting in the notches serves as the cutting edge. The leaf is held in one hand and the gauge and knife in the other, the edge of the leaf being drawn through the gauge. This is generally made out of the stiff part of the leaf, though, occasionally, of a piece of rattan, bamboo or leather. At best it serves for only a few hours of use, when it is thrown away and another made.

When the notch becomes worn, the blade moves about in the gauge, causing the width of the straws to vary, and when a new gauge is made there is always more or less variance in the position of the new notches. This method is very slow, as but one strip can be cut at a time; and, until the operator becomes expert in the use of the gauge, many of the strips are worthless. When used in the school room, each pupil has to prepare his own material. This causes waste of materials and a constant littering of the floor.

For stripping sabutan leaves, the mat weavers of Tanay, Rizal, use a kind of comb which is discussed under the heading “Sabutan.” The leaves are pulled over this comb before being dried. As sabutan is parallel veined it is very easy to strip it thus, the teeth of the comb following the leaf fibers. The comb produces several uniform straws with one stroke.

The object of contriving the stripping machine illustrated and described here was to furnish a quick means of preparing palm and pandan straws with uniform widths and clean cut edges. Forms of it have been in use for some time and the model noted here has been tried out for a year. By its use one pupil can prepare materials for the whole class, or else the teacher can have all the materials prepared beforehand if it is so desired. This is half the problem of teaching the weaving of hats or mats.

This stripper is made wide enough for inserting teeth three widths apart, so that without adjusting these teeth three widths of straw may be cut. By changing the teeth in the adjustable gums, any width desired may be obtained.

It is best to make this apparatus of hard wood, especially the piece represented by Fig. A. A is a block of wood 23 cm. by 4 cm. by 4 cm., containing the groove XY. This groove is the size and shape of C, being 2.5 cm. wide at the top, 1.5 cm. at the bottom, and 3 cm. high. C is one of the blocks which slides in the groove XY. These blocks are made of different thicknesses, about 2, 3, and 4 mm., and are of hard wood or metal. The rod B passes through these blocks and tightens on the block D or X by means of a thumb screw. Z is a wooden roller 19 cm. long and 1.5 cm. in diameter. This should extend 2 mm. below the level of the main surface. It is placed in a groove made in a separate piece of wood from the principal block and is fastened into the principal block by means of screws.

The teeth (see C) are made of clock springs or other thin sharp metal. They are 3 cm. long and 1 cm. to 1½ cm. wide. The two upright pieces at both ends contain grooves on the inside in which the block-head slides up and down.

To operate this device, the block-head containing the teeth is raised by the handle; the leaf is placed under the teeth, and the block-head is dropped. The teeth pass through the leaf into a groove underneath. The leaf is now pulled through by the hand as illustrated in Plate VI.