Some warp beams rotate freely, and you must make very sure that you’re winding the warp on in the right direction. If you wind on backwards, the brake won’t hold the warp in place for you to weave, and you have to re-beam the entire warp. To check, use the crank to wind up a foot or so of the apron (See figure). Put on the brake. Take hold of the apron and pull on it. If it unwinds, you’ve cranked in the wrong direction. Try again, cranking the other way. This time it should hold. If you have a ratchet-type brake, make sure that the lever (called a “dog” or “pawl”) is in place on the ratchet teeth. You shouldn’t be able to crank at all in the wrong direction, and when you crank correctly, you should hear the clicking sound of the lever tripping along the teeth
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This tip is in the Beaming Chapter of Book 2, Warping Your Loom and Tying on New Warps