In apparatus for manually stuffing foodstuff into tubular netting and continuously gathering netting about a tubular element, the action of centering, holding on position and aligning of the tubular element is combined with the netunwinding from spool-feeders in one single improved device which consists of a plurality of rolls located on the tubular element near a constricted section thereof. The tubular element, furthermore, may be contained within a sheath and supported therein by an axial spine with a plurality of spaced annuli. Several modifications of this concept are described and claimed, the concept being applicable to Apparatus of both the reciprocating and continuous net-gathering type.