Apparatus for the control of relative strand movement, without significantly affecting or altering strand tension, on a braiding machine with two sets of carriers for a strand supply bobbin being rotated in opposite directions and being generally axially aligned, as a set of front and rear strand carriers and supply bobbins. A set of rear strands pass through peripheral and radially arcuate slots in a carrier mounting table and are guided prior to movement into the slot by a set of cam actuated swing arms movable in a common plane perpendicular to the machine axis. The rear strands move through an arc segment relative to the machine axis for interweaving with a set of front strands. The interwoven rear and front strands are led to a circular ring at the front of the machine having an effective diameter coincident with the rotational axis of the front bobbins. The interwoven strands are then pulled from the machine to a "work center" for tight braiding around a core or mandrel.