Abstract: An easing drum has an elongated horizontal shaft having an elongated horizontal axis about which the shaft is rotatable. A plurality of like circular discs are secured at their centers to said shaft and are rotatable therewith. The discs are spaced apart and lie in parallel vertical planes, each disc having an external periphery covered with a high friction coating. A mechanism is connected to the shaft to rotate it. A horizontally elongated grating is disposed above the shaft. The grating has spaced openings, each opening being aligned with a portion of the external periphery of the corresponding disc. The shaft can be raised to a first position at which the portions of the peripheries extend through the grating openings and can be lowered to a second position at which the openings are spaced above these portions.