This work aimed to develop and optimize a bench-scale braiding machine for the fabrication of braided natural fiber filaments intended for application in composite materials. The study started with the design and construction of an initial model, which was used to validate the basic operating principle of the braiding machine but presented limitations associated with structural and general operational instability. Based on this analysis, a final model was developed with improvements in the transmission system, structural geometry, surface finishing of contact regions, and implementation of a spool tensioning system. The transmission system was redesigned using a smaller driving gear, aiming to reduce angular velocity and increase the torque available for spool movement. Tensile tests were performed on single ramie fiber specimens and ramie braided specimens to evaluate the influence of the braided architecture on the mechanical behavior of the material. The results indicated that the single fibers presented higher average tensile strength and greater axial stiffness, while the braids showed greater deformability and lower apparent modulus, a behavior associated with the geometric rearrangement of the filaments during loading. Although the final model represented an improvement over the initial model, mainly due to greater structural robustness and better visual regularity of the braids, the tensioning system still requires geometric redesign to operate more efficiently. Therefore, the developed braiding machine shows potential for laboratory-scale production of braided fibrous reinforcements, but still requires improvements in tension control, friction reduction, and process repeatability.