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Table and Floor Stand Looms
A table loom is valuable for limited lengths of fabric,
simpler weaves and as a sampling loom. However, these looms
are rarely strong enough to handle linen warps other than
the fine yarns used in table linens and for light apparel.
 The
Inkle Loom is the simplest table loom and can also be found
in a larger form as a floor loom. The articles it can create
are limited both in width and length. It provides a simple
two 'shaft' weave with a warp faced finish. The braids produced
are excellent for bands, braids, edgings and as finishes for
woven projects. The loom is exposed to substantial warp tension
in use. Both the pegs and the warp tension adjuster need to
be robust and closely fitted to the frame
 Rigid
Heddle or Tabby looms provide the equivalent of two-shaft
weaving and can be adapted to behave as a four shaft loom
by adding a second heddle set. The loom is best for producing
an open balanced fabric in wool or cotton. The main attraction
of the loom is the speed and simplicity with which a warp
can be made, threaded up and the weaving started. This makes
it ideal for educational projects, and for colour and weave
studies. The loom must be perfectly square and flat for good,
even weaving. The warp tension is normally provided by a ratchet
and pawl and these need to be made in a hard plastic or metal
to avoid any risk of breaking.
 Table
looms cover a wide range of widths up to 80cm and commonly
have four or eight shafts. In choosing a table loom it is
important to think ahead about the type of fabric to be woven,
the dexterity required to manage the levers and beater and
the option to upgrade the loom in the future. Some table looms
can have additional shafts, and can add a floor stand, second
warp beam and treadles. Shown here are both the Ashford and
the Louët table looms. These have front mounted levers
and an overslung beater. The Louët has a floor stand,
second warp beam and treadles.
 The
shafts on table looms are operated independently, and adjusted
to meet the needs of the fabric. Often the main reason for
selecting a particular make of loom is the accessibility of
the levers which operate the shafts. In the front of the loom
they are very visible but may catch painfully on the weaver's
knuckles. With levers on the top or side of the loom, it is
more difficult to identify which shafts to operate. Each shed
change can involve a large and time wasting arm movement from
the beater to the levers and back to grasp the beater. An
even beat is often difficult with a badly designed beater
and shaft lay-out, making open fabrics quite onerous to weave.
You should try out each configuration to assess which best
meets your personal preferences.
Table looms last well, and it is possible to find a second
hand loom where the manufacturer has long since gone out of
production. Spares and replacement heddles can be difficult
if not impossible to obtain. Fortunately, rusty reeds are
usually easy to replace. As with all table looms check that
the wood frame is not warped and that no critical pieces are
missing, jammed or badly rusted.
 Floor Looms
Floor looms are best used for producing longer lengths of
fabric, for production work, designs that are more complex
and for carpets and rugs. The loom must be solid and stable
without being excessively heavy. The range of choices is considerable,
but a knowledge of the basic construction and operating principles
will help to avoid expensive mistakes.
Glimkra
floor looms are particularly valuable for weaving high quality
rugs where a linen warp is used. These looms are capable of
taking the very high tension involved in opening the shed.
A 'box' loom such as the Glimåkra 'Standard'
loom, meets these requirements. The forces on the cloth and
warp beams are spread through a series of horizontal supports
in the structure to avoid splitting the wood. The looms can
be up to 160 cm wide with any of the traditional shedding
mechanisms, and can carry a large number of shafts and pedals.
Fitments are available for fly-shuttles, converting to a draw
loom and for weaving other special fabric structures. The
full specification for this loom is available from the web
site for
Gunnar Andersson, who now
make the Glimåkra looms. In the UK these looms are supplied
through ourselves.
Louët
make accessibility a major factor in their loom design. This
is important when deciding on the floor loom to choose for
a studio with limited floor space. Working on the tie-up and
warping up the loom can be slow and painful on a badly designed
loom. It is also important to look for a good balance between
the physical dimensions compared with the weaving width. A
short distance between warp and cloth beam can limit the size
of shed achieved. The Louët floor looms, including the
'Megado' loom shown, have an imaginative parallel countermarch
system for up to 16 shafts which minimises the time spent
under the loom connecting the treadles. They also have a sprung
cloth beam which allows the shed to open fully, keeping the
warp tension constant and eliminating heavy footwork.
 The
Schacht 'Wolf' folding floor looms provide accessibility in
a different and very effective way. The shed is provided by
'Jacks', making for a compact loom, where the tie-up can be
changed quickly and easily. When folded the loom lifts up
on to its wheels and can be moved around easily into an open
area. It is then easy to thread up the loom in this position.
When opened again, the loom is stable and has been designed
to provide a strong structure able to take all but the most
inelastic warps. The loom is provided with up to 8 shafts
and has a friction brake on the warp beam to help give a consistent
warp tension.
Dobby Operated Looms
A 'Dobby' is the alternative to treadles or levers tied-up
to select the shafts on the loom. This is programed by the
weaver to raise all of the shafts required for each shot of
a repeating pattern. Two options are available for the hand
loom weaver; mechanical or computer operated dobbys. In each
case the shaft for lifting is selected by the dobby mechanism,
and the foot pedal provides the lifting effort.
The Louët 'Megado' loom (pictured above) is shown with
a mechanical dobby on the right hand side, but it can also
be fitted with a computer dobby. Pegs are set in each of the
lags making up the dobby chain. These trigger the shaft operating
mechanism as the foot treadle is operated, moving on to the
next lag for the next weft shot. Changing a mechanical dobby
is a slow process. With a computer selected dobby the triggers
are activated by the computer program on which the weaving
pattern has been designed. The weaving program and the dobby
plan can be changed with a few clicks of a mouse. It is difficult
to 'retro-fit' dobby equipment to a loom, unless it was specifically
designed for this option.
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