"You made a loom???"
"Why?"
"What are you going to make?"
"What can you make?"
These were responses I was getting from everyone.
To be honest, I didn't even know. This was a project full of epic trial and error.
How it all started:
After an intriguing conversation with a friend that was into all sorts of textiles, threads, dyes, felts etc
I really wanted to try weaving something with a loom.
It seemed a bit more efficient and less tedious than knitting. (Granted I learnt how to knit from youtube videos)
A loom didn't look impossible to make/figure out... So why not.
Here's my first shot at a basic Slot & Eye Heddle Loom.
Skill level:
Basic - Intermediate wood working skills
Tools Required:
Table/Band Saw (can use hand saw as well)
Drill & Bits
Vise
Files
Wood glue
hand saw
Materials Required
2x4 scraps
1/4-3/8" thick mdf/ply/flooring (3.5" x 12")
3/4" dowell
2 old hangers
Screws & Nails (various)
Yarn, string or thread.
"Why?"
"What are you going to make?"
"What can you make?"
These were responses I was getting from everyone.
To be honest, I didn't even know. This was a project full of epic trial and error.
How it all started:
After an intriguing conversation with a friend that was into all sorts of textiles, threads, dyes, felts etc
I really wanted to try weaving something with a loom.
It seemed a bit more efficient and less tedious than knitting. (Granted I learnt how to knit from youtube videos)
A loom didn't look impossible to make/figure out... So why not.
Here's my first shot at a basic Slot & Eye Heddle Loom.
Skill level:
Basic - Intermediate wood working skills
Tools Required:
Table/Band Saw (can use hand saw as well)
Drill & Bits
Vise
Files
Wood glue
hand saw
Materials Required
2x4 scraps
1/4-3/8" thick mdf/ply/flooring (3.5" x 12")
3/4" dowell
2 old hangers
Screws & Nails (various)
Yarn, string or thread.
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Signing UpStep 1: Loom parts & terminology
Here's the breakdown of the loom and its parts.
Again, I have no prior knowledge of looms & weaving, so feel free to add/correct/etc.
Also, my material choice is limited to the scrap bin.
There may be better ways of making certain parts... so modify to suit your needs/materials.
Frame:
All the components are assemble onto the frame.
Cloth beam:
As you weave (the shuttle through the warp yarns) the warp yarns become cloth.
The newly made material is then wrapped around this beam/roller.
Warp Beam:
Holds the Warp yarn.
As the weaving progresses, the warp yarns roll out towards the cloth beam and become fabric.
Slot & Eye Reed:
The warp yarn run through the Reed.
The reed is what criss crosses the yarn.
The warp yarn going through the eye is fixed, and the warp thread going through the slot moves up and down.
With each pass of the shuttle the reed is moved.
The alternating warp yarn traps the weft yarn creating fabric.
Warp Set up bar:
Determines the length of your warp yarn.
Ratchets:
Allow you to advance the warp yarn and keep the tension between the warp & cloth beams
Reed hook:
Allows you to set the reed up by pulling the warp yarn strands through the slots & eyes.
Shuttles:
The shuttles hold the weft yarn.
The weft passes through the warp yarns with each change of the reed and gets trapped.
This creates the fabric.
Again, I have no prior knowledge of looms & weaving, so feel free to add/correct/etc.
Also, my material choice is limited to the scrap bin.
There may be better ways of making certain parts... so modify to suit your needs/materials.
Frame:
All the components are assemble onto the frame.
Cloth beam:
As you weave (the shuttle through the warp yarns) the warp yarns become cloth.
The newly made material is then wrapped around this beam/roller.
Warp Beam:
Holds the Warp yarn.
As the weaving progresses, the warp yarns roll out towards the cloth beam and become fabric.
Slot & Eye Reed:
The warp yarn run through the Reed.
The reed is what criss crosses the yarn.
The warp yarn going through the eye is fixed, and the warp thread going through the slot moves up and down.
With each pass of the shuttle the reed is moved.
The alternating warp yarn traps the weft yarn creating fabric.
Warp Set up bar:
Determines the length of your warp yarn.
Ratchets:
Allow you to advance the warp yarn and keep the tension between the warp & cloth beams
Reed hook:
Allows you to set the reed up by pulling the warp yarn strands through the slots & eyes.
Shuttles:
The shuttles hold the weft yarn.
The weft passes through the warp yarns with each change of the reed and gets trapped.
This creates the fabric.
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You could be selling these for at least $65 per loom plus shipping.
Wow.
I've been busting my husband's backside to just build me a loom from one of the over 15 sets of plans that I've bought, downloaded etc...and nothing.
I'm gonna come live near you. :)
I actually have been so desparate to have my own rigid heddle loom that I finally broke down and bid on one in ebay. I'm glad to say that I got a small one cheap. Maybe now that my "grumpy-honey" has a model to work from, he'll build me a bigger one, but I'm not holding my breath...i don't wanna die that way...lol
Again, Fantastic job!!!
When I have a bit more time, I'm going to build a wider one!
I just did a cross country road trip so I'll be wrenching away under my car for the next couple of days.
But stay tuned!
"If it breaks, fix it. If it works, take it apart. If it can be bought, make it. If it doesn't exist, create it."
Some nomenclature:
Your "reed" is the "rigid heddle"- the reeds refer to each vertical.
Your "Cloth beam" is correct
Your "warp setup bar" is the "Warp peg"
You seem to be missing the ratchet and pawl for tensioning the cloth bar and warp bar- can you clarify how you fix these so they don't slip?
I drilled a hole through the "ratchet" and frame.
then slid a bolt through to stop the ratchet from turning.
Not the best solution... but you work with what you've got right!
When he brings it by, I'll definitely post a video.
I might have missed something, if you don't mind, are the shuttles that make or weave the whorp? The up and down of the longerons?? I probably said or asked this wrong.
Your loom could be totally customizable for various size threads, rope, build a bigger one, smaller one,,
Thanks for posting your great idea. Great instructable presentation..
The Weft is on the shuttle and the warp threads are the long ones going forward and back towards you and away.
What to make with a narrow loom like this - belts are a good start, braid for decoration.
You can save a lot of effort by making the heddle with twisted wire in a frame.
"Weft goes weft(left) and wight (right)
Warp strings are long and tight."
Silly- but it helps- like Columbus and Ocean Blue
ratchet is a crank handle which is restrained by use of a bolt , still, I imagine it's effective enough, judged from the pictures of your braces (uk term) . Having built a number of looms myself , I always find the ratchet mechanisms the most challenging .
Brian
*Test your reed hook on some wool yarn as you are making it to ensure it has no rough catchy edges.
*The heddle is much sturdier as you made it than with wire, and is how my store-bought loom's heddle is made. Do you know of functional advantages to a wire one, @rickharris?
*If you go through the effort of warping a loom more than once you will probably want to extend the warp length considerably (more bang for your buck, as it were). My loom has a separate warp set-up post tool that you clamp to a surface across the room so you can set up a much longer warp.
Make and sell DIY loom kits,
tooooooooooooooo coooooool
fantastic piece of work
at least $50 on ebay (+ shipping)
even without "Warp thread setup bar"
http://www.instructables.com/id/Popsicle-sticks-Slot-Eye-Reed-for-weaving-high-/
pretty slick idea you have...