Greetings all, I am very new to weaving and am finishing tuning up our 48" Bartlett countermarch loom. It did not come with a warping board. I am wondering, in very general terms, what the maximum length a warp I may forsee using? I understand it varies but am looking to build a warping board that would accomidate most projects but not a whole lot bigger than it needs to be. Many thanks.
Hi Fitztroy
Your problem sounds like a weaver's variant on "how long is a piece of string"! Really, it does depend on what you want to weave and how you plan to weave it. You have a big loom and may want to weave rugs or blankets on a scale to match, so you would then want pretty long warps. I have a fairly low boredom threshhold AND love warping my loom, so lots of shorter warps suit me well.
My Ashford warping board has a max warp length of about 11 yards, though I have only used that length once or twice. I believe there may be other boards going up to about 15 yards.
Best wishes
Cally
Cally is right - it all depends on what you will want to do. :) My Leclerc board can do 14 meters if I really squeeze every peg into it. Normally I wind 11, sometimes 9. Right now I'm winding one 7 meters because that's all I need for this project. For a two scarf warp I'll wind 5 meters.
If you make the board so that one side to the other is 1 yard from peg to peg, then it's easy to figure out how long your warp is.
cheers,
Laura
Ironic you ask this question, as I just did a warp demo for my guild, and I am winding two warps this afternoon!
I have a home-built warping board. It can hold 14 yards, but I average about 8-9. If I am considering a warp much longer than that, and I'll wind on my reel. And I like to leave empty pegs between active pegs, so if I am winding more than one color, I do not have to tie off each time, I can wrap the unused color around an empty peg to "rest," while picking up the alternate color. (See white thread below on a 3 color warp. The black is anchored at the bottom, on another empty peg.)
Do you know what you want to weave?
As an idea, 8 yards gives me some "what if" warp, at least 6 generous dishtowels or place mats + loom waste, also allowing for take up & shrinkage on projects. (True confession, I just don't have much patience for warps much longer than that.) On an 8-yard warp, I may vary each of the individual projects with weft choice/and or treadling to keep up my interest. However, at a historic village where I volunteer, we beam 16 yard warps that will last many seasons.
Do you have an idea of what type of yarn you want to weave with?
My setts are usually in the 24-36 e.p.i. range, from 20-45" wide. If you are doing rag rugs with a sett of 16 or less, you can crank through those warps like crazy, so 8 yards would be a drop in the bucket.
Do I hear the sound of a table saw?
...here are some additional points to consider.
Be sure to give yourself generous space between the pegs. My board has at least 3.5" clearance, which is good for my medium-sized hands. I borrowed one that had less space between the pegs, and I hit my knuckles nearly every time.
I think a board at least 1 yard wide is best. I borrowed two different warping boards recently, and found that on shorter boards, I tended to wind "tighter". I could not execute a very fluid sweeping motion because of making the turns so quickly on a 1/2 yard wide board.
If space is a concern, use wing nuts at the corners, so the board can be taken apart and stored in much less space when not in use.
The exposed portion of my pegs are 6.25" long. I would never wind beyond 3" along the peg. My husband put wedges in the base of every peg on the back side of the warp board, so they are *very*, stable. The wedge goes opposite the grain of the wood. (As a woodworker, you know this helps prevent the pegs from bowing in as the warp builds up along the peg.)
You mentioned being new to warping, so I'll add the warp doesn't need to be wound under a lot of tension. Theoretically, there shouldn't be a lot of pressure on those pegs, but hey, sometimes it happens!
More than once, I put on a 20 yard warp on a table loom, since I was teaching where table looms were more practical. But because you are asking this question, you must be thinking that you would want to put on some long warps. In that case, take a look at the Worst book, Foot power loom weaving. There is a plan there for making a warping reel. Since you can do some woodworking, you might want to consider it. I have both, but I never use the warping frame for my own winding. I use the warping frame for teaching. I use the reel when I want to wind a warp.
Joanne
Thanks everyone for the great response. Fact is I have no idea what our weaving will evolve to. We likely start with place mats and scarves and such. My whole family will likely have a project on the go at some point. I'll build something in the 14 meter range. As for the three pegs that make up the cross, does it matter how far apart these are? Do you also just place them for comfort during winding or will the length of the cross make a difference during the actual warping process? Thanks again.
The cross should not be 'too small'- I find that the Leclerc board has the spacing just about right for me (I can measure if you are interested). Bigger is probably less of a concern.
The Leclerc board has pegs that come out, which I much prefer than solidly mounted ones. That way I can insert just the ones I need. They can also be removed when not in use - the board remains on the wall but with the pegs removed, it only sticks out the width of the wood for the frame rather than the length of the pegs.
Cheers,
Laura
The pegs need to have a thick enough diameter to withstand tension - they should also be long/deep enough to accept a decent amount of yarn (=+ one inch diameter and =+4" length). A warp board with 7 - 8 pegs down each side (if the width of the board from the outside of each peg= one yard) should be sufficient. In the event you like longer warps, a mill or reel will allow longer warps. As Sally says - the key is that the pegs are sturdy and cannot come loose! I use a Schacht (had it for years and it has withstood a LOT of abuse). Enjoy!
Dawn
Here is Worst's warping mill that Joanne mentioned.
I made one modification not shown and that was I placed a wooden sleeve with a set screw on the central column, on the underside of the tower, so I could lift and move the mill as one unit. I also turned three sections for the column, with the middle section being thicker than the two ends. My lathe is only 34" between centres so this was done with both ends of the middle section bored to complete the column. The sections were glued and results in a much sturdier column to. The wood glue is stronger than the bond between wood cells. The mill weighs 40 lbs made from hard maple.
If you are still thinking about building a warping board, I recommend having 1.5 yards or meters from side to side. I have one like this, and a smaller board in our mountain cabin with 1 yard between the side pegs. It takes about the same amount of time to wind 8 yards on the small board as 12 yards on the wider board. I am not a large person but I can reach 1.5 yards. For years I routinely wound 20 yards on my wider board. I prefer to use a different draft for each piece on a warp, challenging myself to come up with enough really interesting designs using the same threading and warp colors.
If you plan to sell some of the items, remember that longer warps are more efficient. If you have space for a mill, that will be faster than a board.
Bonnie
