Hi All;
I am very new to this site but didn't know where else to go. I am a
fibre art junky and although I don't currently weave it will be only a
matter of time before I learn how to do so. I spin, knit, quilt, sew,
batik, etc. On top of my love for textiles I am also a welding and
fabrication student. We have been asked to create a project and I am
extremely interested in melding the two together. I am hoping to design a
metal loom.
Here's my problem, and where I'm hoping this community can be of some
assistance to me. I have never weaved before (although I have seen the
art demonstrated on various occasions). I'm not sure what I should be
thinking of designing. I would like to fabricate something a little more
complex than a simple metal frame but something a lot less complicated
than a large floor tapestry loom. I also would like this to be an
instrument that I will be able to use for years to come to experiment
with and learn with.
I am not opposed to having to machine a couple of gears as long as it
is only a couple. I only have 2 weeks to complete this project and it
needs to combine elements of welding as well as fabrication. I think a
loom could satisfy both my love of metal and fibre arts as well as make
an aesthetically stunning piece.
Any ideas of where I should start? Suggestions? Any and all input is greatly appreciated.
Thank you & Take Care,
fibrenut
The Book of Looms by Eric Broudy. Loom designs throughout the ages are shown in the book.
Archie Brennan designed a simple frame of metal component parts, including lighter weight of copper, a bit heavier--of plumbing pipe, and heaviest of all of scaffolding parts.
The small Structo table looms were metal (at least some of them)... one of the Weavo members has quite a number of Structo looms, I think.
There was a loom manufactured in the 1970s called the Marcoux loom that was built of metal.
The current TC-1 thread controlled loom designed and made in Norway is metal.
Of course, industrial weaving machines are metal, as well!
Those are suggestions for places to start.
Will be interesting to see and read about your results! Good luck!
Tommye
Here's the link to the copper tapestry loom mentioned above
http://www.brennan-maffei.com/Loom.htm
There is an entire group dedicated to making your own equipment. They are a very knowledgable group. Here is the Home Built Equipment Group.
Cheers,
Erica
Thank you all for your responses. I am visiting my local library to see what kind of books I can find for more ideas. I've seen Archie Brennan's loom designs. They are actually what inspired me in the first place. The trick for me is to find a design that will meet the requirements of my welding/fabrication project, be functional, and hopefully somewhat a work of art unto itself.
When I first started to research this project I was initially very intimidated because I have never used a loom before. I understand the very basics of weaving but I am wanting to build a piece of equipment I really don't know how to use yet. When I browse through pages and pages of how-to's on heggles and warping, etc. my mind starts to spin! Which is why I joined this community. The information I have found on this site and the projects displayed have been very helpful and inspiring.
Erica, thank you very much for the link to the Home Built Equipment Group. I will be sure to spend lots of time there!
Take Care,
fibrenut
If you tell us which state you are in, someone can tell you where you can go to take a class or at least sit down at a floor loom and do a little weaving.
Joanne
If your project is due in a short time, you may want to seek out a professional weaver within driving distance and discuss loom features, good design, etc. There are many little things that go into effective tool design - many home built projects look sort of cool, but do not stand the test of time or effective production - in the case of weaving you want to make attractive, viable fabric - not just some coarse junk cloth to say that the loom "wove".
Joe Harmon, as a graduate student at North Carolina State University, built a loom to weave wood to be used in some of the construction of a car body. There's a YouTube about the weaving here:
Tommye
Dave,
This idea knocked my socks off. How much for materials? And how much does it weigh?
The Irwin quick grip clamps are one of my FAVORITE weaving tools. Can't have enough sets of these clamps in your weaving tool tote!
Sally
Joanne, I am in Canada. I hope to be in contact with a weavers guild in my area in a short while.
This project will not be getting underway until March or possibly April but I wanted to start putting some serious thought and planning into what I would be designing and working on. Before I even start thinking about making it I will have to draw up the designs and material list as part of my blueprint class. Drafting will begin in a week or two.
We do have to work with metal so a PVC loom while very neat, wouldn't be allowed. I just might have to make one as a working prototype though! I have to admit that just looking at the picture it looks complicated; not necessarily the structure of the loom but how it is "strung up".
I will have to look at the youtube video when I have a bit more time. I always seem to magicalliy loose track of time when I log onto this site. Funny how that happens!
Less if you scrounge around and find stuff on eBay. But unlike a rigid heddle loom, you get 4 shafts and can weave a full 24" wide.
It's also very light. I'm not sure how much it weighs exactly, but has to be around 10 pounds. Some people have even asked about adding weight.
The loom "action", as I call it, is really simple - just a board with some holes so the harness cords can be pull up. The slider bars on top are pulled towards you, which pull the harness frames up to make the shed.
BTW, if you really want to make this out of metal the easy way, check out MicroRAX. http://www.microrax.com/
It's a modular construction system, kind of like an erector set for adults. It's expensive, but it would go together in no time. Here's a video on it.
Here are some more photos of the MicroRax. I think these types of connections would work very well for a table loom.
With only a few weeks to complete your project, maybe you should consider building a metal rigid heddle loom. These are fairly simple to construct, can use either friction nuts or palls and ratchets for tensioning, and offer plenty of opportunity to demonstrate metal working skills.
Circular saw blades make excellent ratchets with no machining: use right out of the box/package or off the wall. they come in various diameters and numbers of teeth. I've used them in a variety of machinery as ratchet and pawl devices.
Regards,
Charles
These are all excellent ideas & thoughts! WeaverDave, your PVC loom may give me a good starting point to work from.
mrdubyah, that is certainly my intent, or at least I plan on keeping things as simple as functional looms can be. I've looked at the design plans for small tabby looms. Because of their size that might be a good loom for me to make.
Slipstream, your idea of using saw blades as ratchets is brilliant, and much more time and cost efficient than machining ratchets myself! Thanks for passing the idea on.
You can also purchase ratchet wheels and pawls very inexpensively from loom companies. They also can supply you with Texsolv cord and pins for the tie-up.
Joanne
I was not able to buy a ratchet and pawl mechanism from any of the loom companies. They wanted to know the serial number of the loom I "purchased from them", or they wouldn't sell me one. In fact, if they find out that you are making a loom yourself, they will just say "NO". At least that was the response I got several years ago when I was building a loom myself. I was also told this at several weaving shops.
That's how I came up with the Irwin Grip Clamp solution. I use 2 Irwin Grip Clamps to hold the rollers in place on my looms. Works great and is even faster than using a pawl and ratchet. If you look at the photo in Post #6 above, you will see the grip clamp on the rear roller. I attach them using a large eye hook to hold the end of the clamp.
Hi All, and thank you to everyone for your suggestions and comments!
I've begun planning my metal loom project with the help of some very detailed plans from David Bryants "Wheels and Looms". I have borrowed Eric Broudy's "The Book of Looms" from the local library as well and this book has proven invaluable in my undersanding of how looms work. I also have another book on the construction of looms on reserve and can't wait to pick it up.
Due to my two week time constraint on this project I will not be able to do the entire loom out of metal. Especially since I am leaning towards constructing a functioning 4-shaft table loom. At first I was going to construct a wood/steel hybrid. I would be able to construct and laquer the wooden pieces on my own time and have them ready for assembly when need be. However, I have been given a few sheets of 1/4 thick white and clear acrylic to work with! I can very easily form, laminate, and fabricate the parts I need out of the acrylic. The end result I have envisioned is a loom that is lighter than an entirely steel or steel/wood hybrid would be and is stronger. If I take care with my work I will also be able to design and create a loom that is artistically appealing as well.
What do you think?
