I moved this from looms to here for bgrob1, Michael

Macomber's ad-a-harness loom qualities for an unfamilair weaver

Can you tell me the strengths & weaknesses about Macomber's Ad-a-harness looms.  I am a Kesnick loom weaver, but am unfamiliar & trying to learn about the ad-a-harness.

 

Comments

Thu, 03/08/2012 - 13:09

Dena (not verified)

Macombers come in two different styles.  One is the CP, which has a low castle and is small and fairly portable.  The other is the B, which has a high castle (harnesses hang from above) and is big and stable.  These start at 24" and go up from there.  Both models are ad-a-harness.  The CPs are lovely if you're looking for a smaller loom, but comparable to other smaller looms, some benefits, some weaknesses (let me know if you want more details about that).  The Bs are spectacular.  I am a production weaver and had a 24" Macomber (B) and a 54" Gilmore for years.  I deeply loved them both and then stumbled upon a 40" Macomber which I bought.  I found that the time it took me to weave a yard of fabric went down 25% on the Macomber.  And keep in mind that any loom has to fit your body well and all loom are different.  Make sure that you spend some time weaving on one and that it's comfortable.
Thu, 03/08/2012 - 13:20

Michael White

The Macomber loom is a heavy duty well built loom. The Add-A-Harness feature is designed to allow  the loom to grow as the weaver gains experience without having to replace the whole loom. The strengths: As stated it is well made and easy to use, the front and rear beams can be folded up to allow you to store the loom and to also allow you to sit close when dressing the loom. There are a number of weaknesses, I guess the biggest one I hear is in tying up the treadles. Changing the tie-up hooks requires laying on the floor. Some people have replaced the hooks with texsole(?) to ease tying up. There are a number of other small things like the ratchet handle dropping down to far and I think it needs to be longer and with a little more space between the side post. I fixed the dropping down thing by putting a screw in the side post to keep the handle from dropping all the way down. On the large looms the heddle frames are very, very heavy and makeing it impossible to lift a large number of frames at one time as is required in some drafts.

Weavers that weave on a Macomber far in love with their loom.

Michael

Since Dena added the CP/baby Macs. The biggest problem I hear about them is the fact you have to remove the treadle hooks before you can fold this loom  

Thu, 03/08/2012 - 22:01

Thresel

I had a 46" Kesnick and sold it, keeping my 40" Macomber.  The Kesnick was great for heavy duty weaving.  I used it for rugs and wall hangings.  I really prefer the Macomber for fabric.  It is so much easier to warp than the Kesnick.  I used to put a pillow on the cloth beam of the Kesnick to get close enough for threading.  I'm too old to do that now.  It is also much easier to use the treadles on the Macomber.  The oak harnesses on the Kesnick were heavy to lift and the treadles slanted away from the weaver.  The Macomber treadles have a leverage advantage as you are pushing down on the butt end of the treadle.  Just some thoughts from someone who has used both looms.

Fri, 03/09/2012 - 09:22

bgrob1

I'm looking at a Malcomber that's sat in a basement for 40 yrs.  I like that it has 8 harnesses & comes appart.  It needs a new reed & some repair on the back (don't know the term) cable pulley for winding up the back spool that the warp is wound on.  It has a 40" reed that needs replacing.  It is very dirty.  It is a B5 type.  Don't know what else needs fixing.  We have NO IDEA of a price.

Now I have a Kessenich 4 harness cherry sectional beam loom.  I bought it without knowing anything about the sectional beam looms & never used it.  Actually I'm afraid of it.  It is much sturdier looking, beautiful cherry wood & has a casing that holds the harness frames. 

Now my question to you, if you don't mind, is the Macomber 8 harness a better loom that the Kessenich cherry 4 harness?  I live in the Milwaukee area, where the Kessenichs were made, & far away from the east coast,  where the Macombers are made & serviced.  I don't have an idea what either loom is worth.  This is probably the biggest problem.  I just joined this group & need to decide right away, before it gets away.

Fri, 03/09/2012 - 09:19

bgrob1

Macomber vrs Kessenich

I'm looking at a Malcomber that's sat in a basement for 40 yrs.  I like that it has 8 harnesses & comes appart.  It needs a new reed & some repair on the back (don't know the term) cable pulley for winding up the back spool that the warp is wound on.  It has a 40" reed that needs replacing.  It is very dirty.  It is a B5 type.  Don't know what else needs fixing.  We have NO IDEA of a price.

Now I have a Kessenich 4 harness cherry sectional beam loom.  I bought it without knowing anything about the sectional beam looms & never used it.  Actually I'm afraid of it.  It is much sturdier looking, beautiful cherry wood & has a casing that holds the harness frames. 

Now my question to you, if you don't mind, is the Macomber 8 harness a better loom that the Kessenich cherry 4 harness?  I live in the Milwaukee area, where the Kesnicks were made, & far away from the east coast,  where the Macombers are made & serviced.  I don't have an idea what either loom is worth.  This is probably the biggest problem.  I just joined this group & need to decide right away, before it gets away.

Fri, 03/09/2012 - 02:42

Thresel

In my humble opinion, I really enjoy weaving on my Macomber and basically fought with the Kesnick.  I had trouble with the cloth aprons and it was hard to thread.  The chains on the peddles often got tangled.  I also was from Milwaukee which is how I ended up with the Kesnick.  It was the loom I used at school.  I bought the Kesnick in 1968 from an older woman who could no longer push the treadles.  I've had the Macomber since 1973 and the Kesnick sat until I finally sold it a few years ago to a man who wanted to weave rugs.   We just put four more harnesses on the Macomber for a total of eight.  I really love my Macomber.  It is amazingly well thought out.  Go for it!!!! 

Fri, 03/09/2012 - 03:38

bgrob1

Do you know what you paid for the Macomber or what they're worth today?  It's an 8 harness with a bad 40" reed.  Realistically I need a low & high cost.  Any ideas?  It's a 8 harness 40" B5.

Fri, 03/09/2012 - 20:40

Michael White

I would not paid any more then $350 for this loom in the conditon it is in.

Michael

Fri, 03/09/2012 - 21:05

calebsb

The Macomber really shines in the 36"-56" range as they are very strong and efficiently built.  The biggest ones are probably not as beefy as they should be given the amount of weight they carry, and yet I still miss my old 72"  I didn't find it too hard to move with the harnesses taken off.  I especially like the design of the harnesses (no crummy spring ties) and the high castle.  If I could choose my perfect workplace I would have nothing but 3-6 foot Macombers for small-to-medium jobs and a big AVL for the extra-wides.  

Mon, 08/27/2012 - 23:00

pumalee

I bought a Kessenich loom and I would like to know if anyone has a manual.  It is a four harness, six treadles and thirt-six inches.  Thank you