Daily Check-in March 2014

March is starting out with an early rise, TJ awake at 5 this morning. Unfortunately we will have to wait until the shops open before coffee can be consumed as we're out of coffee! :(

Once coffee is consumed and TJ is down for a nap, I'll be back to the drawloom to test a new design of my own!

Sample I lost count finished! Will cut off the loom tomorrow and take photos. Then I'll start on my tear drop and interlacing circles pattern.

from Yarn Barn and have talked myself out of getting more yarn.  I am really trying hard to only use stash yarn this year.  Going into the 3rd month of standing strong:-)

Winding linen for 'black and white' chair webbing, 32 yards on the sectional.  I have to cut some card stock I suspect, to place every once in awhile in the sections so the yarn doesn't cut into layers below. Only have 5 sections. ;)

I spent three hours combing all the thrift stores for suitable material to place between the threads of my warp.  I guess I've never tried putting on such a long one, my cardboard is all used up!  I was looking for bamboo blinds, and none of the thrift or houseware stores had any.  How frustrating!  I suppose I could use paper from paper bags, but that always seems too flimsy to me.  Any suggestions?

She's all wound up and ready to thread. Won't take long for 2.25" @ 32 epi. Worked out well to, very little waste. :)

Try newspaper Queezle, I know it has been mentioned on the forum by Sara. I've never used it because I have warp sticks for the bare beam and today the card stock worked fine for the sectionals.

Sara always maintains that the newsprint ink never comes off onto the yarn. I wouldn't know, as I said I've never used anything but sticks. Doing a forum search with 'newspaper' might pull up some old threads.

I will probably have enough bags - whew - but I'm curious about your sticks. 

When I've used paper, the warp has a tendency to fall off the stack at the edges. I'd be likely to find another cardboard box to cut up if I ran out of cardboard strips!

For 6 yards or more, I like a middle layer of sticks to provide solid support. For our demo looms of more than 10 yards of warp (with sectional beams) I like an occassional layer of sticks, because in some cases, the warps don't fill the sections compactly. (On the rug loom we have a pretty open sett, and a crude sectional beam.)

Queezle my warp sticks are hand made quarter sawn maple with the sharp edges rounded over. I can use a couple as lease sticks as well. Even my shafts originated from warp sticks, just narrower.

Wow, that light loom that flipped with the warp sticks in must have gotten exciting. Both physically and verbally. I'd be cursing the devil. :D ;)

Some people find wooden slats from blinds work to, they are rounded over.

This topic comes up many times, and I suspect many more to come. ;)

I'd be afraid of cardboard collapsing myself because it's corrigated. Depends on the warp I guess. Strong linen may be tensioned more than wool, where wool is more elastic. I have read of a few failures with certain paper stuffings but I forget all the details. I'm sure a search will bring up an old discussion.

I've never had warp sticks fail, but on narrow warps I secure them with cord once the warp is wound good, so they won't slip when threading heddles, since the warp is no longer being held by the ends. I have a youtube video on warping and use these sticks. I have a deep countermarch floor loom with a high castle which is all maple. Too substantial to ever flip over. In fact it don't even 'walk' like many other lighter looms. :)

Sally on my sectional I open the set and not bunch the ends to one side. And of coarse use the card stock every 5 meters. Today, I only used 5 sections for my linen chair webbing, 4 were 16 epi and the 5th was 8 epi. My sections are a full 1", and the wire loops 1-1/8" on centre which is none traditional, since most are 1" on centre. Thus is why some people need metal fenders on the tops of the loops to pull in the ends when your using a comb with dent spacing like a reed. For instance, 16 dents is a full inch, not 7/8". ;)

I'm curious what a beam flange is. Since I would worry about warp cutting down through layers on a long warp. Are they something that go across the warp in layers.

I'll stick with sticks. ;)

Here you go,

and what is on this baby? a sample....

I am at the end of the warp so things are not lined up, but idealy the warps would be touching the flanges.

An interesting concept.

Nice weaving Cathie, nice color and the pattern stands out well. :)

My beams are octagon making stick placement easy.

Cathy,

I was thinking some on this concept. I'm thinking it would work nice on my supplemental beam. I can make those flanges for about $10 bucks. I will laminate some lumber to make the beam around 4-1/2" diameter. Then turn two beam halves and join with a 1" dowel. I won't use a groove because I have a ratchet/pawl used to wind the warp securely on one end ,and a brake drum on the other used during weaving so the beam rolls the heavier pile or padding yarns without fiddling with it with enough friction that the warp doesn't get too slack in the shed.

This is going to be a breeze to make. :)

I guess I can still do the groove, and just place the half flanged on over the beam and stick after. I was thinking with the wheels on the ends of the beam that they would make trouble, but not so. I think it's way easier to have those flanges off before the warp is slipped on the stick and inserted into the groove. Then clamp the flanges on. Easy peasy.

I think I'll line the flanges with cloth gaffer's tape. :)

Thanks Cathie. :)

What about loom waste, do you remove the flanges and somehow secure that stick to weave up to the heddles? I would have two yards of waste if not.

Thanks so much, everybody. What a learning experience. 

My warp (14/2 cotton) is 9 yards, I used corregated cardboard for about 5 yards, some slats from some blinds for 2 yards, and heavy brown paper bags for the end. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I like the idea of the sticks,  and will talk to my friend with a table saw to see if I can work something out.  We just removed paneling made from 1 1/2 inch thick teak which might be perfect!

And Cathie - that is a beautiful sample! 

Anyone happen to know where there are good plans for a small floor loom - 36" jack type - preferably with front and back beams that fold for storage? I'd like to start with 4 shafts and expand to 8 in a year or two.

Thanks!

A yes, I have two steel rod that would work with canvas. I'll be in Bangor, Maine in a few weeks so I'll grab  2-1/2 yards at the Curtain Store. They have rolls of all kinds of stuff. Hopefully I can get 60" wide. :) Hmm, there is also a tarp shop in town that might have some. It might be polyester tarp, but they can sew whatever you want (edges) and ends for the rods. :)

Well, it's all your fault I know that. :D

Beautiful wood Tien. I know what you mean about photos. It is very difficult to capture the figuring and grain especially if there is glare and also if macro setting is not used. I am often photographing end grain of woods as this is how wood is identified in lumber form. It's like finger prints. But of course only works for me on native woods. There all kinds of woods with very little wood ID literature. With the native woods the USDA and wood products labs in Canada have everything covered in the literature. A  number of times we have shown that someones American chestnut was actually black ash. ;) When looking at end grain, it's been described as looking at the stars through a telescope and trying to identify other planets. Pores, rays, parenchyma, latewood tyloses.....well you get it. ;)

Enjoy your wood, it's beautiful and bountiful. :)

Well, I better get busy to, as there is 32 yards of webbing to turn out. It's nice and dense to and very surprised that the patterning is square with this sett. Thought it would elongate since the yarn cone says 30 wraps per inch, probably because it packs better than cotton I suspect.

Furniture webbing by the yard anyone? :)

I disappeared into the Weaveatorium for the weekend and then this morning I see we are at 43 messages? Wow.

I finished winding, beaming, threading and sleying my nearly 800 thread warp, and started immediately on another nearly 500 thread warp, also at 6+ yards. It took me a couple hours to figure out how to wind this one due to the color order (it is somewhat independent of the threading blocks). That, or the glass of wine from Saturday night was dulling my warp calculation abilities. I normally figure things out on the computer, but I even had to get out the colored pencils!

The warp beam flanges are a great idea! A MacGyver variation on my loom is to use cable ties on the back beam to "direct" or contain the warp in a consistent path. I have also used cable ties as an impromptu raddle or sectional divider on the back beam (not warp beam) when beaming back-to-front. 

A lot more weaving (and a lot less warping) should be in my near future.

You don't want hems on the sides of the apron, only the lashing ends, because you don't want unnecessary build up at the edges.

In our discussion of the AVL beam, and the apron we are talking about there, you have to do something with the raw edge of the apron or it's going to frey. I would not roll it ,but fold the edge under and just hem flat with a dense stitch or maybe overlock the edge. Your only using it as the gap between the stick in the beam groove and the heddles, no warp on it. It is wound on the bare beam and the warp stick is suspended off it to a tie rod in the apron.

I beleive a regualar temple will alleviate any potential problems when the warp stick is out of the beam and no tension. If I have to, I can just use one of them quick grip clamps for a quick hold-fast. It's not like there is going to be 5 lbs of weight pulling on it toward the breast beam.

My new beam should be around 4-1/2" diameter used as supplemental. The warps I put on there will be wound good and firm, but they will be reeling off as I weave with pile, or advanced as usual for packing warps but slacker than the ground cloth. So I have a ratchet to beam with and a brake wheel with a spring and chain I can set and leave to add a little drag to the roller without fiddling around if doing pile. My main beam is a huge octagon.