I have just completed my first threading and tie-up of my Laila loom and would be grateful for confirmation that things are as they should be.  I suspect that they are not!!

I have set up for a simple tabby with the left outer treadle lifting shafts 1 and 3 and the right outer treadle lifting shafts 2 and 4.  With the locking pins in the jacks, the warp threads sit on the bottom of the heddle eyes and are slightly raised as they run through the shafts.  When I remove the locking pins, the jacks move from the horizontal to about a 30 degree angle, the shafts drop by about 1 1/2 inches and the warp threads then run on the level from the back beam, through the heddles and reed and then over the front beam.  Is this as it should be and if not, what needs to be corrected and how do I do it?

 

Comments

Mon, 08/01/2011 - 20:44

Joanne Hall

Hi Mike,

The shafts should not fall when you take the locking pins out.  They should stay in place and the treadles stay at the level you tied them.  The warp is straight from the front to the back when you tie up and when you take the locking pins out.

The lower lamms are called the balance lamms.  Their weight balances the weight of the shafts and their lamms, to keep the shafts up where you tied them.  So, the lower lamms are usually made longer or thicker, or both, to give them more weight.  If yours are not made this way, tie up an extra treadle on the side opposite where the lamms are attached.  You may have to move the plain weave treadle to a new position.  Then tie the lower lamms to this extra treadle.  The weight of the treadle is then adding weight to the lower lamms.  Try this.

Joanne

Mon, 08/01/2011 - 20:46

Mike (not verified)

Thank you Joanne for your very quick response.  I also sent you a PM regarding heddle sizes, which I realise I should just have posted.  So my apologies for the double pronged attack!!

Mike

Mon, 08/01/2011 - 21:36

Joanne Hall

Hi Mike,

I would like to add that some weavers who started weaving with countermarch looms in the 70s were told that it was normal for the shafts to fall.  And yes, with the lower lamms the same size and weight as the upper lamms, the shafts will fall.  But on a small loom like you have, when the shafts fall, the treadles and lower lamms rise and the upper lamms drop.  This can cause the lamms and treadles to touch each other.  This is not a great problem, but when you start to treadle, you need to move the treadle a distance just to get everything back to where you started and then you need to move the treadle further to open the shed.  And when the treadles rise, the treadling is uncomfortable, especially on such a small loom, where the treadles move higher in the front when you treadle.  So, tying the extra treadle to the lower lamms makes the treadling much easier.  Most countermarch looms today have heavier lower lamms so that you do not have to tie up the extra treadle.

Joanne

Mon, 08/01/2011 - 22:02

Mike (not verified)

Thank you Joanne.  The lower lamms are the same length as the upper lamms, and the cord holes have become rather worn and rough.  So I plan to replace them with longer pieces of timber that will also help increase the weight as you suggested.  I already tied up the extra treadle as you suggested and that has helped level the jacks.  I have also noticed that the cords from the jacks to the upper shaft bars angle outwards to the end of the shafts, rather than dropping vertically to the shafts.  Does this matter?

Mon, 08/01/2011 - 22:45

Joanne Hall

Hi Mike,

I see this frequently.  There are holes in the ends of the shaft bars, which are used for other purposes, like wire pins to stabilize the shafts when you are threading the heddles, but weavers can interpret these holes as a place to put the cords which come down from the jacks.  But these ties are supposed to be vertical.   I think that vertical would be more stable.  Plus, you do not want to fill the holes with this cord when you might want to use the holes for the wire pins. 

Joanne

Tue, 08/02/2011 - 13:39

Dawn McCarthy

Mike, Joanne has great solutions, I "loop" the shaft cords over the shaft rod on my Laila so they hang straight as Joanne describes, it also makes it easy to move heddles.  I use the end holes for tying the safety string and for the shaft pins when setting up a warp.  I find when tying up the lams (I know most people say parallel) but I make mine rise slightly away from the pivot point.  I also tie up extra treadles to add weight (similar to Joannes comment about tying up an extra treadle to weight down).  If you have the option of setting the lams at different levels that helps space them out to prevent them overlapping so much, but the best solution is tying up one extra or more treadles.

Dawn

Tue, 08/02/2011 - 18:39

Mike (not verified)

Many thanks Joanne and Dawn.  With your help I'm slowly getting there and my Laila is almost ready for weaving.  I hope not to have to pose too many more questions, but here's one more.  Dawn, am I right in thinking that the shaft pins are pieces of round wooden dowel are made to go through the end holes and steady the shafts whilst warping.  Non were supplied with the loom and I just used G clamps for my first practice warp

Wed, 08/03/2011 - 01:30

Dawn McCarthy

Hi Mike, the wire shaft pins I refer to look like giant kilt or safety pins (I'll post a pic tomorrow as I have to warp my Laila anyway), small ones can be found in the crochet and knitting dept, or Joanne also sells the nice ones.  You would need four, the more shafts the larger/longer the pin (a pic is easier than trying to describe).  Though not essential when threading or warping, they are a big help in steadying the shafts and keeping things aligned.  Hope this helps, once you find the adjustments that work for your loom you will find the next warp much easier!  The Laila is petite but does a nice job.

Have fun

Dawn

Wed, 08/03/2011 - 16:41

Mike (not verified)

Thanks Dawn.  Look forward to seeing the pictures when you have chance to post them.