I might get a workshop (glorified shed ;) ) in the not too distant future, so have been trying to figure out how much of my stuff could go in there, and how much I need to leave in the house. I have a traditional swedish counterbalance loom, about 4ft (1.2m) l, w, and h, that really needs to go out there, as I can't really spare that much space in the house, and so have not yet had it fully set up. How much space around it should I allow for setting up and working access?

Comments

Thu, 08/29/2013 - 13:43

Sara von Tresckow

Minimum is that you can, at some point wiggle all around the loom - that would be to warp and dress it, but after that step, you can push it into a corner where you need only access to the front of the loom and the tensioning wheels. (Hard surface flooring and rubber loom feet that allow pushing it helps). I have looms that I push into the center of the room for dressing that otherwise reside in the corner, allowing other activities in that room.

Thu, 08/29/2013 - 15:10

Dawn McCarthy

As Sara says, as long as you can get around to the parts you need to and a couple feet behind or in front for warping.  My poor meter reader has to duck under the flyboxes on my 63 inch Glimakra!  I can just squeek by the side of it.  Not optimal but I make it work!

Dawn

Thu, 08/29/2013 - 17:33

sequel (not verified)

If you're warping sectionally, you'll need more room for the spool rack at a distance from the loom - same goes for a warping trapeze... don't forget to allow enough room on either side to fetch a shuttle, even a rug shuttle, when it leaves the shed.

Thu, 08/29/2013 - 20:49

ReedGuy

A spool rack for sectional warping can take very little space, no more than your weaving bench in the front of the loom. However, some racks are real wide, not so easy to manuver in tight spaces. I have a 144 spool rack that I just slide to the centre of the loom at the breast beam and have the bench out along the side when warping. My rack as mentioned, is not wide like some. I like to go vertical, so I have 2 sections where 4 spools ride on removeable dowels that I load from the back of the rack. I can put it in the corner of the room to store and not take much room. Sometimes you can plan and design for space and be amazed what will fit in a less than spaceous room. :)

Thu, 08/29/2013 - 21:56

Woodburner

I'm not sure that it will be pushable, even on a hard floor. It's a big solid beastie. I prefer to have help just moving the sections, especially the warp beam! I guess I'd better leave wiggle room all round in case of emergencies!

No sectional beam, but I might make a horizontal warping reel, so will leave space for it, so I can beam direct from it to the loom.

I agree that careful planning can work wonders, but I need to be careful not to try and cram in too much! I need to leave a central space for access to the loom to the left, to shelves for stash and smaller equipment along the back, and a large multi purpose table and a woodwork bench to the right. This central space will be useful for short term tasks such as measuring out warp. 

I'm hopeful, having played around with bits of card and squared paper, that everything will fit, and maybe an armchair too. :D

Many thanks for your thoughts! :)

 

 

Thu, 08/29/2013 - 22:04

jander14indoor (not verified)

You'd be surprised how big a loom you can shove around!  My Cranbrook (probably bigger than yours at 5 by 5 by 5 ft) slides around without too much effort on the hardwood floor of my living room on the rug it sits on to protect the floor.  When weaving my stool sits on the rug (its 5 by 8) so me and the loom are relatively stationary.  But I can slide it when needed.

If I had a different kind of floor, I'd probably mount casters I could drop down when needed and lift up when not.  Look at woodworking tool stores, they have some nice caster mounts that do this for reasonable price to move even heavier tools around.

I think you'll find in a limited space it becomes even more important to be able to move a big loom as you need different clearance depending on the task.


Jeff Anderson

Livonia, MI

Thu, 08/29/2013 - 22:47

Woodburner

Hmm, Cranbrook's looms do look solid, maybe mine will move too! I think I had better not rely on being able to move it at this stage, but it will be a bonus if it can be moved when needs be.

The big table is a gateleg table so can easily be folded down to make space, but it's that heavy it needs two people to move it too. I wonder how heavy the woodworking bench is! lol

Fri, 08/30/2013 - 22:16

mrdubyah (not verified)

If it's any help, OSHA specifies a minimum width of 24" for standard interior factory walkways and 28" for the exit egress.