Okay.  I know this isn't rocket science.  I'm not a new weaver (18 years) but I sure feel like one.  I'm threading my second warp onto this loom.  It's a pretty short (5 yd) rug warp.  I'm threading front to back, through the reed, then heddles and onto the back beam.  Since the beater bar is too heavy to move off the loom by myself, I threaded the reed as it stands in the beater bar, and am leaning over the beater to thread the heddles.  If I thought it would be any easier to lean over the reed and thread the heddles back to front, I'd wind onto the back beam and do that, but I really can't see it would be any better at all.  This beater bar has had extra weight put on it, and perhaps that's why it's too heavy for me.  I'm a tall person and pretty darn strong, but it's too heavy for me to lift on my own.  Is one usually able to lift it on and off?  This is a 60" weaving width loom.

Cranbrook owners, what is your warping/threading process?  If I take the treadle separator off, I could probably work a stool's legs between the treadles and sit in the loom somehow, but that beater bar and I would have a swinging fight. 

Thanks for your help,

Katie

Comments

Wed, 11/10/2010 - 08:21

kerstinfroberg

Granted, I have never seen a Cranbrokk, but... drawing from Glimåkras and Öxabäcks I have known, I probably would not be able to lift the beater off, either. I would still warp back to front, though (the f-t-b method just doesn't exist for a Swedish weaver...).

I would try to take the beater as far to the front as possible, then (if the it wasn't too heavy) try to slide the CM assembly towards the back, and then sit in between.

If that didn't work, I would try with taking the reed out of the beater, to get it as low as possible, perhaps also take it back, to get the "obstacle" as small as possible - and then lean over it for threading the heddles.

- maybe this doesn't apply to a Cranbrook at all ?

Wed, 11/10/2010 - 11:55

Katie Lacewell (not verified)

when you're warping b to f, do you lean over the beater bar to thread heddles?

Wed, 11/10/2010 - 12:20

kerstinfroberg

Fortunately, my CM has a "handleable" (if it isn't a word, it should be...) beater, but for the AVL I certainly have to do that. Unfortunately, the beater on the AVL is not very easy to lower, and so is uncomfortable. I think that, if I only could lower it a couple if inches it would be better.

On Swe looms, the beater height is easily adjusted by pegs through the swords.

Wed, 11/10/2010 - 13:17

Karen (not verified)

The beater on my 60" Toika is quite heavy, so when I took it off, I rested it on the side of the loom, then onto the bench and then to the floor.  Doing the lifting in increments made it possible.  It was harder getting it back up, but I did it the same way - onto the bench, onto one side, then the other, then onto the top.

Wed, 11/10/2010 - 15:22

Joanne Hall

Hi Katie,

Unfortunately, the Cranbrook loom has a beam in the center, which leaves few choices for comfortable threading.  And, the countermarch is fixed so that you cannot push it back and sit inside the loom for threading.  If that could be done, you could leave the beater in place, as with other looms which have this large castle. 

So, you are left with either getting help to lift the beater off.  Or, perhaps you can find a way to just lift the top crossbeam up and tie it on each side, above the height of the shafts.  Then you could remove the reed and rest your arms on the bottom of the beater as you thread the heddles. This would be for back to front warping. 

Joanne

 

Wed, 11/10/2010 - 15:26

Joanne Hall

PS  I don't know if it is possible to raise the top part of the beater, but it is the case with other Scandinavian looms.  And the Cranbrook was originally designed from a Scandinavian loom.  However, it changed a lot over the years.

Joanne

Thu, 11/11/2010 - 05:02

Sara von Tresckow

I have a Bexell Cranbrook - warp back to front and take off the beater. Mine is the 45" model. If yours is larger, and you wish to leave it in place, you can lower the top bar by removing the beater and pushing it down. You can then reach through to pull the threads through the heddles. Sley the reed by suspending it from the castle on looped strings. When it is completely sleyed, put it in the beater prior to tying on.

If your Cranbrook has the metal breast beam, it is not terribly difficult to remove it so you have a shorter reach to the heddles.

Thu, 11/11/2010 - 12:36

Katie Lacewell (not verified)

Yes, Joanne, the top of the beater bar does raise all the way to the top, so I can tie it up securely (or my gravestone should just read "death by beater").  Thanks to Kirsten and Sara for your suggestions, too.  I think this loom just wants to be warped back to front, so that's what I'll do.  So much easier not to fight the equipment.  I have two sticks that I can lay back to front on the sides and lay the reed on.

So I should be able to wind onto the back beam, (I do have a raddle, or may rough-sley a reed) take the reed out, raise the upper beater bar to the top, thread the heddles, thread the reed which is laying flat on the sticks, put the reed into the beater, tie on and go!

Thanks, gang!

Katie

Mon, 12/06/2010 - 14:30

Beth P. (not verified)

Well maybe I'm odd.

I can lift the beater off my 72' Cranbrook by myself.

When I thread front to back I thread the reed first (always with it in the beater) then to thread the heddles I go to the back of the loom so I can pull them straight through frm the reed.  It is still front to back because the reed was threaded first, then the heddles, tied to the warp beam, wound on then tied to the front.