For the most part, when it comes to floor looms counterbalance and jack types are the most common because they’re the most flexible when it comes to the type of projects you can make and very easy to learn on. Or maybe you have knee or leg issues, and the gravity-assisted shed of the counterbalance may help keep you comfortable and healthy. If you know you want to weave lots of rugs (which need strong equipment!), a small folding loom may not have the rigidity and strength you need. But they are also more complex to tie up, since every treadle needs to be tied to every harness, and tend to have the biggest footprint of these four types of looms.īut how do you pick between these four? What’s ‘the best’? That’s where the three questions come in handy. Countermarch looms are kind of a blend between jack and counterbalance - they raise AND lower threads at the same time.Instead of being connected to one another, each harness is works independently and is raised using a series of jacks connected to your treadles. Jack looms generally come in 4, 8, 12, and 16 shafts, and are called rising shed looms.They operate using pulleys and gravity - when you press a treadle, the shafts attached to the treadle fall, and the opposite harnesses rise (IE - 1 and 2 fall, 3 and 4 rise). Counterbalance looms generally come with four harnesses.While it’s easiest to weave plain weave on a rigid heddle loom, you can see from Gist’s pattern collection that there’s a ton you can do on a rigid heddle. A rigid heddle loom is the equivalent of a two harness - they tend to be smaller and narrower than floor looms, and are very portable and easy to set up. Each of these different loom types accomplishes the same task in a slightly different way. Beyond these four looms you’ll also see tapestry looms, dobby, and other weaving systems - but as this is article is geared towards the basics, I’m keeping the list simple. There are four main types of used looms that I commonly see for sale in Canada and the US: rigid heddle, counterbalance, jack, and countermarch looms. And this tale brings me to the next question… My first impulse was to be excited too, but then I paused - with a jack loom, you’re lifting the harnesses with your feet, and would I really want to be lifting 2-3 60” long wood and metal shafts every time I pressed a treadle? That’s heavy enough even without the added weight of thread! My acquaintance passed on this loom - which I think was a good idea for them. An acquaintance once sent me a loom listing they were really excited about, a 60” jack loom that was being offered at a great price. I’m just shy of 6’ tall, and I know from sitting at different looms that the height of the breast beam seriously affects my comfort and ergonomics, so making sure that a loom accommodates my legs is key. You may have a spare corner of a living room or a disused bedroom, but in shared accommodations, your roommates may not welcome a huge loom taking up space.Īnother good thing to ask yourself is: will this loom work for my body? We’ve all got different needs and abilities, and it’s important to really think about what your body needs to be comfortable. Some looms are solid objects, while others, like the Baby Wolf, can fold and can be tucked away (or put into the car to bring to workshops or the cottage). Thinking about what size of loom is going to work in your living situation is an important question to ask yourself - looms tend to take up more room than you think. There was a time when I lived in a teeny studio apartment and was dying for a loom - but in retrospect, I probably would have had to sacrifice my dining table to fit it in (and I totally would have if the right one had come along - but that’s maybe another blog post!). What size is practical for my home/my body? It’s hard to know what you want to do when starting though, so it’s always good to ask yourself…Ģ. If you know you’d like more flexibility to work in structures like twill or doubleweave, or make wider items like blankets or yardage, a floor loom might be a better fit. For someone that wants to make scarves, small towels, or other narrow objects, a rigid heddle or table loom might be the perfect tool. Having an idea of what you feel excited about making can really help narrow your options down. What you can make on a given loom is primarily limited by two factors: size and how many shafts/harnesses that they have (more harnesses = greater complexity in structure/pattern). When someone asks me about buying a loom, I usually like to enquire what they want to make.
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