# Loom Plans?



## Guest

Does anyone have measured drawings for a floor loom or table top loom? I am wanting to build one.


----------



## CamM

http://www.pugpro.com/loom/Loom2.pdf 

Here are some plans for a simple tabletop. I've been thinking of building a hybrid of backstrap loom using a sort of rigid heddle mounted on a pole like this one.


----------



## designer

I purchased a set of floor loom plans from mother earth news years ago, I still haven't gotten it built yet. $10
http://www.motherearthnews.com/shopping/detail.aspx?itemnumber=787


----------



## Countrystyle

I don't remember how I found this site but is very interesting with a lot of info on handlooms -several kinds. I did notice that some of the info is repeated. 

http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/vita/handloom/en/handloom.htm

Here's another with free plans:
http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?cat=707


----------



## Ray

there must be a hundred different kinds of looms. do a search on making a loom or kinds of looms. some are so simple, some are most complicated. It basically depends on what you want to make. a simple loom is where to start until you conquer the skill then move on but I don't recommend building a complicated loom until you have the patients to spend with it.


----------



## rabbitgeek

Look for this book in your public library -
Wheels and looms : making equipment for spinning and weaving
by David Bryant.
190 p. : ill.
Hard to find, but has lots of great plans for making wheels and looms. 

Have a good day!


----------



## th_Wolverine

Came across this post as I too have been looking for a loom pattern, yet despite the fact that these devices have been around for centuries, these days people all want you to buy a book about it! So, in researching what few poorly written plans I have found and watching videos on the workings of these style looms, I'd be happy to post my findings, patterns, and instructions to this forum to allow others to be able to freely build themselves a table loom. I will post a new thread and link it to this page as soon as I have something to show for it


----------



## rabbitgeek

I'm a little confused by the term "table loom" since there is more than one type of loom that can fit on a table. Rigid heddle looms are basically a two harness loom that can fit on a table. On the other end of the spectrum are the multi harness/wire heddle looms that are elaborate but still small enough to fit on a table. There are other variations between the two. So once it is determined what one wants to weave, how wide, how many harnesses, etc., then one can commence to design it.


----------



## FiberArtist

designer said:


> I purchased a set of floor loom plans from mother earth news years ago, I still haven't gotten it built yet. $10
> http://www.motherearthnews.com/shopping/detail.aspx?itemnumber=787


Designer, if this is the compact floor loom (the link to Mother Earth News doesn't work anymore), I bought those plans, too, and my father made it for me a few years ago. Have you built the loom? I've just begun using it, but I think I'm using parts of it incorrectly, but I haven't found anyone who has one like it.


----------



## fibrefarmer

I've built a few looms in my day and repaired quite a few more. There are a lot of options here.

Easiest looms to make are backstrap and card/tablet looms (or a combination of both). These are easy to make for free with salvaged or found materials (a broom handle cut in three, or some sticks found while walking in the woods, or an old deck of playing cards) and usually take about five to ten minutes to make (less time with electric tools). Some of the most beautiful and complex cloth I've ever seen were made on these kinds of looms.

But it depends more on the weaver. What specifically do you want in a loom? What do you want to weave? 

Depending on the kind of loom you want to make and your woodworking skills, it is often more affordable to buy a new loom than make it yourself. Especially when we get to the multi-shaft table and floor looms. However, there are often mostly-working used looms for cheap ($100 a shaft is the going rate these days) or free that just need a new reed and a bit of repair. 

That said, as far as satisfaction goes, there's nothing quite so wonderful as working with a loom you made yourself.


----------



## fibrefarmer

FiberArtist said:


> I've just begun using it, but I think I'm using parts of it incorrectly, but I haven't found anyone who has one like it.


I would love to see a photo. Maybe we can help?


----------



## fibrefarmer

rabbitgeek said:


> I'm a little confused by the term "table loom" since there is more than one type of loom that can fit on a table.


So true.

These days a 'table loom' is a multi-shaft loom (where the frames for holding the heddles - things that make strings go up and down for those of you new to looms - is separate from the beater). The raising and lowering of the frames are usually done manually. 

At least that's the distinction the loom makers use.

As for the actual weavers, you can call it what you like. It's your loom and there's no loom police. I used to use my first table loom on the floor so I would call it a floor loom just to bug the kind of weaver that likes to get pedantic over specific terms. 



th_Wolverine said:


> I'd be happy to post my findings, patterns, and instructions to this forum to allow others to be able to freely build themselves a table loom. I will post a new thread and link it to this page as soon as I have something to show for it


I would love to see it. There's always so much to learn about weaving.


----------

