# Advice on table top loom?



## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

Hi Fiber Enablers!

Today I saw a 4 shaft table top loom at an antique shop. About 24" wide. The shop owner said that it originally came from a school or university. The shaft levers seemed to be galvanized...or pitted chrome, it was clean, though, and not warped. It was up on a high shelf so I couldn't inspect it...but....it was only $100.00. 

I looked on line and it may be similar to the Dorothy 4 shaft, new at $722. Used 4 shaft looms are running $250 - $300.

What should I look at to know if it is intact/functional?

Oh, and would YOU buy it? (Keep in mind I still haven't done a thing with my $5 Northfield rigid heddle loom, other than assemble it!) 

DH said I may, if I will use it. I maybe will...someday! Thanks!


----------



## featherbottoms (May 28, 2005)

I'm very new to weaving and not really one to give advice - but I'll do it anyway 

I took a 4 week weaving class and during that time I had a chance to buy a 4h table top loom. I knew it was a good loom, in good shape, because my instructor had originally owned it before selling it to the lady that was offering it now. It was offered at $100 and I was sorely tempted. I asked my instructor and she said that yes, it was a good loom, but if I had a choice between a small floor loom and a table loom to take the floor loom. She seemed to think that I would not be as happy with a table loom. 

I would suggest you do a few projects on your rigid heddle loom to see if you even like weaving. Also, weaving on your rh loom will give you some idea of what it's like to weave on a loom that sits on the table (although my smaller rh loom works very well if I sit in the floor and lean it against a coffee table - and I actually like working on that loom that way). I found that I do not like working from a set height table so I found a homemade drafting table at the thrift store and now I use that with my rh looms. It allows me to raise, lower, and tilt the top to get comfortable for whatever I have on the loom at the time.

I don't know where you live in Wisconsin but from all the posts on here I get the idea that there are a lot of guilds in your area (or within a couple hundred miles). I found the two 4h Leclerc looms I'm getting by looking at some of the various guild newsletters online - most of them have a classified ad section. My 45" loom is coming from a guild in Fla and the 22", although I found it on CL, is coming from a GA guild member.

I read somewhere that if you have a choice, it's better to buy a loom that's being used than one that's been stored or hasn't been used in a long time. Both my looms are currently being used and I will be able to ask questions about how they weave and/or any quirks they may have. That may not be relevant to someone experienced in weaving, but for me, being so new, it sounded like a good plan to follow.

I wish you much success in weaving and look forward to hearing of your adventures along the way.


----------



## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

If you decided not to use it, or even just that you'd rather have a different loom - could you re-sell it for more then 100 dollars?

I swapped for a saddle that had very little chance of fitting my horse - but that wasn't a problem because I can sell it for 2x the value of what I traded for, so it was still a good deal for me.
I don't buy and re-sell a lot of stuff, but if it is something that I have knowledge of and it practically falls into my lap, why not?

So the real question is, do you know enough about looms to know whether or not it is usable, and whether or not it is worth more then the price they are asking? If the answers to both questions are yes, then you can't lose, even if you never weave a stitch on it


----------

