How to Build Your Own Floor Loom

Weave your own cloth with a floor loom.

Weavings and tapestries have been around for centuries. People have produced their own cloth, decorative fabrics, rugs and other textiles for home use and to sell. You can make your own unique pieces with just a few tools and yarn. You will need a loom, shuttle and a weaving comb. Most of the tools can be made, or other household items can be easily adapted to become weaving tools. You can use a 2 inch by 6 inch piece of cardboard for a shuttle, and a hair pick for a weaving comb. The main tool that you need is a loom, and you can make your own inexpensively and easily.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pieces of wood 2 inches by 4 inches by 6 feet
• 4 pieces of wood 2 inches by 4 inches by 4 feet
• 16 penny nails or wood screws (see below)
• Hammer
• Ruler
• Screw gun or screwdriver
• 1/2 inch U fence staples

Instructions

1. Sand all of the wood pieces before you start putting the loom together. Once you have the loom assembled, it will be a large piece, and it would be harder to sand once it is finished. Make sure that all of the rough spots have been sanded smooth, so that your completed fabric pieces will not catch on it .

2. Move all of your parts and tools to the room where you will be using the loom. You will want to build the loom in this room. The loom is very large, and you will not want to move it often. (If you plan on using it and storing it, it would be best to use wood screws, so that you can take it apart easily.)

3. Place a 2 inch by 4 inch by 6 foot piece of wood on the floor with the 2 inch side touching the floor and the 4 inch side reaching from the floor upward. The top should also be a 2 inch wide side.

4. Place a second 2 inch by 4 inch by 6 foot board parallel to the first board. Leave 4 feet of empty space between the two boards.

5. Starting at one end of the 4 foot long pieces of wood, across the 4 inch wide by 4 foot side of the wood, measure and place a mark 4 inches away from the end. Label the mark "a". Repeat the procedure on the opposite end of the 4 foot long piece of wood, on the same 4 inch wide by 4 foot wide side and label the mark "b".

6. Make a mark every 1/2 inch between mark "a" and mark "b". Nail in the U fence staples. One side of the U fence staple is on one mark, and the second side of the U is on the next mark in line. The U staples will touch each other and form a straight line across the board. Do not hammer the staples all the way in. You will need to leave part of the loop open to attach your warp threads.

7. Repeat step 5 on the second piece of 4 foot long wood.

8. Place the 2 inch by 4 inch by 4 foot boards between the two parallel 6 foot boards. Each board should be positioned so that a 2 inch side is on top. The "U" fence staples will face into the center of the rectangle. The boards will form a 4 foot long by 6 foot long rectangle.

9. Use the nails or screws to connect the rectangle. Put at least 3 screws into each corner to make it strong.

10. Place the remaining 2 inch by 4 inch by 4 foot pieces of wood on the floor, so when you look at it from the top you see the four inch wide by 4 foot long side. Measure and mark the center of the board.

11. Lift the loom up onto it's side, so that the bottom of the bottom board is exposed. Measure 12 inches from the outside right edge of the bottom board, and place a mark. Repeat the procedure on the outside bottom right edge. Place the 2 inch by 4 inch by 4 foot piece of wood, so that the mark in the center of the board lines up with the mark that is 12 inches from one end. Put screws or nails into the board from the bottom to create the leg. It will "T" out from the board. Repeat the procedure at the opposite end of the board to make the second leg. Turn the loom so that it is sitting on the legs, and you are ready to start weaving.

References

• Crafty Dasies: How to Make and Use a Floor Loom