Woodworker's Instructions for a Working Floor Weaving Loom

This sturdy loom is just the right size for a home carpentry project, and for home weaving.

Floor weaving looms come in a variety of styles and sizes, from fold-up frames that will only weave narrow swatches of cloth to giant looms where the operator literally sits inside. Frontier looms were constructed from logs, sometimes with metal parts that had been carefully transported by the settler. The modern woodworker can make a sturdy loom from materials found at most hardware and lumber yards. The heddles and beater bar may need to be purchased from a weaving supply store.

Things You'll Need

• 2 x 4 inch boards
• 2 x 3 inch boards
• 2 x 6 inch boards
• 1 x 2 inch boards
• 1 x 12 inch hardwood plank
• Carriage bolts
• Wire or String Heddles
• Beater bar comb
• Two pulleys for each heddle frame
• Cotton rope
• Two round seasoned logs
• Eye-bolts
• Ratchet assembly
• Crank assembly
• Brake
• Lag bolts
• Drill
• Hammer
• Saw
• Miter box and saw
• Rippled corner nails
• Glue
• Finishing nails
• Wood screws (assorted sizes)
• Cabinet hinges

Instructions

1. Create the main frame of the loom first. From the 2 x 4 inch lumber stock, cut four boards 53 inches long; these will be the breast bar, the front and back base bars, and the back bar. Also cut from the same size lumber stock, four boards 32 inches long. These will make the four corner legs of the loom. Cut two boards 38 inches long from the 2 x 4 inch wood to be the sides of the bottom frame. Cut two boards 38 inches long from the 2 x 6 inch wood; these will be the side braces, and cut two more boards from the same size of wood, 56 inches long. These will be the uprights to hold the pulley set-up for the heddles.

2. Lay out the bottom frame, with the front board on the inside, and the outer base boards snugged up against the ends, with the 2-inch edge of the boards on the top and bottom, creating a base roughly 57 inches across the front and back, and 38 inches along the sides. Make sure the ends are square, and tack them together temporarily with nails. If desired, you may use double-headed nails so that they can be removed later. Stand the legs, with the 4-inch side to the sides, the 2-inch sides to the front and back, in each corner. Tack these in temporarily also. With the legs secured, drill holes through the boards, and fasten them more securely with carriage bolts.

3. Measure up 12 inches from the floor on each leg. Mark on the outside edge on the 4-inch side. Using the double-headed nails for a temporary hold, tack the side braces in place. Drill, and fasten securely with carriage bolts. Measure, and mark the center of the sides. Measure 3 inches on either side of the center, and mark those places. Place the 56-inch upright pieces between the marks, tack, and fasten with carriage bolts.

4. Measure from the outside of one 56-inch upright to the other. Cut two of the 2 x 4 inch boards to fit that length. Fasten them to the front and back of the center uprights, using lag bolts. Attach the breast bar and back bars to the top ends of the four corner uprights using carriage bolts. When drilling the holes for the bolts for the breast bar, use a paddle bit on your drill to countersink the bolt heads into the wood. This will keep them from catching threads or causing injury to the weaver.

5. Cut two seasoned hardwood logs about 4 inches in diameter. They should fit between the lower side braces so that the ends are almost touching them, but not quite. Drill carefully into the ends with a bit that is just slightly smaller than the lag bolts.

   One will go on the back part of the loom, behind the central upright. On one end of this log, you will need a ratchet and brake assembly, and on the other end, a crank.

6. Make the ratchet by tracing around a coarse-toothed cross-cut circular saw blade. You may need to exaggerate the teeth somewhat. Make sure they all slope in the same direction. You may want to experiment a little with a piece of cardboard before cutting the wood. Create the brake by cutting a tear-drop shape that is large enough for the fat end to be held in place by a carriage bolt. The pointed end will slide past the teeth in the ratchet, then drop into place to keep the log from rolling back when tension is placed on the warp threads. The front log is similarly placed on the other side of the upright, but it does not require a crank; just a brake.

7. Create heddle frames that are 45 inches long by 18 inches wide, using the 1 x 2 inch wood. Use the miter saw to create corners that fit neatly together without any rough protrusions. Fasten them together with glue and the ridged corner nails. Drill small holes in the frames for strings or add small screws to hold commercial heddles. You can purchase pre-made heddles from weaving supply stores. The purpose of the heddles is to hold the warp in place as you weave, and to allow raising and lowering portions of the warp to make it easier to pass the shuttle through. Place an eye-bolt about 6 inches in from each end on the top of each heddle.

8. Using eye-bolts attached to the 2 x 4 inch bars that go across the top of the loom, suspend two pulleys for each heddle frame. Two heddle frames will allow for plain weaving; four will make a reasonably interesting pattern; six will make a more complex and interesting weaving pattern.

9. Cut one 2 x 3 inch board 18 inches long for each heddle you have created for the loom. Attach one end of the board to the inside edge of the bottom front brace. These will be the foot peddles that raise and lower the heddles. In the other end, drill a hole or screw in an eye-bolt.

10. Fasten a piece of cotton rope to each of the eye-bolts on the top of the heddle. Thread the rope through a pulley on each side of the suspension bar that is across the top of the loom. Bring the ends of the two ropes down and fasten them to the eye-bolt or hole in the end of the foot pedal. The idle weight of the heddle will cause the foot-peddle to rise up. When the weaver wants to raise that part of the warp, he or she can step on the foot peddle causing it to go down and the heddle to go up.

11. Cut two boards from the 1 x 2 inch wood stock that are long enough to reach completely across the loom. Cut two boards from the 2 x 4 inch stock into a paddle shape about 40 inches long. Place the ends of the beater bar, which resembles a large metal comb, against the narrow top end of the paddles, then use small bolts or screws to secure the boards at the top and bottom of the beater bar to give it strength. The bottom ends of the paddle legs will be bolted to the bottom side frames of the loom, straddling the entire assembly. The beater bar will need to be able to move back and forth. It is used to pound the weft threads into place, and to help keep the warp threads from crossing over each other during weaving.

12. Trace a large H shape on a one inch thick hardwood board that is 6 to 8 inches long by 3 inches wide. Make the center brace of the H at least 5 inches wide. The size can vary slightly, as this will be the shuttle, and should be comfortable for the weaver to lift in one hand. Yarn or string can be wrapped around the middle of the H shape. The shuttle is passed through the warp strings, leaving a yarn string behind.

Tips & Warnings

• Start weaving on simple looms before trying to weave on a large one.

References

• Loom Construction; Jeri Hjert, 1978.
• Weaving With Foot-Power Looms; Edward Francis Worst, 1975.
• Instructions on building a 36" Wide Hand Loom, Oriental Rug Company