Serious Cheesecake
Late in the evening, I take a walk down the drive to the shop and engage in a little meditation with whatever project I’m working on.
I don’t usually do any work. By this time of the night, I’m spanked. As I’d like to be sent off with all ten fingers the Lord accorded me, I keep the machines quiet. (Send me off in a a hand-made Viking longboat, please, shrouded in cloth of my own creation — with a piper playing the “Garry Owen” on the war pipes. Weeping ladies a plus.)
A very talented architect I knew some years ago called this “dream time”, which I find to be a more appropriate term than the strictness of “meditation.” Geez, “meditation” sounds like they want something from a fella.
Today’s dream time led me to the conclusion that my long weaver is becoming desperately pretty. I made her beams today of jatoba, a tropical hardwood nearly as dense and intractable as granite. The wood polishes up to a firey color, and isn’t likely to wear out.
Here’s my Shadowlands bed in the same material, with panels of beeswing makore. Sorry for the poor picture, but I trust you get the idea. This is the one that nearly cost me a finger.
Here’s how the beams look “in the raw.” My girl will get her second warp beam tomorrow.
She’ll also get a fly shuttle and rotary temples. I have both items in inventory, and they will make her sweet to weave on. Go big or go home. . .
Another view, this time from the side. She’s looking very “Arts and Crafts,” which I find appropriate. I had a slot for an upright in the frame that didn’t really need to be there (a vestigal tail left over from the Mira days), so I filled it with a piece of nicely figured cherry. I don’t generally hold with cherry as a loom wood, as it’s been ruthlessly cut over, and the best stuff costs the world and offers few benefits other than its mellow color. NoMora’s material is far more sustainable, but at least she’ll have some pretty ear rings.
In other news, the first annual Weaving Down the Road meeting of the Warped Warriors Motorcycle Club is on for Labor Day! Mary Rios and hubby John have thrown their hat in the ring for the event, and will be trucking over from near MoTown. I was expecting a crowd of thousands, but we can start with three. I forgot to tell Sister Mary to bring her riding gear, as we’ll have three bikes to ride. My man Evan at Big E’s solar-powered garage has fixed the nasty, tappy valves on the ‘77 Suzuki twin, and otherwise fettled the beast. I’ll ride the Half Kaff. I figure a pair of former Harley riders may be able to handle a pair of scooters, if they’re willing to humble themselves and ride something that weighs less than a ton.
Space is filling up (very slowly) for the event, so get your dibs in! Bring your fav’rite ride and a shuttle or two. . .
Tim
May 29th, 2009 at 6:53 am
The loom looks fantastic!!! I like the “Arts and Crafts” look from the side.
It also looks rather large. How tall is it? Once it is put together, will it have to live in its current location forever, or is it moveable?
Thanks for the update!
Sue
May 29th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Wow, that loom is lovely and, yeah, big. It looks like it would completely fill my apartment. How big is she?
May 29th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Hi all.
The loom can be completely disassembled. As having to transport items is a fact of modern life, I made sure that there is no individual piece over 60″ long in the basic design.
As she is so long, I am considering making some mounting blocks so she stays square to the floor in my studio.
Currently, her measurements are almost exactly eight feet long, seven and and a bit high (this measurment will change when the draw device is finished) and fifty-two and a half inches wide. Adding fly boxes will extend the width to about seven and a half feet.
I could have made her narrower (or wider) but my impression is that the length is a necessity for good shedding. If one wanted to stick with around a dozen pattern shafts, the rear extension could be eliminated, which would save around two feet in length. This would still make her longer than she is wide, which is a very good thing in a loom.
It would seem that around 36″ weaving width would be the lower limit for a fellow my size to warp, or around 27″ for a more petite person. The whole business can be done from inside the loom, therefore reducing the usual clearance needed from the back of the warp beam. I suspect the minimum footprint would be around 10′ x 12′ to give adequate working room on all sides. She is certainly not something to be tucked into a corner, but I am learning that she will do far more than any loom I own.
I learned through study last week that the shaft-draw system is not only suited to damask and opphamta, but also spot and lace Bronson, double weave, and summer-and-winter. As each pattern shaft allows another weaving block, she is the equal of a 42 to 400(!) shaft conventional loom, depending on structure. The tie-ups for these techniques are very simple, a 40 block summer-and-winter tie only consisting of four treadles! By comparison, a full tie for an eight-shaft s&w weave needs fourteen on conventional harness, or compound treadling. Much more than that, you’re really in dobby territory.
Practically all techniques can be done from a straight or point threading, which allows a great deal of versatility. One could wind a long warp and create hundreds of different designs without having to ever touch the basic set-up. I really like that idea.
Tim
May 31st, 2009 at 6:14 am
Tim,
Thank you for taking time off your loom creation to help me out.
Friends,
I went to Tim yesterday with a fly shuttle and a shuttle that did not work together. In just a couple hours he had shimmed the boxes and created two new sliders. This sounds simple, but was a project that had daunted me for months.
You should see his workshop. It is a woodworkers dream.
And the new loom … even in it’s infancy. It is truly a thing of beauty. One sits in front, and whole worlds of possibilities open.
I highly recommend a visit if you are able.
Tim, Thanks again.
Bonnie