I expect it is normal for new weavers to start with a simple loom, maybe a small second hand 4 shaft table loom, or a rigid heddle loom, just to get the idea of what weaving is and see if they like it.
I started with an 8 shaft Toika floor loom, after a couple of years added a table loom to the collection (8 shaft Leclerc Voyageur) and now I have bought my first dinky little 2 shaft loom, a dear little vintage Weavemaster.
Why?
Because I wanted a truly portable loom that works like any shaft loom and can be used to explain weaving to people who have never seen handweaving before - and I meet many of them! A rigid heddle loom may be fun to weave on, but not as versatile as this little shaft loom.
I also have the thought in mind of all those 2 shaft weaving possibilities I've never tried out, from saori weaving with interlocking weft to simple hand manipulated lace, and the many combinations of different thread types and colour & weave interactions. Somehow trying these has never been a priority on the 8 shaft floor loom!
The Weavemaster loom has simple twisted steel wire heddles, set in steel frames.
It has a choice of two positions for the beater & reed (see the slot on the side of the loom here, with two round rest points):
There are simple levers on the side to lower the shafts (rest position for them is raised)
sorry this photo has somehow got in upside down, just imagine you're leaning over the top of the loom from the other side and looking down from above...
The front and rear cloth beams have a simple ratchet and pawl on one side, with a wooden knob on the other:
The shed on this little loom is a good couple of inches, but as there is little space between the heddles and beater I shall probably carry on using the little stick shuttles it came to me with, although I can get a small Leclerc boat shuttle through without problem.
It came with a "colour and weave" pattern set up and the weaving started, so for now I'm continuing with this.
How small is this little loom? 17 1/2 inches (44 cm) total width, 15 1/2 inches (39.5 cm) front to back, 13 1/4 inches (33.5 cm) tall. It weighs 7 lb (3.17 kg).
Why?
Because I wanted a truly portable loom that works like any shaft loom and can be used to explain weaving to people who have never seen handweaving before - and I meet many of them! A rigid heddle loom may be fun to weave on, but not as versatile as this little shaft loom.
I also have the thought in mind of all those 2 shaft weaving possibilities I've never tried out, from saori weaving with interlocking weft to simple hand manipulated lace, and the many combinations of different thread types and colour & weave interactions. Somehow trying these has never been a priority on the 8 shaft floor loom!
The Weavemaster loom has simple twisted steel wire heddles, set in steel frames.
It has a choice of two positions for the beater & reed (see the slot on the side of the loom here, with two round rest points):
There are simple levers on the side to lower the shafts (rest position for them is raised)
sorry this photo has somehow got in upside down, just imagine you're leaning over the top of the loom from the other side and looking down from above...
The front and rear cloth beams have a simple ratchet and pawl on one side, with a wooden knob on the other:
The shed on this little loom is a good couple of inches, but as there is little space between the heddles and beater I shall probably carry on using the little stick shuttles it came to me with, although I can get a small Leclerc boat shuttle through without problem.
It came with a "colour and weave" pattern set up and the weaving started, so for now I'm continuing with this.
How small is this little loom? 17 1/2 inches (44 cm) total width, 15 1/2 inches (39.5 cm) front to back, 13 1/4 inches (33.5 cm) tall. It weighs 7 lb (3.17 kg).EDITED 14th April 2022 to add the following in response to a query in the comments about how to fit extra heddles to a Weavemaster Loom
I don't have this loom anymore, so cannot inspect the shafts to see if they can be taken apart to put new wire heddles on the rods that carry them within the frame. However, I believe what I would do myself is fit string heddles. With this in mind, I recommend the following resources created by Andrew Kieran, who I knew as a fellow Weave Ring blogger, one of the links on the left is for his blog, Weave4fun. Andrew studied Design for Textiles at Herriot-Watt University as a mature student and then worked for a while as a loom technician at the university, so he really knows and understands looms and weaving. (Hi Andrew! Maybe you will come across this, hope life is treating you well.)
Andrew created some excellent Youtube videos, and I recommend two in particular to Weavemaster owners. The first shows how to create string heddles. I've done this on my own loom when I found I needed an extra due to a threading error. Once you have located / sourced a suitable fine smooth yarn they are simple to make. The second is Weavemaster Loom Basics.
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