New project, we'll see how it unfolds.

isawlogs · January 11, 2012, 09:41:29 AM

I miss my wood burner in the shop here, boy is that ever going to be nice to have again when I move back home.

PC-Urban-Sawyer · January 11, 2012, 05:07:00 PM

Quote from: Norm on January 11, 2012, 07:04:13 AM
I just heat the shop with ours when Patty isn't looking. :D

That paddle looks awesome SD but you're not fooling me with what it's used for.

And if I remember correctly, those holes sure put an extra zing in the swing...

Herb

SwampDonkey · January 11, 2012, 05:18:01 PM

Just what you need to keep bad actors in line. :D

Burlkraft · January 12, 2012, 11:06:24 AM

Quote from: SwampDonkey on January 11, 2012, 05:18:01 PM
Just what you need to keep bad actors in line. :D

Who's acting? :D

SwampDonkey · January 14, 2012, 05:29:50 PM

Testing the pirn spooling thread through the tightening mechanism of the fly shuttle. ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C-wlVvpdFw

SwampDonkey · January 15, 2012, 02:32:35 PM

Completed fly shuttle.

Hot Wheels anyone? ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FStpursYeuU

SwampDonkey · January 17, 2012, 08:08:40 PM

My next piece of equipment, just as important as the warping equipment, is a loom bench. The one I'm going to build is much the same as the Harrisville Loom bench. It will rock on the wooden height adjustment brackets for added comfort. And carried by handles at the top of each vertical post. I see on a wood working forum, by Googling, where some one else has make the exact same style. I believe it to be one of the best designs I've seen and read about so far.

SwampDonkey · January 22, 2012, 04:25:15 PM

Height adjustable loom bench that rocks! ;D ;)

Forward rock:

Backward rock:

I have to sand the marks off tomorrow and glue the feet to the vertical posts.

SwampDonkey · January 24, 2012, 11:18:31 AM

Added the "finishing touches" today on the loom bench.

This bench is made of 5/4 hard maple, the stile is 6/4 for extra strength because it's pegged. I just finished up with the shellac finishing on the surfaces, with a little wax on the mortise pegs, in the bench sleeves and on the brackets. The seat is 42 inches, end to end with a seating area of 36 inches by 12 inches wide between posts. The seat rests on adjustable wooden brackets held by high quality wing nuts that don't require a tool to tighten and loosen. High quality threaded steel rod was used that threads into a 3/4" insert on the back face. This bench rocks if the brackets are installed with the curved faces up. If rocking is too funky, then inverting the brackets makes for a flat bench to. The brackets are 10" long x 2-3/4 wide in the middle. The seat can be adjusted for 19-29" of height.

Various parts to the bench:

The uprights are mortise and tenon feet, with rounded mortise slots for handles and square mortise for the stile. The peg holes in the stile are 1/2" x 3/4" at top and 1/2" square on the bottom, pegs are 6" long. Some of the mortises I chopped by hand (one foot), some routered (handles, bench sleeves) and some with my recently acquired drill press with mortise attachment (upright stile hole,pin holes). Table saw was used to cut the tenons. I like the drill press the best, but you still have to clean up with chisels and a good rasp sometimes. ;)

Shows brackets, rounded top for rocking, square bottom for flat bench seat. Pegs tapped in place on the stile.

Assembled, solid as a rock (maple). ;)

Enjoy.

isawlogs · January 24, 2012, 07:34:20 PM

I like this thread, keep opening it as soon as I see something added to it.

It's all lookin' good Bill !!! 8)

WDH · January 24, 2012, 09:53:51 PM

That is some fine work there, Partner!

SwampDonkey · January 25, 2012, 07:14:12 AM

Thanks for following along. ;D

Today I'm going head first into the loom frame construction. ;)

SwampDonkey · January 25, 2012, 11:18:35 AM

I have had some feedback from weavers and they indicate that a rocking bench is the Cadillac of loom benches because sitting for periods of time doesn't cut into your legs and the rock conforms with your body's motion when weaving. ;)

isawlogs · January 25, 2012, 11:41:29 AM

Good , did you find any wire yet ???

My wife wants one... :

:-\

SwampDonkey · January 25, 2012, 12:02:15 PM

Coming out of Ottawa, 1/8" ss 304 round rod. As soon as they cut it to 4 ft (it's 12 foot in their shop) they said it would be here in 2 days by courier. So possibly Friday or Monday. They told me they would notify me when it shipped. I'm not near that stage yet to need it, so no rush. I'll have to contact Leclerc some time for the Texsolv cord and clips used to set the heddles, vertical jacks, lams and treadles. This cord doesn't stretch much or slip a knot.

Warbird · January 25, 2012, 01:23:20 PM

Wow, SD. It's looking incredible. Can't wait to see the entire group of finished items all together in 1 picture.

SwampDonkey · January 27, 2012, 02:15:51 PM

Finished cutting the mortises with the drill press you see here. I fit everything together on one half of the frame and checked the length and it's dead on 5 feet. I still have to cut a couple dove tails, one on the top of that far post for the breast beam, then the top-middle of the short middle beam for the cloth beam to fit into and then a 2" hole for the cloth roller. The far end of the top beam needs a taper on the underside from the middle post to the far end and needs rounding on the end where the overhead fly-shuttle beater sits and pivots from.

One half of the loom frame fitted.

isawlogs · January 27, 2012, 07:48:43 PM

Looking good !!!

Nice choice on the drill press. I have a friend that has one like that, sure wished mine had that head on it :-\

SwampDonkey · January 31, 2012, 04:50:48 PM

Progress report:

The frame joints are all cut, except the pin holes on the frame cross members (two at the bottom corners and one up top on the tower. I now need to make one each hexagon warp beam for the back and cloth beam for down there in those round holes. I'm going to laminate two - 2" x5"'s with sloped shoulders. The actual widest edge of each plank will be 4-5/8". The width of each of the 6 faces will be 2-5/16". I will then bore the ends of the beams for 2" wooden shafts. One end of the beams will have a shaft squared off for the ratchet and wheel assembly.

edit: I modified the height of the breast beam on the front and raised it another 3" higher than what you see in this photo

Warbird · January 31, 2012, 11:05:01 PM

It's huge!

SwampDonkey · January 31, 2012, 11:22:13 PM

It should weave a 60" wide blanket. ;D

It'll be 3 feet wider than that with the flyshuttle beater attached to the tower.

SwampDonkey · February 02, 2012, 09:42:39 PM

I need to build a couple of beams. One for the weaved cloth to wind on under the reed and one for the warp threads on the rear of the loom.

I am making hexagon shapes for the beams. Here I ripped 2-1/2" wide strips and then jointed the edges to 60 degrees with the widest face ending up being 2-5/16" wide.

Doesn't get much better than that.

But I needed a jig to hold the members in place so I took some plywood, drew a circle with radius 1.5" and marked cords at 1.5" apart on the circle for drill holes to secure the ends of the members in place with Robertson screws.

Here I am on the 5th segment of the hexagon. Bar clamps and a work bench come in handy to press the members flush to each surface for gluing.

I will add the last member shortly to complete the hexagon. Then, let the beam cure for a day and round the sharp corners later.

I tried biscuits as a test to align them, but could not get them aligned. They should work with the fence set to 60 degrees, making apposing slots perpendicular, but I found they were off by 1/8". No idea why. The sloped sides are all 60 degrees and the pieces are quite accurately jointed.