I’m a weaver and spinner, always looking for a cool tool or at least, cooler than my neighbor’s in the spinning circle. Now I can make that stuff I covet. Today, I made a 1) drop spindle and 2) a reed for weaving decorative bands.
Mine is a 10-dent reed. I don’t think you would need a wide range of reeds. You can always carry more than one end per dent if you want finer fabric. I wouldn’t go finer than this, since it’s the reed that beats the weft into place on a regular loom. You’d probably want a tough material, but not thick (deep) due to thread abrasion.
Those are very nice! I’ve done a little weaving, mostly on pin looms, but am fascinated by all the ways there are to weave…I will be hoping to see examples of what you make with your new band weaving tool!
Using the Glowforge to make tools that enhance creative endeavors is so pleasing. I hope you share a photo of your completed project. I love Swedish geometric patterns and their nordic color palette.
I’ll post a work in progress. That will make it clearer how the reed is used. Give me a few days, as I’ve got to figure out the easiest way to warp my inkle loom with my idea. The videos only show the reed in use, not how to use the patterns. I’ve done this kind of work before, but on a differently styled reed.
I have been thinking of POM or Delrin (acetal) for something like this. More expensive than acrylic, but works in conditions where abrasion is a concern. I haven’t had any experience with sheet acetal thinner that 10mm though.
You can hit the slots in an acrylic one with a torch and it will smooth the edges so it’s not abrasive or sharp edged. Fast licks of flame until it’s smooth but not melty.
Thank you! I just started weaving with it today. Quite a learning curve, since I’m not following the standard materials/pattern/color. I’m an experienced enough weaver that I look forward to finding and fixing problems in the design.
First, I forgot that the spacing of the holes and slots doesn’t have to be as fine as I made it. For durability, I made the holes’ diameters equal half the width of the dent (that is, the “tooth” of the reed that separates threads from one another). Because of this, I had to select a narrower thread for the warp, than is recommended. This type of weaving typically uses fine wool yarn, which would not fit in the holes.
Second, it turns out that the reed is more useful than just up-and-down motion. If you are having trouble seeing the space your shuttle needs to navigate, you can widen it by tilting the reed up/down and/or left/right. You also have three possible reed positions, not just two in the way of other simple looms. This is because you have three distinct sets of warp yarns and you can make the middle set be the upper or lower set instead. I think if I adjust the postion of the 2nd set of holes, the loom will be more comfortable to use.
Or, it may turn out there’s a really good reason it isn’t done.
I’m fixing the file right now, to make a better design. Will post for all you weavers, in a couple days. QC first.
[a few minutes later] Well, the file is done, but I don’t have time to test weave. Must go rescue a fleece from the wash. I’m posting a pdf to the free files section.
