Giant Step Forward

Today is the day that my Toika Liisa loom stops looking "like a child's bed", and starts getting more recognizable as a loom.


We decided to replace a plate on the loom. Ripley & Son Machine Shop did a great job with this - fast, friendly and a good price!

Plus they made me laugh. They asked how many RPMs (revolutions per minute) the shaft would be moving. It's the shaft for the warp beam, and I'm happy with even a revolution an hour!!


Jim re-designed one plate because the screws in the old plate were loose and crooked. We discovered that the original Toika plates had screws on opposite sides of the loom frame practically touching. Plus one of the holes was very close to the edge of the wood - so we were concerned we'd crack the loom frame.

Ripley's made the new, larger plate, and then Jim primed it, painted it, and installed it on the loom.


The new plate is just a little bigger than the old one, so the screws from each side of the loom frame don't interfere with each other.


A thing of beauty! (Never thought I'd say that about something metal that's not jewelry, did you?)


Once we had the warp and cloth beams and the brake in place, we used a mallet to stabilize the loom. It's a really cool design (which I think is similar to most Scandinavian looms). The loom is held together by eight pegs, so when it's time to move it, the pegs come out and the loom comes apart.


We added the back, breast and knee beams....it's really starting to look like a loom!


Tonight, to torment myself, I hung the first shaft on the loom. It needs a bit of clean-up and adjustment - so a warp thread will pass through the center of the eye of the heddles when the shaft is hanging normally.


That's definitely another project for another day!