Inspiration Plus on Small Scale Production Weaving

It’s great when I come across inspirational people and Andreas Moeller, from Hamberg in Germany, is one of them. I’ve always been a fan but now have embraced the Flying8 Loom ideas that he has developed.

The looms are built in many parts of our world.  It has many advantages for small scale weaving production and ‘freedom’ to create more complex patterned and repeatable products quickly and efficiently.

Of course, small scale unique weaving products can be produced on the Saori loom, but if you are looking at competing in a ‘niche’ market with costs the Flying8 can do this.  

Larger production style looms for home/small studio use are expensive (starting from the cost of an older car) but we can find them in Australia. But in other countries the expense is beyond most people’s means.  

The Flying8 loom is designed to be built from local timber sizes and the pieces are all squared and not cylindrical. This includes the warp and cloth beams. The whole loom can be nailed rather than screwed which also adds versatility and capability for building and rebuilding.

Looms are all different and some can be infuriatingly frustrating in operation and ease. Andreas Moeller has used his extensive experience with looms to pick out the best bits for production weaving, thinking about body ergonomics at the loom and agency over the loom you build yourself.

Some advantages are:

• the bench is part of the loom and the seat is slanted down towards the loom.
• the loom has 8 shafts on a countermarche system which is light to use. All of the lamms are pivoted on the same level rather than on two levels found on many conventional countermarche systems.
• the treadles are pivoted at the front of the loom underneath the bench to provide more stability when you are treadling and the pedals don’t fly away all the time.
• the warp release is effective and can be done at the front of the loom.
• construction of the fly shuttle beater, an essential component for efficiency, is quite unique. Cardboard houses the shuttlebox for quiet action and cork blocks soften the sound of the shuttle landing each row.
• the cord for the fly shuttle is adjusted from conventional set up to accommodate the way our shoulder is positioned and used in the pulling action. As our shoulder is on the side of our body, not the centre, the cord needs to be adjusted to suit this.
• The fly shuttle race is slanted towards the reed for a more secure shuttle throw.
• a weaver’s ‘best friend’ is used to maintain tension on the warp as it is wound onto the loom. This makes beaming of very long warps possible with one person.
• Andreas has used an older idea for efficient warp winding, making very long warps easy to wind on a warping mill at constant tension.
• Andreas has developed an easy way to build end feed shuttles and shows how to make end feed shuttle bobbins from paper, which are used in the shuttle.

Now I have to find some space to build the loom but will start with refitting my existing loom with a similar fly shuttle! The loom is a tool and tools must work in the best way for you. And although I like to beauty of my looms just sitting there looking pretty and don’t like drilling into the wood all great weavers are prepared to do that to take their tools to the next level. The creation of great textiles is the aim.

Find out more at
https://www.weberei-hamburg.com/ You will find pattern instructions for the construction of the Flying8 loom, converting an existing loom instructions and ‘The Bright Way of the Flying8’ which is a manual for the loom, tools and method.