| From: Tom Vogl
Subject: Shaft Height Adjustment of J-mades (for the record). As I expect you all know, on the J-mades, the vertical position of the shafts changes from the front to the back of the loom, in order to provide for an even shed. But have you ever wondered how this adjustment is made and how to restore this configuration if it has been disturbed? Here is the answer, as given to me by Dale. Draw a line (lay a straight edge or stretch a string) from the top of the breast beam to the top of the warp beam. With all the shafts on the down position, the eye of the heddles in the front shaft (#1) should lie 2" below that line. The eye of the heddle in the back shaft (#16) should lie 3" below that line (3.5" for 24 harness looms). The eyes of the heddles on the intermediate shafts should follow a smooth progression between the two extremes. The adjustment itself is made by turning the hooks from which the shafts hang so that they move up or down in the shaft raising mechanism at the top of the castle. It is hard to say with what precision these adjustments need to be made, but it would probably be wise to try to have the shaft heights (heddle eyes) follow the line from front to back within an 1/8th of an inch. Achieving this takes a fair amount of diddling but is not intrinsically difficult. Happy holidays to all of you from both of us. Tom & Katherine
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