J-MADE DIGEST #4

Subject: Re: J-* Digest Message #3
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 18:51:44 EDT
From: JMadelady@aol.com
cc: ann@cotman.com

Ann, I have had both the AVL and the J-*, I prefer the J-*. The reason
is the ease of treadling. I also had a12 harness J made loom prior to
this one and in all the time I had the loom I never had any trouble with
it at all. It was simply a wonderful tool. It was and is also a
beautiful
loom, which doesnt hurt.I find it easy to thread, and once I figured out
how
all the bells and whistles worked it is a dream to weave on. actually
the bells
and whistles are in the weaving program , and if I were a more computer
literate person it would be easier for all concerned........

Addendum at my [T] request to clarify software comments:

Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 13:31:22 EDT

Hi all, I have two programs, Weave It which I use, and Fibreworks which
I
have never used, not becouse theres anything wrong with it , its just
that
its never been totally installed and my loom is not assembled right now
. I
love Weave it , its easy for someone like me (computer illiterate) to
understand. I am really feeling bereft of loom but it should be up and
running in about a month. We are  moving into a new home, and the loom
is going to be one of the first things to go up!!!!!!.....

Linda
 
 

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Subject: J-*.....Introduction.....Sectional Warping
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 19:35:38 -0700
From: ECBERRY <ecberry@ComCAT.COM>

Hi Tom and Members: My Name is Ev Berry, I'm a weaver and live in S.E.
Penna (Bucks County).

I design and weave fabrics for home interiors.....primarily, table
linens, tea towels, pillows, coverlets and upholstery farbic.  While
I've done some reproduction weaving, Shaker towels and overshot table
linens and coverlets, I enjoy the challenge of creating
designs/patterns.  I use Fiberworks PCW and Patternland (prefer PCW).

My J-Made accommodates 45" weaving width, has 12 shafts, 16 treadles,
two sectional warp beams (which I converted from 2" to 1" sections) and
a single fly shuttle.

I sectionally warp my looms( I've converted all looms from 2" to 1"
sections).  I'm interested in sharing methods and tips for warping
although, I don't believe anyone would use my method.....time
consuming.....but works for me. Simply, I measure each warp end using a
yard stick placed on my stand-up work surface (held in place at the left
end with a C clamp and extending beyond the work surface at the right
end) and then wind it onto a bobbin, put the bobbin on a bobbin rack
(with thread guides).  I measure and wind onto bobbins as many ends as
needed for each 1" section, then thread each warp end through the thread
guides on the bobbin rack and then through a tension box box (with reed)
attached to the back beam, tie all ends together and attach the tied
group of ends to a lead extension (approx. 25" on my J-Made) on the
sectional warp beam, wind tied ends onto beam section (no counting
revolutions or yardage counters.....warp already measured).  Repeat
process for each 1" section needed.  Using care when measuring and
winding the warp from the bobbin rack onto the warp beam, maintaining
tension and filling each section, minimizes the occasion (if any) for
only the slightest variance in warp end length after winding on.  No
short falls or over-runs in warp ends.  Works every time.  When you've
done this enough times, you really get good at it.....a little Mozart,
or whatever one pleases, enhances the process.

Have a question for members with loom treadles (mine has 16).....What do
you use to protect the floor from the metal wheels on the bottom of the
treadles?  I've been using a rubber strip (much like stair treads)
tacked down to prevent slipping.  This protects the floor OK, but is
difficult to clean lint, etc. without removing it.  Perhaps a larger
piece wouldn't need to be tacked down (to stay in place) and could be
slid under for protection and out for cleaning.  Did I just answer my
own question or does someone have a better solution?

I'm open to a membership directory if it is kept current; with this,
perhaps you could supress the individual e-mail addresses from the
digests.  Whatever works best for the group is OK with me.

Keep treadling on.....

Ev

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From: Tom Vogl
To: J-* list
Subject: sectional warping and protecting the floor

Two brief comments on Ev's note.

1. We, too, were concerned with effect on the floor of the wheels on the
treadles.  Our solution was a sheet of plexiglass (you can get it at
your local lumber yard or you can go to Staples or the equivalent and
get a plexiglass floor protector which are used under/in fornt of desks
to make it easier for rolling office chairs to roll on carpeted floors.
Either will work great and can be moved for cleaning. Make sure you get
a fairly thin (1/4") sheet. Too thick and it will keep the treadles from
going down as far as they should.  Our J-comp stands on 1/4" thick 6" x
6" squares of dense foam carpet pads (to keep it from moving and protect
the floor) so the 1/4" plexiglass also acts as compensation for the
height difference (Athough I am pretty sure that 1/4" will not matter).

2. We also have gone to one inch sectionals on all our looms (except the
24" 4H Baby Wolf that we use for demo's and rarely warp more than 12
inches wide) and find this most satisfactory. As soon as time permits, I
will describe our warping process in detail, which in some respects is
quite different, but we tend (I think) to put longer warps on.

Briefly - we wind as many spools as we have ends per inch, putting
(yards-of-warp-per-end + 1 yard for-loom-waste + 3/4 yard for
section-waste) x (number-of-inches-width-in-reed) on each spool.
Example: for about 10.5 yards of usable warp on the loom at 48" width
in reed we put 540 yards of warp on each of 48 spools (weaving at 48
epi).
The rest is, I think is similar to what Ev does.

Cheers,

T. & K.

P.S. I assume all of you also subscribe to the weave-tech list.  If not,
I recommend it to you most highly.

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