barn looms

there is a gigantic and magical loom that is very rarely used anymore…
BARN. LOOM. maybe that’s just the best thing there is…..

a nice simple weave on a perfecto barn loom.

they are almost always ‘counterbalance’ looms and usually have just two shafts…
(brief counterbalance explanation: counterbalance means each treadle controls two shafts…and your shed is created by one shed moving up while it’s partner moves down….note exhibit a)

exhibit a
there is actual counterbalance technology…
does my description make any sense…?

just another beauty!

other magical elements of barn looming…
they are named after barns because they were built like them…
using mortise and tennon joinery (no nails)…a few wooden pegs and wedges were used to tighten up joins…but these are wood on wood on wood beaut’s…
the barn and the looms perfect offspring.
and, as one can see from the beautiful old new english barns that are still usable and standing, the technology was made to last…

i like to imagine they’re also called barn because they’re as mother loving big as one!
and simple.
the two shafts make it so people were (and are) doing heavy duty plain weaves…curtains, towels, plain warm and delicious blankets….

notice the treadles on this one- they look like drift wood…

these looms are also usually built using whole logs
the story is that husbands and sons would build them for their wives and mothers with extra wood after having built the barn.
quite romantic.

    

bottom line: i very much hope to have the space way out in the country to find, refurbish and weave on one of these epic ships.