A table loom enables multi shaft weaving without the space or financial investment that a floor loom requires.
*This post contains affiliate links.
A table loom usually comes with four or more shafts. Four and eight shaft looms are the most common, but they can have more. Ashford, for example, manufacture a 16 shaft table loom!
Table looms are often favoured for their portability and affordability. They make a great loom to take along to workshops, or anywhere you want to take a multi shaft loom. Some will come with a handy carry bag and many will fold down to be even more space efficient. They are also often used for sampling, as you can test out your yarns or pattern before committing it to the floor loom.
Table looms come in a variety of sizes, meaning that if you only require one for sampling or you have a very small space to fit the loom, you could choose a 16 inch or lower weaving width. This size would also be suitable if you only wanted to weave narrower pieces like scarves.
The mode of operation for weaving on a table loom differs to other looms and makes it instantly recognisable. The shafts, rather than being operated by raising or lowering a heddle/reed (as in rigid heddle weaving) or being foot controlled (such as treadling on a floor loom) are raised by the manoeuvring of levers that sit at the front of the castle (the upright part of the loom) and are tied to the shafts underneath. These levers are very simple to operate and as lever 1 corresponds with shaft 1 and so on, it is visually simple – you are actually looking at the levers right in front of you, making it difficult to mix up and get the pattern wrong.
Table looms are also adaptable. In the last paragraph I explained that the levers are hand operated, however if you want more of a floor loom experience, you can purchase a stand along with treadles. The treadles are tied to the shafts in place of the levers, allowing you to lift the shafts by depressing treadles with your feet.
Some looms can be purchased as a four shaft and upgraded to an eight shaft later on. This is a terrific option for those who:
- Wish to start out on four shafts only OR
- Don’t wish to make the financial commitment of an eight shaft loom right away.
To weave on a table loom, you will need a few things apart from the tools that come standard with the loom:
*A table space to keep the loom on whilst weaving (unless you also purchase a stand, which is available separately). If weaving at a table, some weavers choose to stand. My back is no good for standing so I like to use an adjustable height office chair that I find comfortable.
*A warping board. A table loom is warped indirectly, so you make your warp on the board and transfer it to the loom.
*A raddle kit. This is necessary for spacing your warp before taking it to the loom. You can buy the raddle kit that fits your size of loom. Some weavers choose to make their own.
You can see a short overview of the Ashford 8 shaft, 32″ table loom here-
And you can see a demonstration of me using the loom here-
I have some exciting news regarding table looms too! I recently purchased the Ashford 16″ 8 shaft table loom to use for teaching. My husband and I made a two part video that shows you how to assemble it.
But that is not all! My primary purpose for buying this new loom is because I have had so many requests for a table loom class and I am happy to say that I’ve put together a very comprehensive class, Weaving on a Table Loom.
I hope this post has been useful to you, let me know in the comments if you have any questions or simply want to leave me a comment.
Until next time…
Happy Weaving!