May 2003 - Countermarch transformation

I am converting my loom into a countermach loom but I'm affraid of not having enough room to fit two levels of lamms. Joanne Hall suggested that I try putting both marches and countermarches together on the same pin due to the lowness of the breast beam on this loom.




Instead of getting pre-made string heddles, I decided to tie my own. I bought rolls and rolls of Seine twine from the hardware store and I tied more knots than I ever did in my life.









I made the shaft bars and lamms with regular kiln dried pine wood.







The results are great! Countermarch is such an amazing mechanism in which the whole harness is balanced by the weight of the treadles.






When you step on a treadle, you break this balance: all others treadles raise, some shafts go up and the remaining ones go down according to your tie-up and you obtain a clean shed.






Please remember that I am here voluntarily experimenting and therefore learning the hard way, which is absolutely not necessary to anyone interested in weaving. Do not let yourself get influenced negatively by my sharings. I have always had by nature as much fun fixing up things than using them, if not more ;-)