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Very informative to see a modern mill. I have seen several hand looms up close
Thanks
Not really that modern. If you get the chance to visit the Pendleton Woolen Mill in Pendleton, Oregon, they have fairly modern looms. The heddle of each warp thread is controlled by its own electric solenoid or motor. The solenoids or motors are on mounted upstairs from the loom and connect to their heddles with heavy gauge nylon (a monofilament kind of like that used on your garden string trimmer). The heddle control lines rise straight up out of the loom and penetrate the ceiling through individual bushings. Upstairs, they fan out to the controlling motors. Looks very cool. I'd show you pictures but Pendleton don't allow photography in their mill. With individual motor control of each heddle, a computer can control which threads are lifted to form the weft shed so shifting from one pattern to the next is easy. On the day I was there they were weaving patterned blankets one right after the other.
Interestingly enough, Pendleton's carding and spinning equipment (at the time I visited) were ancient machines - of course, the carding process is one of those technologies that has pretty much evolved to the point that any improvements will be very small.
Originally Posted by Fearnest
A bit more historical...
I have an old loom that sort of looks like this one. I'm in the middle of a very, very slow process of renovation. Like the way they use a rock to maintain warp tension.
Originally Posted by Oldhiker
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