Two down two to go

Welcome back!

Our newest addition to the herd is an older Swedish loom. 4 harness 6 treadle counterbalance loom.
She looks a bit old, but a cleaning and refinishing will have her good as new!

A bit about the counterbalance and why I chose this loom for the studio.

Counterbalances are the oldest treadle/harness looms in existence. The mechanism is called a counter Balance because the counter means shafts go UP and Down, and the balance indicated that they generally go up and down in Pairs.

Counterbalances have a odd reputation in the US. Since there are two ways the CB mechanisms can be set up, there has been some confusion about what these looms can and can't do.

"They can't do unbalanced weaves"

This is actually not true precisely. A Counterbalance where there is the roller bar across the top  and the pulleys below and then the shafts at the bottom, cannot weave an unbalanced weave without something called a shed regulator.

However when you have a beam, pulley, and a Horse instead, the horse TILTS, giving the ability to raise different harness combinations. You can have the whole horse lower both shafts or have the horse tilt raising one shaft.

"They only work with even harness numbers."

A different type of pulley shaped like a triangle gives the weaver the ability to work with 3 harnesses. Different configurations of the horses allow for odd numbers of harnesses, such as 3, 5, and  7.

"7? They only come in 4 Shaft set ups."

Actually there are single and double pulley setups that allow for 4-8 harnesses and their is a device called a drall pulley that can take the loom up to 10 harnesses.

 Since the looms aren't used a whole lot here, there are few places to get these different pulleys. Vavstuga makes the triangle one.  I have only seen the others collected from antique stores.

      Now why would I buy this odd loom? First; the point of the studio isn't just to make things and have lessons, but to provide a wider range of looms for new and experienced weavers to weave on. So the Rigid heddle looms, the tapestry looms, the Jack loom with the sectional warping beam, the counterbalance loom and one day soon, a Countermarch loom and a Computer assisted loom all are intended to provide a different experience for weavers new and old.
       With a variety of accessories and loom types, weavers can try before they buy. This way they get more than just the 15 minutes to weave on the loom but can actually see if setting it up or fitting it in their house is something that will work for them.

Second; the loom itself is very versatile. It can be turned into a Countermarch loom, have harnesses added or even turned into a Draw loom over time. The frame is the same, and other than the Drawloom conversion, changes are easily and inexpensively made.


Learn about more than what marketing experts have you believe is out there. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised.