Building a loom

A guide to building a strip-cloth loom as used by Kente weavers in Ghana. - by Louise Meyer



introduction

assembling a loom



 

Loom parts measurements

Base
front: 36", rear: 14.5" (distance between rear vertical legs)

Vertical legs
front: 24.5", rear: 49" (all are 2" by 4")

Notched arms
31" length, with around 14 notches evenly spaced

Heddle support
24.5" length, round 3/4" diameter

Reed support
37" length, round 1/4" diameter

Breast (or cloth) beam
38" length, round 1 1/4" diameter

Ratchet
24.5" length - steel reinforced rod
passes through a hole in the cloth beam



 

This diagram shows a loom with a slightly different construction. The names of the parts in parentheses are in the Ashanti language.