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)
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.
