I recently got a 1940 Mahogany 40" Macomber B5.  I am slowly making friends with it, cleaning and upgrading with more user friendly parts where needed (the design is slightly different than the newer ones).  The most recent problem, which I've also had on my newer 40", is that when I grab the beater, the heddles on shaft 1 graze the edge of my fingernails and my fingers are hurting.  My newer 40" has ten shafts and I just don't use #1, which solves the problem, but this one only has four, so I can't do that.  I like the feel of the beater and don't want to add a handle.

 

The solution that I'm thinking of is to move the shafts so they are in positions 4, 6, 8 and 10 (it's a ten shaft frame).  I am thinking that this would also help with another issue, which is that sometimes, when I get going quickly, the shafts catch on each other and get jammed up. 

Is there any reason why I should be cautious about doing this? 

Comments

Sat, 05/18/2013 - 12:27

mneligh

I don' know of any problem that would cause provided you move everything (lamms, rods, etc.).

This doesn't happen to me on my B4, and I have thick farmer fingers.  Are the pads on the back of your beater in good shape?  Their thickness is what determines how close the beater gets to the first shaft.  I'd evaluate them before changing things.

Sat, 05/18/2013 - 17:14

weaver-dyer (not verified)

Mneligh's suggestion to check the bumpers is excellent. The bumpers may be worn or missing or the height of the reed is taller than that which originally came with the loom.  Check to see where the reed support hits the castle. If the bumpers are intact and hitting in the right position, but your fingers are still contacting the first shaft, replace the current bumpers with some that have a greater depth.  

I replaced the bumpers on my Portable Mac when my new reeds were taller than the original reed. It was an easy and inexpensive fix. Check your local hardward store for bumpers. 

Janet 

 

Sun, 05/19/2013 - 01:06

SallyE (not verified)

I find that when I advance the warp, sometimes the shafts come along for the ride, just a little bit.   So I simple push them back a bit, a few at a time.

But if you don't want to do this and your bumpers are in good shape, you could always add a small piece of wood between the beater and the sides of the castle to prevent the beater from going back about a half inch.   That would be a LOT easier than moving the shafts!   You can screw the wood piece on, or just tape it on to see how it works.

 

Sun, 05/19/2013 - 02:08

Dena (not verified)

Thanks for the suggestions.  Bumpers and blocks are happily in place and healthy.  I do push the shafts back every time I advance.  I think that because I weave so much and so fast (4 yds in an hr, 12 yds in a day, when I'm really going) that sometimes things that might not be an issue otherwise, become a problem.  The side brackets aren't adjustable on this one, the way they are on the newer ones, so the distance between the breast beam and the beater is already smaller than I'm used to...I hesitate to move it further, although maybe, just to try it out, I'll add a second pair of beater pads. 

I'm still leaning towards switching around the position of the shafts (and the jacks and lamms)...just not sure if it's going to compromise my shed or create problems I have not yet anticipated.  The shed is slightly smaller than I'm used to on my Macombers and I haven't yet figured out why. 

All of that being said, I am finding the process of getting to know this loom and making all of the necessary adjustments to be a total blast!  As a sworn Macomber junky, it's like becoming intimate with an exciting piece of history.

Sun, 05/19/2013 - 03:00

SallyE (not verified)

How on earth do you weave 4 yards in an hour?   Is there a trick or is it just a lot of practice?

I'm a rather slow weaver and am in aw of anyone who can do this!

 

Wed, 05/29/2013 - 01:27

Michael White

Dena, The nice thing about your game plan of moving everything is fine. Just look at it this way. If you don't like the move you can put it all back the way it was.

Michael

Sun, 05/19/2013 - 16:28

Dena (not verified)

Thanks Michael.  I just needed someone to say, "just go for it, it can always be undone".  I'll let you know how it turns out. 

SallyE...so many things go into weaving fast.  (Let me start with a disclaimer, that I'm not weaving very fine fabrics, those numbers are for 14ppi).  The biggest factors are practice, boldness and great form.  I have been weaving for many, many years and my livelihood depends on being able to do it quickly.  I do think that certain people were built for speed, but most weavers can make many improvements to their technique that make a difference.  (And, I do offer workshops in this, or if you're anywhere near Vermont, you can come to my school for a weekend and I can work with you.)  My three top hints are these: 1)figure out a way to weave without "fixing" your selvedges every time you throw the shuttle... 2)don't double beat unless you absolutely need to to get a heavy fabric...and 3)be willing to make fabric that isn't perfect while you're training yourself.

Tue, 05/21/2013 - 21:15

gailc

I was speaking to Eddie at the Macomber shop just a few days ago with questions about my loom which is missing a few bolts and I still havent gotten the brakes adjusted correctly.  He told me that the shafts and lamms are completely interchangeable.  Only the jacks need to be in the correct place.

Wed, 05/22/2013 - 18:38

Dena (not verified)

Surgery complete, patient in recovery!  It took around 45 min, was easier than I expected and I got to clean in some really out of the way places.  I'm pretty sure it's going to work, but I'm winding a 30yd warp now.  More info soon!  Thanks the help.
Wed, 05/29/2013 - 20:56

Dena (not verified)

All in all, I found that moving my shafts to positions 4, 6, 8, 10 greatly decreased my shed. I ended up moving them back up, to positions 2, 3, 4, 5. My fingers aren't scraping the heddles anymore and I seem to be getting a much better shed. This all leaves me with the question of why this would happen. With an eight or ten shaft Macomber loom, the back shafts should be lifting the warp threads at the same height as the front threads. I can understand, geometrically, why my shed would get smaller, but, if that is the case, why don't my threads lift unevenly when I am weaving on eight shafts?
Thu, 05/30/2013 - 03:19

mrdubyah (not verified)

I've been thinking about your question and looking at my Mac. All my frames rise by the same amount. So, I think the shed was probably still opened by the same amount, but the deepest part of the triangle that forms the shed was moved from in front of the reed to behind the reed. I suspect it's not an effect on how big the opening is, but an effect on where the big part of the opening is.
Mon, 06/03/2013 - 21:08

Michael White

I am guessing you used the same jacks. On a Macomber the jacks are the only thing that is not interchangeable. Each jack is make to work with a certain shaft position.

 

michael 

Tue, 06/04/2013 - 02:14

Dena (not verified)

Ok Michael, maybe that's the answer.  Do they lift at different heights?  If they are all lifting at the same height, then it seems to me that the shed would be uneven at the beater and the more shafts you have, the worse it would be. 

And yes, mr. dubyah...the shed was still open by the same amount, I just wasn't throwing my shuttle where it was biggest.

Tue, 06/04/2013 - 14:17

Michael White

Dena, the holes in the jacks are drill out in different locations to account for the angle of the treadles. The bar that the jacks sit on is also ramped for the same reason. If you look at most Macomber looms you will note that all of the heddle frames sit at a different height from front to back, this is normal. But when raised they are the same height.

 Michael