50% more harnesses!

The Macomber Beast has just completed her first ever update!

At 40-plus years old, it was time.

The original owner bought a model B4E, which means she has a 56" weaving width.  She came with 4 harnesses (or shafts), but was capable of holding up to 10 harnesses.

Last summer, the husband bought me 2 more harnesses with the requisite lamms, jacks, and treadles in a kit directly from Macomber.

The loom has been occupied for most of the last six months, which was a major reason the upgrades had not already been made; however, today was the day!

It took him a little while because none of the parts had been moved or altered since she was originally built, but he did it!!

There is really not too much to see, as the harnesses all look alike, but the two new treadles are very obvious.  The entire loom is made of maple and Birdseye maple, which darkens over time.  The new guys are rather bright, no?

At some point during the whole process, Coal must have come by and snatched a wooden spacer. He is the smallest of the hounds and most likely to go unnoticed. However, Bane is the one who had it (and tried to eat it) by the time I noticed it was missing.  So, he has certainly left his mark on my loom.  The husband did a good job sanding it as well as he could. It looked much worse before the sanding.

Here is what an unchewed spacer is supposed to look like.

I could not be more impressed with Macomber. The loom design is superb, and they craft an excellent product. I am really amazed they make parts that fit perfectly some four decades later.

The pair of harnesses were roughly half what I bought the loom for. The plan is to purchase two more harnesses next summer (another birthday gift).  The husband assures me adding more harnesses should go much smoother, now that he is familiar with the process and lubricated all the moving parts.  Bless him. He is so patient and methodical. I simply could not have done any of this on my own.

YAY!