I’ll start by telling you that I’ve never worked on an 8-harness counterbalance, only 4-harness, so some things might be different. On my 4-harness, I can easily lift any two shafts, regardless of what roller they’re on. So I can lift 1&2, 2&3, 3&4, 1&4, 1&3, 2&4.

After doing a bunch of weaving with these combinations, I decided I wanted to figure out how to explore other weave structures that required me to have 1 shaft against 3 – not what a counterbalance is designed to do; they are designed to have an equal number of shafts up and down (at least on a 4) – maintaining the balance at all times. But I’d heard about shed regulators available for new LeClerc counterbalance looms, and that the regulators allowed you to have 1 shaft against 3. I had no idea what they were or how they functioned, so did a bit of online research. It appeared to me that they primarily functioned by raising the rollers (and therefore the harnesses) higher so that you could still get a decent shed with 1 up and 3 down. Since my loom is not a brand name, but was handmade by someone several decades ago, it was clear to me that the structure of my loom would not accept a LeClerc shed regulator. And I’m not clever enough to figure out how to make such a device that would work on my loom.

BUT, I figured that I could possibly achieve the same thing (lifting the rollers) by adjusting the Texsolv cords that made the loom function. So I just played around, and it works. My shed using 1 harness against 3 isn’t as big as my 2-2 sheds, but it is obviously possible to do doubleweave on a counterbalance loom. I haven’t done any honeycomb, but I’ve done a lot of huck lace, which also requires 3 against 1.

So the bottom line is: a lot depends on your particular loom. If it’s a LeClerc, perhaps you want to consider investing in a shed regulator. If it’s another brand, perhaps you could just make some adjustments, as I did, to make this type of weave structure possible.

I’m going to email you directly to see if can offer some more assistance.

I am having a terribly upsetting evening with my new counterbalance loom, and was looking on the internet for clues, when I came across you guys…

After weaving for a very intensive two months for a new BBC2 programme called Mastercrafts, which will be on TV next Friday, I have invested in a new 8 shaft counterbalance floor loom. I learnt on an 8 shaft floor loom – not counterbalance. I am now realizing that it’s a completely different kettle of fish, and am really upset and worried that I’m not going to be able to do the 8 shaft, double cloth and honeycomb etc structures that I’ve been wanting to continue developing. As far as I can gather it is not possible to lift two shafts that hang from the same pole at the top? and allot of my lifting plans need for this to happen.

Have I just wasted allot of time and money on a loom that’s not going to work for me? I don’t know what to do.

I hope you can shed some light on my dilemma.

Warm wishes,
Holly.

Thanks for your comment. I’m leaving some reply here so everyone can see it, and also sending you an individual email, since I’m not sure which will reach you better.

My handmade counterbalance is the first loom I ever owned. Prior to buying it I took about 6 weaving classes, loved it, and jumped at a used loom on Craig’s List. I knew absolutely nothing, including the difference between counterbalance, jack, and countermarche looms. My little loom hadn’t been used in years, and although there was still a warp on it, the tieup was non-functional, as were the cords on the rollers. I did one small thing at a time to get the loom functioning, learning as I went. First I replaced all the old (hand-tied?) string heddles with new Texsolv heddles. Then I replaced the tie-up cords and roller cords with Texsolv cords. Still wasn’t functioning. I looked at diagrams, exchanged some emails with people, and tried a variety of options. Finally got it going, and working beautifully. I don’t have any video or written directions, did it all basically by trial & error.

I’ll start with several basic questions, and hope we’ll have a great exchange.

Please check your email for more contact info.