I’ve now wound 17.5 miles of warp onto my back beam using the warping wheel (3.5 miles left to go), and since my setup is a little unusual, I thought I’d explain.
I start by putting my cones directly under the beater of the loom, and running the yarns up through the reed:
Then, I put a tension box on the back beam, and run the yarns through the tension box. This evens out the tension as it winds onto the warping wheel, and helps control the threads as they wind on. (Thanks to Sandra Rude for suggesting it to me!)
Finally, I mount a paddle to the front of the tension box, which allows me to wind multiple strands quickly, with a 1×1 cross:
This setup seems to work pretty well for my fine-thread weaving. But I’m curious: if you have and use a warping wheel, what do you do?
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I knew there must be a reason for holding onto the track and tension box after purchasing the warping wheel. This is a good arrangement for warping fine threads, where the 1×1 cross would be so important. Thanks!
I like how you combined the tension box and warping paddle. That is a great idea if your tension box does not have a built in cross maker.
Tien: I also use the tension box when I wind on the yarns to the back beam from the warping wheel. Any problems with tension winding on and off are totally eliminated.
This looks great. The proof, however, will be in the pudding. Please let us know how it goes once you start weaving it.
I took your great idea to my warping wheel to give it a try. Works great but now I cannot figure out how to maintain the cross. What am I missing here??
Hi Margo,
Do you have a crossmaker? AVL sells one: http://www.avlusa.com/index/products/accessories/warping/crossmaker/ , or you can make your own, it’s not that complicated. This holds the cross while winding on. Then you tie your cross as usual before winding off the warping wheel and onto the beam.