Today my TC-2 jacquard loom is scheduled to be shipped from Tronrud Engineering, aka Digital Weaving Norway. Here’s a pic of my completed loom (the sides are off because it’s being disassembled for shipping):
Shipping was delayed by a week because Tronrud Engineering discovered a minor problem with three of the modules. They test each module before putting it into the loom, and then test again once the loom is assembled. In the final testing, they discovered a few missing heddles in three modules. (Thank goodness they did that final testing! I’m impressed by their commitment to quality.)
Anyway, Tronrud Engineering is shutting down for two weeks starting next week (I think so their employees can take a well-deserved vacation), so there simply wasn’t time to manufacture three more modules to send me. So they’re shipping the loom with nine modules now, and will ship the remaining modules to me air freight (at their expense) once they’ve had a chance to make them (i.e., post-holidays). This is fine with me, as the air freight cuts about 5-7 weeks off the delivery time. The remaining modules may well arrive before the rest of the loom!
The best news is that, to “make up” for the late delivery (which may not be a late delivery at all), they are installing leveling casters on the feet of the loom for me! Leveling casters are really cool. They consist of a foot and a wheel, and the foot can be moved up or down. When the feet are down, it’s a nice stable foot; when the feet are up, the loom sits on wheels. This will make it easy to move if I need to reconfigure the loom arrangement. Here’s a pic of a leveling caster on one of the feet:
I had been planning to install the leveling casters once the loom arrived, and was really not looking forward to figuring out how to do so. So I’m very pleased that Digital Weaving Norway installed them for me, and for free! They really have a strong commitment to quality and customer service. I’m impressed, and very happy to have bought the loom from them.
Now I just have to figure out whether I can install the leveling casters on my AVL as well. Since I’m not sure what the best arrangement of looms is yet, and space is tight in the garage, being able to move the looms around is important to me. It will also make sure I have space for loom maintenance, warping, etc. I’m very pleased at the prospect.
(Many thanks to Sheila O’Hara for suggesting that the looms might be made movable, and to my fellow Caltech alums for recommending the leveling casters!)
The July 10 ship date suggests that the loom will arrive between August 21 and September 4. It will then have to go through Customs, and then another shipper will deliver it to my door. Which suggests an early-to-mid-September arrival on my doorstep. That works well for me; I have a lot of commitments in July, so having the entire month of August to prepare will be a blessing. I might even have a couple of designs to weave by then!
And the cats? Fritz is adamant that he wants to be shipped, too. Perhaps to Norway? I hope not – we love him and want to keep him right here at home.
WOW!~ Congratulations!! I look forward to seeing what the loom can do with you at the helm.
Lucky girl with that loom! Love reading your stories and adventures and seeing your gorgeous creations! Diane in Pittsburgh who grew up in Cal
If Ca has a use tax and most states with a sales tax due you might want to make sure you pay your use tax on the loom. Here in MA it is a standard practice of the MA Dept. of Revenue to match up Custom receipts with individual returns to audit that use taxes are getting paid.
Thanks for the heads-up, Cindi! I had wondered whether states’ tax authorities did that. I’ll make sure we pay it when the time comes.
I had no idea that looms could be digital! Can’t wait to see what you make with it.