La Plata Farms
Your Source for Spinning and Weaving Supplies
Since 1983

Schacht Looms

 

The Cranbrook Countermarche Loom

 

The Cranbrook Loom is widely considered to be the finest Countermarche loom available today.  This Scandinavian-style loom has mortise-and-tenon construction, powder-coated breast and rear beams, treadle locks, and a fully adjustable overhead beater.  A countermarche loom is a balanced system of rising and sinking shafts.  There are two sets of lamms, an upper suspended lamm and a lower pivoting lamm.  Each shaft works independently, its operation not affecting that of the other shafts.  The tie-up system of the Cranbrook employs a special size Texsolv nylon loop cord that remains permanently installed on the treadles and may be tied to either the upper or lower lamm.

The front, rear, and knee beams of powder-coatSchacht Cranbrook Loomed tubular steel give
the loom added rigidity while affording better protection for the warp.  The solid octagonal warp and cloth beams are 16 1/2" in circumference.  The Cranbrook can be expanded from four to six or eight shafts at any time.  The locking treadles are especially helpful for rug and tapestry weaving.  Solid bronze ratchet gears, pawls, and beater hanger racks are featured on all Cranbrook Looms.  The warp beam ratchet gear is released by a foot pedal.

The Cranbrook loom is available in 48", 60", and 72" weaving widths.  Accessories include: 12-treadle option, a second warp beam, sectional warp beam, tool tray, worm gear, sliding threading bench, beater weight, and tension box rail, and raddle.

 

Standard Floor Looms

 

Our Standard floor loom comes in two styles: The Standard Low Castle Schacht Floor Loomand The Standard High Castle. Though both looms take up identical floor space, the lower profile of the Low Castle model appears visually smaller. A High Castle loom includes a storage tray and holes drilled in the top of the castle uprights for the swivel pin of an extension lamp, otherwise the looms function the same. Both the Standard Low Castle and the Standard High Castle looms are available in 36" and 46" wide weaving widths.

 

All Standard floor looms may be ordered with eight or Four Now-Four Later shaft options. The number of shafts you choose will depend on the kind of weaving you intend to do. Though most weave structures can be woven on four shafts, additional shafts increase your pattern options extensively. If you have a keen interest in pattern drafting and weave structures, eight shafts will allow you to fully develop this interest.

Schacht Floor Loom

The Schacht Standard floor loom has an under-slung jack mechanism to raise the shafts. The jacks pivot from two points equidistant from the center and lift the shafts by pushing up on the center point.  We employ a parallel lamm system which gives our looms a light treadling action.  Because of this parallel lamm, it isn't necessary to adjust the tie-up cords.

 

Our tie-up system is quick and easy to use. Pre-measured nylon tie-up cords hang from the lamms and are attached to a treadle by sliding the appropriate cords into the treadle slot. This makes changing tie-ups very fast.

 

Other special features of our Standard floor looms include: friction reducing aluminum shaft channels, a back beam which folds with or without a warp on the loom, removable back and breast beams, and an adjustable open-sided beater. Our braking system employs a ratchet and dog on the cloth beam and a friction brake on the warp beam. This combination give you precise tension control at all times.

 

Sectional BeamSchacht Sectional Beam
Sectional warp beams are available for our floor looms:  Wolf looms, Standard floor looms, and Cranbrook looms. Our sectional beams are easily assembled and can be installed on the existing warp beam of your Schacht loom at any time. Sectional beams for Standard floor looms have 2" sections and a one half yard circumference; Baby Wolf and Mighty Wolf sectional beams have 2" sections and a one foot circumference. They are available in maple or cherry with maple pegs. 

RaddlesSchacht Raddles
Raddles help keep a warp spread evenly as it is wound onto the warp beam. Ours have built-in clamps and can be attached to either the loom's back beam or the shuttle race of the beater. Raddles come with plated pins inserted every inch and with holes drilled every half inch with enough extra pins included should you prefer half-inch spacing.

Double Back BeamsSchacht Double Back Beams
Double back beams facilitate the different warp tensions for weave structures such as warp pile, supplementary warp, and Bedford cord. Installation is straight-forward; holes have been predrilled in the loom for easy assembly.

 

The Wolf Pup

 

Here is a little loom you can easily take anywhere with you. The 18” weaving width is ideal for workshops and for all those other narrow projects.

Schacht Wolf Pup Loom

We’ve used the same sturdy X-frame, bolt and barrel-nut construction for our Wolf Pup as we use for our other Wolf Looms. We also use many of the same components: steel hub friction brake, brake release foot pedal, aluminum harness channels, and an attached beater pin. The loom comes with stainless steel heddle bars and a stainless steel reed (choice of 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 or 20 dent), and 300 flat steel heddles (inserted-eye wire heddles also available).

 

In the process of developing this product, we also came up with a couple of nifty enhancements like the automatic fold-up lock button and the Treadle Tracker, a “mini clipboard” for holding your threading and treadling diagrams. The simple and elegant direct tie-up system we use was designed by F.C. Wood of Waterford, New York, who started building the Dorset Loom in 1956.

 

The Wolf Pup folds up to a depth of only 16 inches. The attached wheels automatically engage when the loom is in the folded position. The Wolf Pup weighs just 38 pounds and is UPS-able!

 

Wolf Looms

  

The Wolf Looms are our most popular looms, and for that matter, the most popular in the United States

 

Schacht Baby Wolf Loom

The Baby Wolf loom is the most uncompromised small loom available today. It has all the advantages of portability while maintaining the best big loom features. If compactness and portability are what you are looking for, you’ll be interested in this thoughtfully engineered loom.

The weaving width of the Baby Wolf is 26". You have your choice of four or eight shafts, or you can choose our Four Now-Four Later model which allows you to expand from four shafts to eight shafts at any time. The X-frame design is exceptionally stable and can be easily folded to a depth of 18".

The adjustable beater allows the position of the shuttle race to be raised or lowered if necessary. The Baby Wolf employs a friction brake on the warp beam which lets you advance the warp smoothly.

 

The Mighty Wolf 

Schacht Mighty Wolf Loom

 

 

 

We built the Mighty Wolf in response to requests from weavers who liked the Baby Wolf and wanted the same loom but wider. The Mighty Wolf has a weaving width of 36", and uses the same X-frame design as the Baby Wolf.  The Mighty Wolf comes with a high castle that includes a handy storage tray.

 

Baby and Mighty Wolf Loom AccessoriesSchacht Strollers

 

Strollers  Most Wolf aficionados find the Wolf Stroller an indispensable accessory. Whether you've got a Baby Wolf or Mighty Wolf, our Stroller makes moving your loom around easy.  When installed on the loom, the wheels automatically engage when the loom is folded up, and disengage when the loom is opened.

 

Schacht LoomHigh Castle Tray  Our Baby Wolf Castle Tray provides handy storage and a convenient place to mount the swivel pin of an extension lamp.

 

Double Back Beams facilitate different warp tensions needed for such weaves as pique, supplementary warp, or seersucker. Installation is straightforward and may be done at any time.

 

Height Extender  Our height extender raises the loom two inches, giving our Wolf looms the same weaving height as our Standard floor looms.

 Schacht Sectional Beam

Sectional Beam  Our sectional warp beam kit is added to an existing beam and has two-inch sections and a 12" circumference. It comes as a kit which is added to your existing beam. The Wolf looms can be folded to a depth of 20" with the sectional beam on.

 

Wolf TrayThe Wolf Trap is another great storage option. It is wide enough to hold shuttles, threading hook, bobbins, and scissors, but doesn't interfere with your weaving.

 

Loom Bench with optional bags 

Our loom bench is a beautiful companion piece to our Wolf looms and Standard floor looms. The bench seat height is adjustable from 19" to 24" and has been designed to offer you both a flat and a slanted seat position. The bench is free of side posts, which alSchacht Loom Benchlows you to move around unrestricted. Below the seat is a storage bin for holding your accessories. The loom bench is available in cherry and maple.

 

Our optional bench bags can be purchased with the bench or added later. The bags are made of durable Cordura cloth and can be mounted on either or both sides of the bench seat. They are available with cherry or maple end bars.