Not sure why I could not post on each comment separately, so had to do it this way. Theres only a flag on each comment and not a comment button.
I just bought a 20 inch Schacht Flip and am waiting for the stand to be delivered. I’ve been weaving for over 20 years. I was lucky enough to have Nancy Hoskins as my teacher when we both worked for Lane Community College.
I fell in love with the vintage Structo looms and collected 3 of them. 2 tiny metal looms, both of which had been used in schools in the East, and my numbered Maple 4 shaft table loom.
The 2 shaft metal one is now in the Eugene Textile Center in a glass case. I still use the 4 shaft metal one for miniature and sample work. I have used the Maple table loom as a rigid heddle by taking the castle off.
It and the metal one have spools that can be rewound and a special hex rod to make them work. But, It is time for the Maple Loom to be passed down to the younger members of the family and it is too heavy for me to lift anymore. I bought it from Robin and Russ weavers in McMinnville not long before Russ died of cancer, so there is no way I would ever sell it.
I’m very interested in trying to make a 4 shaft cardboard loom that I found online the other day, and plan to make more rigid heddles with frames and fabric heddles. I I already have 4 commercial ones.
I’ve been doing fiber crafts for over 65 years, and none have ever bored me.
So I know this thread is a “few” months old, but I am so glad for it! I’ve steadfastly ignored weaving as “another hobby” that I don’t need as someone else here stated, but I am seriously considering making my own dishtowels and washable placemats, and I think a RH loom would be a good place to start. I also could use it as a stash-buster for both commercial and handspun yarns that I have. I loved @DebbiRYarn 's insight on what looms are good ones for starting out and I’m thinking the Ashford SampleIt looks like a good one to start with, so I’m not spending a lot of money on a hobby that I might not like (although something tells me I will love it since I love working with fiber). Would this be a good loom for making soft, absorbent dishtowels? My biggest dilemma is that I don’t have enough time to try it all–I knit, spin, and crochet and to add weaving to the mix would probably make my husband scratch his head and wonder why I think I have time to do one more thing! 
Just as an aside–I just heard one lady today respond to my comment about the rabbit hole–she said she prefers to call it the “Creative Vortex”. :p:fk:
I am wanting one too!!! I was reviewing the weaving group last night and today, and the RH loom seems like the way to go.
Do you think we can get a quantity discount???
https://fiberkind.com/sguncategorized/a-little-warped
That’s exciting! I’m a RH weaver as well as a newbie floor loom weaver and RH weaving is awesome! If you want to do tea towels, I would say go for the wider SampleIt loom, which I think is the 16 inch. Bear in mind that your maximum weaving width will normally be la bit less than 16 inches, since there are always a couple of slots and holes on the outer edges of the rigid heddle that if you thread them, those threads will be difficult to tension because it’s hard to wrap your warp separater layers all the way to the outer extremes. But I think lots of towels are that width. There is so much you can do with a RH loom and itis an actual THING, not necessarily an transitional tool.
@Char that hilarious. Can I join the group discount? There is always room for another loom. @rkennell watch out; it’s a little bit like spinning wheels.
@Char if we could get a group discount, I’d be in!!
@Carlota thanks for that information–I think I would be happy to have even a 15-inch wide towel or less for dishtowels. And yes, I have a feeling it’s that way about the “rabbit hole”-- I still just have 2 wheels, but one of them is a functioning decorator wheel that I got as part of a package deal for buying a spinning chair and I still plan to sell it since I don’t use it. My dream some day though is to get a an upright style wheel, but for now my Traddy is working well and I would rather use some money to experiment with a entry level loom at this point.
Hey, girl! @Carlota is right, you’ll lose, on average, around 10% of the weaving width (and length). If you use cotton that you know will be washed in hot water and dried, you’ll lose more than 10%. 10% of 16" is 1.6", so the best you can probably do is 14.5" (within reason). If that’s okay with you, go for it!! I love my 16" Sampleit.
Actually, go for it anyway! Weaving is awesome and RH weaving is a great gateway… well… you know what I mean.
@DebbiRYarn I’m afraid I DO know what you mean… but I’ll try to start small and see if I really find I even have time to take on something else. But thanks about the information about the width after shrinkage and all. I’ll keep that in mind! Even a 14" width wouldn’t be bad, but I wouldn’t mind a little more width–we’ll see!
Thanks again. 
Rabbit hole, vortex, black hole … All of the above
I started with a 10" cricket just for “fun”. Graduated to a 32" kromski harp RH loom so I can make wider fabric. Granddaughter 2 wanted to learn so gave her the 10" cricket and bought a 15" cricket for the smaller projects.
Actually now that I reflect on it I actually started out card weaving (also called tablet weaving). So be afraid be very afraid…
@crosstitchlinda - sigh, I guess I’ll just have to suffer through it…But what lovely suffering! I think I’ll do the same. I found a Beka loom on FB marketplace that I hope to have by later this week, as my learning loom, and when, I mean IF, I get sucked down that black hole, on it I’ll probably invest in a bit higher quality one.
That’s super! Creative Vortex - full steam ahead!
Does anyone know anything about LeClerc Berger RH looms. There is a 24 inch used one for sale for 180 (shipping included ) but it looks substantial! The biggest drawback I am seeing is that it doesn’t have a stand option, but I do believe it has an upgrade kit for a 2nd heddle. It’s in good shape and it’s one being sold by a son whose mom had several looms before she passed.
I found out this morning that the Beka loom was practically sold out from under me. I was told she’d ship it today but it was marked sold yesterday and when I inquired, she said she sold it to someone else. Oh well!
@Kathy7661 thanks–I do agree about the stand, but the deal just gets “gooder and gooder”!! I told the gentleman that I probably would want to get someone to make a stand and he offered to do it just for the experience, and would ship it to me for a donation of my choice and for leaving a good review on his site since he is starting up a woodworking business. Also, I ran this by my hubby today and he is okay with me getting it also. So the only thing I’m waiting on now is to see if anyone else has a reason why they don’t like them. @DebbiRYarn – do you know anything about this loom or any of their looms in general? He said this one is basically brand new because he doesn’t think his mom ever got around to using it. The pictures do look good.
So, I went ahead and bought the loom. I realize most people can’t be on the FB site during the day, and I decided after all the good offers he made I wanted to go ahead with it. I’m also seeing some LeClerc floor looms on this site that people are liking, so maybe that means it’s a good company. It is an older loom, and I think it has been used by someone because it looks a bit worn on the shuttles, but that’s not a problem for me. I think with free shipping and the promise of a stand being made for me, that’s a great option! At the very least, I can re-sell it if I don’t love it, I’m sure!
Wow, that’s quite a nice offer. I hope all goes well with the deal and that you end up loving the loom and weaving. Good luck!
Unfortunately, I was gone the last three days and just now got back to the computer. I’ve never heard of the Berger loom or seen one, so I can’t speak to it. However, LeClerc is a very respected brand, so I doubt you’d go wrong. The stand is a must - no two ways about it. George built a stand for my 24" Kromski. It’s not hard to do, but it does need to allow the loom a range of tilt options from flat to tilted. George designed it by looking at photos of production RH stands, particularly the Schacht Flip stand. Happy weaving!!
Leclerc is a solid brand in looms, in business a long time, and the loom looks quite substantial. I believe it is a current model - no reason you can’t accessorize. No doubt you have already been on the Camilla Valley site - they are an awesome resource. 24 inch is super versatile size - no problem doing shawls or towels. It holds a lot of warp, which is good. The offer of the stand is amazing - I do think this would work clamped to a table but a stand will give you more options. I’m excited for you!
Oh, interesting! They’ve made it kind of a cross between a RH loom and a table loom. Have the seller look at the Ashford RH stand for inspiration. I think it’s a better design for this type loom than the Schacht. If they’re not included in the loom sale, look at getting the rest of the heddles for it. Woolery carries them.
Thanks for the comments. I’m excited to be getting it! I sent a picture of an Ashford stand to him for reference to let him know how I’d like to have it.
@DebbiRYarn, thanks for the suggestion of getting an extra heddle. I will order the upgrade kit.
@Carlota, I did see their site.They look like an excellent resource.
Now we need to help @Char find a loom as well!
Is this good Weaving yarn?
