How Loom Works

Integral to the art of weaving, the loom is an ancient but highly refined machine!

Looms, while appearing rather complex, are actually fundamentally simple machines that work by holding two sets of parallel threads within a frame that alternate with each other as a cross thread is filtered through them carried by a shuttle (a wooden block in which thread can be stored pre-weave).

By doing this cloths and fabrics can be weaved on a large scale quickly and in far greater numbers than if undertaken free form by hand.

Since their initial construction in the 5th Century BC, the basic mechanics of looms have remained unchanged, with only a long succession of improvements introduced to the system.

The most notable addition was the introduction of a drive-shaft power source, allowing for mechanized looms to be mass-produced and slowly evolved to the point of complete automation.

Indeed, today it is argued by historians that the power loom was central to the development of the Industrial Revolution and has contributed greatly to the proliferation of large and high-quality fabrics worldwide.