How to build a tablet weaving loom in only 7 years!

Yes you read that right. 7 years. Not 7 minutes, or even 7 hours.

I started these looms when I first learnt how to tablet weave, which was in 2007. And yes its now 2014. But they are finished!

They are really basic. It was just one length of pine cut into 6 pieces. I didn't even cut it myself, got someone else to do it (this was my pre-power-tools-do-selfer days). I did varnish it myself way back when. My first (and quite possibly last) foray into oil based products. Clean up was a pain in the bum I tell you. And then thats where it got left. Random little varnished pieces of wood that moved house three times before being contructed.

The end bits are glued and screwed, and had a hole drilled in them for the threaded rod. The guy at bunnings (I love those guys) gave me a really nifty tip for how to screw it in. You put two nuts on the rod and tighten them against each other. Then you use a spanner on only the top nut and screw it in like a bolt with a spanner. So lets just pretend that was my brilliant idea :) I will be using the same technique for the tension peg on my inkle loom when I ever get around to it.

Carly's Tablet Weaving Loom

My tablet weaving loom, almost finished
You can see the nuts on the right where I haven't taken them off after screwing in the rod

I broke the hacksaw blade on the last cut. So frustrating. And then when I tried to screw it in something bizarre happened and it just kept chewing up the timber and spinning around without going any deeper until the hole was too big. So I just drilled a new hole. Yes it's annoying and my OCD nature is screaming at me that the peg is not in the centre but not so much that I really cared about trying to fix it even if I was able.

Looms Finished

So the larger one with the dodgy extra hole is for me and the smaller one for my friend Carly (who better be reading this :P). It has been promised as her christmas and birthday present for the last seven years. I'll have to actually get her a present from now on.