Long Way Education

By Eman Abdallah Kamel

In this article, you will learn about the weaving loom, including its definition, types, history, development, main parts, and the function of each part.

What is the loom?

A loom is a tool used for weaving fabric. Its primary purpose is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interlacing of the weft threads. The exact shape of the loom and its mechanisms may vary.

Types

1. Hand loom: A wooden frame of various types used by skilled craftsmen to weave fabrics, usually from natural fibres such as cotton, wool, silk, and jute.
2. Power loom: A type of loom powered by mechanical energy and operated by a steam engine or electric power.

History and Development

It is believed that weaving developed around 15,000 years ago in the Mesolithic period. Weaving may even predate spinning, as ancient civilisations interlaced long fibrous stalks with their fingers, essentially making baskets, before learning to transform the shorter fibres into continuous yarn.

The development of the loom throughout history has gone through the following stages:

1. Horizontal Ground Loom
2. Treadle Loom
3. Drawloom
4. Flying Shuttle
5. Dobby Loom
6. Jacquard Loom
7. Powered Loom

1. The horizontal ground loom, used for weaving linen in ancient Egypt, is the most sophisticated type of loom in history. The warp threads are stretched between two fixed, parallel beams and passed, either individually or in predetermined groups, through the ‘heddles’, which allow the warp threads to be raised or lowered to weave with the weft threads.

Did You Know?

In later mechanised horizontal looms, the heddle is attached to a frame known as the ‘shaft’. The shafts are then raised in a patterned sequence to weave the fabric’s weft.

2. The treadle loom uses a treadle worked with the feet to raise the shafts, freeing the weaver to use their hands to move the shuttle of weft threads. Originating in Chinese silk production (200-300 BC), the treadle loom is believed to have reached Europe in the Middle Ages. This type of loom is still used today by hand weavers.

3. The drawloom was developed in the Middle East for weaving silk during the 6th and 7th centuries CE, although its origins may date back further. This loom allowed for a wide variety of raised-warp patterns, enabling the production of fabrics with more intricate designs than simple weaving could. The drawloom was used to produce elaborate textiles, such as embroidered damask. Its use continued until the widespread adoption of the Jacquard loom in the second quarter of the 19th century (1820–1860). However, there are documented instances of drawloom use in industry as late as the early 20th century.

4. The flying shuttle was invented in 1733 by the British weaver John Kay. This system was a significant improvement, allowing the shuttle to move freely from end to end, thus speeding up the weaving process. The flying shuttle remained in common use for over two centuries, until the advent of mechanical looms.

5. The dobby loom uses a dobby device to control the warp threads. This type of loom is an alternative to the treadle loom. The dobby mechanism allows for a large number of raised warp combinations. This type of loom appeared in the 1840s and is widely used to produce fabrics woven with small, repeating geometric patterns and lines, popularly known as “dobby fabrics”. Today, computerised versions of dobby looms are still in use.

6. By 1830, the Jacquard loom, invented by J. M. Jacquard in 1801, was widely used in English cotton mills. This loom relied on a mechanism consisting of a series of connected perforated cards. Each hole in a Jacquard card corresponded to a single warp thread, and the position of this thread—raised or lowered—was determined during the weaving of the patterned fabric. Because each card indicated a single weft thread, many cards were required to produce a complete repetition of the pattern. The cards were mounted on the loom in a continuous loop. By this time, it had also become possible to mechanically pass the weft threads from right to left with the development of the flying shuttle mechanism, in which the shuttle was propelled by air.

7. The first steam-powered loom appeared in 1786. With the advent of electricity at the beginning of the 20th century, it became possible to replace steam looms with large electric motors while retaining the pulley system. By the late 1940s, loom mechanisation was nearly complete. Due to its weight and limited speed, the shuttle was replaced by a device called the projectile in 1945. This innovation was later superseded by a simpler technology: the liquid jet loom, developed by the Swiss loom manufacturer Sulzer. This technology, in which the weft thread is forced through the warp thread by a pressurised jet of water or air, is the leading technology used today in mass production.

Main Parts of a Loom and Function

1. Heald Shaft

The heald shaft is a key part of the shedding mechanism in weaving. It is usually made of aluminium or wood and carries heald wires through which the warp yarns pass. Also called heald staves or heald frames, the number of shafts depends on the weave pattern and drafting plan.

Functions:

1. The heald shaft assists in the formation of the shed during the weaving process. It also maintains the correct sequence and arrangement of the warp threads.
2. The heald shaft determines the warp thread density of the fabric. The number of heald wires per inch corresponds to the number of warp threads that can be controlled per inch.
3. The heald shaft controls the lifting and lowering of the required number of healds according to the weaving pattern for each pick.

2. Sley of Lay

It is made of wood and consists of a sley race board or track, a reed cover, and metal swords attached to its ends. The sley mechanism swings back and forth.

Functions:

1. The sley is a fundamental component of the weaving mechanism, responsible for positioning the inserted weft yarn at the fell of the cloth through the beat-up motion. During the forward stroke, the sley moves towards the fell at a relatively higher velocity, applying the necessary force to compact and secure the newly inserted weft pick within the fabric structure. During the return stroke, the sley moves away from the fell at a comparatively lower velocity, allowing the weaving mechanism to prepare for the subsequent weft insertion and beat-up cycle.
2. This controlled reciprocating motion of the sley is essential for maintaining uniform fabric construction and consistent pick density throughout the weaving process.

3. Shuttle

The shuttle carries the weft threads and facilitates their interlacing with the warp threads to form the fabric.

Functions:

1. The shuttle is made of wood and extends from one end of the loom to the other. It moves along a sley race, passing between the upper and lower layers of warp threads.
2. After passing through the warp shed, the shuttle enters a shuttle box located at either end of the loom.

4. Reed

A reed is a metallic comb-like component which is fixed to the sley using a reed cap. It consists of a series of parallel wires, and the spaces between these wires are known as dents. The reed count is determined by the number of dents present in two inches of the reed. Different types of reeds are available, including ordinary, expanding, and V-reeds.

Functions:

1. The reed pushes the last weft thread to the edge of the fabric, determining the weave’s tightness in coordination with the healds.
2. The reed acts as a guide for the shuttle as it moves from one end of the loom to the other, helping to maintain the warp threads’ position.
3. It determines the fabric’s openness or closedness.

5. Picker

The picker is an element composed of leather or synthetic material. The picker is positioned on a groove or spindle in the shuttle box.

6. Weaver’s Beam

The weaver’s beam is fixed to the back of the loom. The warp threads are wound onto the warp beam. The length of the warp on the beam may exceed a thousand metres.

Functions:

1. The picker is used to move the shuttle between boxes.
2. It also withstands the force of the picker as it enters the box.

7. Back Beam

The back beam is placed on top of the weaver’s beam. The back beam may be floating or fixed.

Functions:

1. In the case of a floating beam, it acts as a guide for the warp threads exiting the weaving beam.
2. In the case of a fixed beam, it acts as a sensor and guide for measuring the tension of the warp threads.

8. Breast Beam

The front rest is another name for the breast beam.

Functions:

1. It serves as a guide for the cloth being wound onto the cloth roller at the front of the loom, where it is positioned above the roller.
2. It keeps the right amount of tension to make weaving easier.

9. Cloth Beam

Another name for the cloth beam is the cloth roller. The cloth beam roller is placed below the front rest, where the woven fabric is wound onto it.

Sources

• Identifying Textile Types and Weaves 1750-1950.
• History of Looms.
• mlsu.ac.in/pdf

© Eman Abdallah Kamel, 2026

About the Author: Eman is a writer and engineer. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in textile science from the Faculty of Applied Arts in Egypt.

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