AVL Looms HOME LOOM with Compu-Dobby III Quick reference guide

ASSEMBLY & OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS
WIDTH: ____________________
BATCH #: ____________________
SERIAL #: ____________________
APRIL 2002
AVL Looms
3851 Morrow Lane #9
Chico, CA 95928-8305
530 893-4915
530 893-1372 fax #
www.avlusa.com
e: [e-mail]
AVL
HOME LOOM
with Compu-Dobby III

Page TOC-I
Figure Index FI-1
Introduction 1-1
• Preface 1-1
Home Loom Instructions 2-1
• Loom Set-Up 2-2
• Compu-Dobby III 2-7
• Serial Cable (RS-232) 2-9
• Power Cord 2-9
• Set-Up Your Computer 2-9
• Adjusting the Solenoids 2-10
Adjustments 3-1
• Warp Tension 3-1
• Beater Height 3-2
• Spring Levers 3-2
Warping the Plain Beam 4-1
• Creating Two Crosses 4-1
• Securing the Crosses 4-2
• Removing the Warp for the Warping Board 4-2
• Attaching the Raddle 4-2
• Winding the Apron and Attaching the Warp 4-2
• Sticks in the Raddle Cross 4-2
• Feeding the Raddle 4-2
• Preparing the Paper 4-4
• Winding the Warp 4-5
• Threading Cross 4-5
• Removing the Raddle 4-5
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page TOC-II
Warping the Sectional Beam 5-1
• Sectional Beam Calculation 5-1
• Loom Preparation 5-2
• Extension Cords 5-2
• Feeding the Spool Rack 5-2
• Adjusting the Tension Device 5-2
• Tension Box 5-2
• Tension Box Heddle Installation Instruction 5-3
• Threading the Tension Box 5-4
• Winding the Warp 5-5
• Adjusting the Size of the Section 5-6
• Counting Turns or Yardage 5-7
• Creating the Cross 5-8
• Inserting Sticks in the Treading Cross 5-8
• Readjusting the Tension 5-8
• Combining Plain and Sectional Warping 5-9
Threading, Sleying, and Tying On 6-1
• Preparation for Threading 6-1
• Heddle Preparation 6-2
• Threading the Harnesses 6-2
• Replacing the Beater and Sleying the Reed 6-2
• Tying onto the Apron 6-3
• Tying on to the Old Warp 6-4
Weaving Procedures 7-1
• Weaving 7-1
• Advancing the Cloth 7-1
• Threading Error 7-1
• Starting Weaving 7-2
• Sample Weaving 7-2
Maintenance and Lubrication 8-1
• Lubrication 8-1
• Finish 8-1
Troubleshooting Chart 9-1
Glossary 10-1

Page FI-1
Figure # Description Page #
1 Full Loom 2-1
2 Unfolding the Loom, #1 2-2
3 Unfolding the Loom, #2 2-3
4 Attaching the Brake Pedal 2-3
5 Routing the Brake Cable 2-4
6 Attaching the Warp Beam Crank 2-4
7 Sectional Beam Installation 2-5
8 Cutting the Heddles Apart 2-6
9 Dobby for Compu-Dobby III 2-7
9a Cables in Dobby Slide Plate Insert 2-7
9b Springs, Pulley, and Keeper 2-8
9c Treadle Cam, Pulley, and Axle 2-8
10 Compu-Dobby III Solenoid Box 2-10
11 Spring Lever System 2-11
12 Adjusting the Beater 3-2
14 Warping Board with Two Crosses 4-1
15 Feeding the Raddle 4-2
16 Using the Warp Beam Apron 4-3
17 Prepared Paper with Folded Edge 4-4
18 Winding on the Warp 4-5
19 Tension Box 5-4
20 Sectional Beam Extension Cords 5-5
21 Adjusting the Size of the Section 5-6
22 Creating Flat Layers 5-6
23 Attaching Yardage Counter to Tension Box 5-7
24 Threading Position 6-1
25 Warp Tying On 6-3
26 Using the Cloth Storage Apron 6-3
28 Insertion of a New Heddle 7-2
29 Lubrication Points 8-1
FIGURE INDEX

Page 1-1
AVL Looms was formed in 1977. Jim Ahrens, an experienced engineer/
designer/weaver, designed the original looms. He has been weaving,
designing, and building handweaving looms for over fifty years and is
considered by many weavers to be the greatest handloom designer in this
country.
Following in Mr. Ahrens’ legendary footsteps are the next generation of
designers at AVL. Our team is lead by Matt Taylor and Kim Mitchell.
Their combined imagination, ingenuity, and engineering/designing skills
make this group an unbeatable combination. The design team, along
with the other talented and qualified staff at AVL, work together to
produce the finest handweaving looms and accessories available in this
country and according to some of our customers, the world.
PREFACE
Learning to warp and weave on an AVL Home Loom with Compu-Dobby
III will be a rewarding experience for beginning and experienced weavers
alike. The efficiency of the design, along with the sturdy construction
and trouble-free operation will ensure your weaving time to be enjoy-
able.
Please read both the loom set-up and weaving sections, even if you are an
experienced weaver. There may be little hints and helps that are
contained on the following pages that you may not have come across
before.
If you are a beginning weaver, please refer to the glossary of terms on
page 12-1 for any unfamiliar words you encounter.
Enjoy your new loom ..... here we go!
INTRODUCTION

Page 2-1
HOME LOOM
INSTRUCTIONS
The AVL Home Loom with Compu-Dobby III has been assembled at the
AVL factory in either an eight harness configuration. It is nearly ready to
use as it comes from the box. Use the following instructions to assist you
in setting up your new loom.
FIGURE 1
FULL LOOM

Page 2-2
LOOM SET-UP
1.) Remove the loom from the shipping box by opening the flaps at
either end of the box. Slide the entire loom out of the box,
including the wooden packing base the loom is attached to.
2.) Remove all tape and packing materials from the loom.
3.) Remove accessory box(es) from the loom. If you received three
accessory boxes, one of them is a bench, which has assembly
instructions packed with it, the other is the Compu-Dobby III.
4.) Remove the loom from the wooden packing base.
5.) Release the folding legs at the rear of the loom (as shown in
Figure 2) by loosening the wing nut from the carriage bolt on
each side of the loom. Unfold the loom, holding the rear portion
in place by swinging up the wooden support arms at either side of
the loom and attaching them to each folding leg, using the same
carriage bolts that held the loom in the folded position. Notice
that there are slots in three positions on each support arm (as
shown in Figure 3). Any of the three positions may be used to
attach the loom at this point. This is an adjustable feature which
allows the loom to accommodate a large amount of warp build
up. With very long warps, weaving should start in the furthest
back position, gradually moving to the next two settings as the
warp is woven off. If you plan on using a raddle while warping
the loom, use the position shown in Figure 3.

Page 2-3
6.) As shown in Figure 4, attach the snap at the free end of the warp
beam brake cable to the steel ring at the end of the steel brake
lever. To make sure the brake cable is routed correctly, check it
against Figure 5.

Page 2-4
7.) If you have not already done so, open the accessory box that came
with the loom. Locate the warp beam crank and attach it to the
warp beam at the rear of the loom (as shown in Figure 6).
8.) Sectional beam tie-up. If you have ordered a sectional beam and
tension box, begin installation by locating the following parts (if
you haven’t ordered a sectional beam, proceed to step 15):
• sectional beam
• warp beam crank
• brake cable and tie-up
• tension box track
• extended folding leg supports (2)
• tension box hardware pack
• track support legs hardware pack
• track support legs (2)
• tension box

Page 2-5
9.) Remove the folding leg support arms saving the bolts, nuts, and
locking levers.
10.) Attach the extended support arms (see Figure 7) and secure to
the folding legs. (Be sure to insert the bolt from the outside,
through the support arms and castle side, then slip the locking
lever on as before. Next, screw on the nut).
11.) Secure one folding leg to each support arm with the washers and
nuts to the inside.
12.) Mount your tension box track to the top rear of the support arms
with the lengthwise groove facing up.
13.) Mount the warp beam crank to the drilled end of the sectional
beam axle (see Figure 6).
14.) Attach the brake cable. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, attach the
snap at the free end of the warp beam brake cable to the steel
ring at the end of the steel brake lever. To make sure the brake
cable is routed correctly, check it against Figure 5.
15.) At this point, your loom should be nearly ready for warping.
Make certain that you have unstrapped the beater and harness
frames from their shipping configuration. For looms equipped
with polyester heddles, continue to step #16. If your loom has
metal heddles, skip on to step #17.

Page 2-6
16.) Your loom has been shipped with the polyester heddles in place
on the harnesses. They are bundled together in groups of one
hundred, with two bundles on each harness frame. On eight
harness looms there are two groups of fifty heddles each on the
rear four harnesses. The twist ties should now be removed and
the heddles can be spread across the harnesses. As you do this,
you will notice that all of the heddles in each bundle are con-
nected to one another at either the top or the bottom of the
heddles. These connecting loops can be cut (as shown in Figure
8) to make threading easier. Feel free to move heddles from one
harness to another. If you want an even distribution of heddles
on the eight harness loom, you can remove fifty heddles from the
front four harnesses and add these heddles to the rear four
harnesses.
Feel free to place heddles on either side of the screweyes on the
harness. The loom will actually perform at its best with some
heddles located to the outboard side of these screweyes, but no
closer to the ends than necessary.
NOTE: Another hint to make threading easier: while you have your
heddles spread out, you can mark just above the eye of each heddle with
a colored pen. You can use four different colors of pen and mark all of
the heddles on each harness with a different color. You will find that
during threading, this will make it easier to tell which heddle belongs to
which harness, thereby reducing the chance for threading errors. If you
do choose to color code your heddles, make certain that the ink from the
felt pens you use is color fast and will not wear off onto your warp
material.

Page 2-7
COMPU-DOBBY III
The Dobby board with cables will arrive installed (see Figure 9). Make sure that when you look down the cables, each cable is in its correct position
on the dobby slide plate insert (see Figure 9a).
FIGURE 9a
CABLES IN DOBBY SLIDE PLATE INSERT
Dobby Slide
Plate Insert
FIGURE 9
DOBBY FOR COMPU-DOBBY III

Page 2-8
Each of the cables should have a little tension. If there is not enough
tension on the cables, locate the small springs at the end of the cables,
below the bottom stop block of the dobby set up (see Figure 9b). Simply
stretch the spring a little to give the cable more tension.
Check that all the bolts and screws holding the dobby set up to the back
board are tight.
The cable that runs down from the center of the dobby is attached to the
right side of the tear drop shaped Treadle Cam. The cable should run
down straight and center. The other cable on the Cam attaches to the
right treadle. Check measured placements and set up with Figure 9c.
FIGURE 9c
TREADLE CAM, PULLEY, AND AXLE
Left Cable/
Left Treadle
Center Cable/
Right Treadle
Treadle Cam
Axle
Pulley
Stop Collar Position:
4 1/4" from Left
Axle End Cap
FIGURE 9b
SPRINGS, PULLEY, AND KEEPER
Springs
Pulley
Keeper
Also below the bottom stop block is a pulley. It is important that the
pulley keeper is in the correct position to hold the cable in place, but not
put any friction on the cable or pulley (see Figure 9b). If need be, loosen
the nut and bolt holding the keeper and adjust its position; retighten the
bolt and nut. The cable that runs down the left side of the dobby feeds through the
pulley (far left on the axle). This cable attaches to the left treadle.
Check measured placements and set up with Figure 9c.

Page 2-9
The black Compu-Dobby III solenoid box will arrive with a board at-
tached to its back. Unscrew the four black thumb screws and set the
wood board aside.
Take the Compu-Dobby III and thumb screws over to the dobby set up.
Note the four barrel nuts in the dobby set up backboard. Make sure that
the groove in the barrel nuts is horizontal. Now, slide the Compu-
Dobby III box over the dobby set up and hold it in place while you line
the side holes of the box up to the holes in the dobby backboard. Insert
each of the four thumb screws through the holes and into the barrel nuts.
Tighten each on.
Serial Cable (RS-232)
The serial cable, generically called an RS-232, is different
depending on whether you have a Macintosh or IBM computer.
In either case, one end will have a male connector with two rows
of pins, nine in all. The connector at the other end will be
clearly different and may be male or female.
Find this cable and push the pin end into the port that is front
lower middle of the Compu-Dobby III box.
Use your small blade screwdriver to run the side screws in.
These provide strain relief.
Allow the free end of the cable to hang for now. Later, you'll
connect it at the rear of the computer.
Power Cord
You've one cord remaining, the power cord.
Connect the single prong into the port (front lower left) of the
Compu-Dobby III box. Let's wait a bit before we add power.
Set-Up Your Computer
If you haven't already, set your computer up at the right side of
the loom. Once you make the necessary connections, you can
move it to a position you find most user-friendly.
Leave the computer unplugged for the moment.
You're going to plug the free end of the serial cable (RS-232) into
a port on the back of your computer. You left this cord hanging
from the second port on the Compu-Dobby III.
First, you need to locate the serial port on the back of your computer.
Here's what to look for:
Most recently manufactured, name brand, PCs are configured
with one 9-pin external serial port (always a male port).
Older PCs will usually have two or more external serial ports,
9- and 25-pin. The 9-pin port is used for the mouse. The 25-pin
port is available for other peripherals, including your Compu-
Dobby III.
When we take your order, we try to establish which configura-
tion you have so that we can provide the right cable. If you did
not receive a serial cable that corresponds to your particular port
configuration, please call AVL Customer Service. Unless you
have access to a full-service computer store, it's unlikely you'll
find the cable you need. One decided advantage of rapid change
in the computer industry is the difficulty we all have in staying
current with the latest trends.
We have supplied you with an adapter from 9 to 25 pins, so if
your computer has a 25-pin port, it will still work.

Page 2-10
Newer Macs use USB ports. You'll need a serial-USB adapter to
connect the Mac to the Compu-Dobby III. We recommend the
Dual Adapter from KeySpan or the Belkin adapter.
Older Macs usually have two serial ports. These are round and
contain holes for eight pins and are labeled modem or printer --
you may connect to either.
If you have a Macintosh system, you'll be asked to specify which
port you connected to. This happens later and you'll be
prompted by your weaving software.
Adjusting the Solenoids
If you find that the solenoid do not push the corresponding cables, then a
small adjustment is needed. Locate the two screws on the front of the
Compu-Dobby III (see Figure 10). Loosen them slightly. Now, from
above the Compu-Dobby III, look down the cables to where the solenoids
are. Make sure they are lined up with each of the cables. Slide the
Compu-Dobby III box to the right or left for alignment. When aligned,
retighten the screws on the outside front of the box.
FIGURE 10
COMPU-DOBBY III SOLENOID BOX
Thumb
Screw
Solenoid
Adjustment
Screws
On/Off
Power Cord
Port RS-232
Port

Page 2-11
17.) Before proceeding to the weaving section, you should take a minute to see that all the harness cables and treadle cables are seated in the
correct pulleys and are routed properly.
18.) One last thing to check is the spring lever system. This system is located directly underneath the harnesses and is made up of two rows of
wooden levers with springs and chain between them. The purpose of these spring levers is to hold the unraised warp ends in the lower
position, thereby giving you the best possible shed or opening to pass your shuttle through. Each set of spring levers is adjusted by tightening
the spring that is between them. This is done by simply tightening the chain that is attached to the spring. Generally speaking, the tighter
the warp tension, the tighter the spring lever tension should be. You may also find that harnesses with a high number of warp ends will
require a somewhat higher spring lever tension as well. You will know when you have achieved the proper amount of tension when the
unraised warp ends all lay flat against the shuttle race. For now, just make sure that all of the chains and springs are hooked up properly.
Each harness frame should be attached to the set of spring levers below it (as shown in Figure 11).

Page 3-1
Once your loom has been set up and warped, you should make the
following adjustments before you start weaving.
Warp Tension (refer to Figures 4 and 5)
The warp tension is determined by the combination of how you advance
the warp with the cloth beam handle and when you let up on the brake
pedal. The only adjustment you need to make here is to be sure that the
brake adjustment cord is set tight enough so that the warp beam will
fully lock when the brake pedal is in its upper (not depressed) position. It
is good practice to tie a simple knot or bow tie around the plastic cord
clamp once you have set the tension. This way you will be certain that
the cord will not slip and your tension will remain constant.
NOTE: The brake adjustment cord should be loosened whenever you
wind the beam backwards, such as when you are winding a warp onto the
beam.
ADJUSTMENTS

Page 3-2
Spring Levers
The springs of the spring lever return system should also be adjusted for
positive harness return, i.e., the harnesses stay all the way down in the
depressed position and require the least amount of effort for lifting. This
will vary according to the weight of the warp. In general, lightweight,
less dense, looser tensioned warps with a smaller weaving width will
need very little spring tension to assure positive harness return.
Heavier, denser, tighter tensioned, and wider warps will need more
spring tension. Attach the spring to the spring lever hooks, if you have
not already done so, using the last link in the chain to attach to the other
hook. To tell if the harnesses are returning all the way, open several
sheds by working the treadles. Watch the unlifted harnesses. If the tops
of their heddles become loose and tend to move around, then spring
tension should be increased, but just enough to get the harnesses to stay
down and no more, or your treadling effort will be made greater than it
has to be.
To adjust the spring tension, simply unhook the spring and then rehook it
one chain link shorter. This tightens the spring and makes it pull down
harder on that particular harness. Test the warp again by doing some
more treadling and if more spring tension is still needed, try one or
more chain links less. Under unusual conditions (perhaps a very tight rug
warp), two springs on some or all of the harnesses may be necessary. If
all the springs are set the same, the back harnesses will have a looser
tension than the front. This is because the back spring levers and their
hooks are longer since the back harnesses travel farther when a shed is
made. Accordingly, in some cases, the back spring levers might have to
be adjusted shorter to give the same tension as the front ones. The
important thing to remember is that the system is designed so that it can
be “fine tuned” for each particular warp, so experiment with it. In
general, for most medium tensioned warps, you will find that a lot of
adjusting will not be necessary.
Beater Height (refer to Figure 12)
The height of the beater is adjustable to compensate for different weav-
ing situations. Each leg of the beater can be lifted and the steel pivots can
be screwed into or out of the bottom of each beater leg, thereby chang-
ing how close the top of the shuttle race is to the warp. You should
always make this adjustment while the warp is under tension and the
beater is swung away from the weaver. Once this adjustment is made,
make sure that the steel pivots are put back into their notches at the
bottom of the loom.

Page 4-1
If you have ordered only a sectional beam, proceed to the section titled
“Warping the Sectional Beam”.
Various warping methods can be adapted to the AVL loom. However, we
recommend the following method in which the warp is first wound on to
the plain beam with the use of a raddle. Please study this method and try
it. We have found that it aids in getting a uniform warp tension, espe-
cially when dealing with long warps of twenty yards or more.
CREATING TWO CROSSES
To begin, wind the warp on a warping board or reel. Make sure you put
in two crosses:
• the threading cross
• the raddle cross
In the threading cross, each thread crosses the next thread in opposite
directions. In the raddle cross, groups of threads cross each other. The
number of threads in a raddle group can be determined by the number of
ends to be placed in each section of the raddle or by the number of
threads you are holding in your hand while winding the warping board.
WARPINGTHE PLAIN BEAM

Page 4-2
SECURING THE CROSSES
Before removing the warp from the board or the reel, secure the
crosses. Use four ties to secure each cross. These ties go on each side of
both pegs holding the cross.
It is usually a good idea to use different color threads for the ties on the
tops of the pegs and another color to tie the bows underneath the pegs.
By color coding your ties, you are less likely to twist the warp later.
REMOVING THE WARP FOR THE WARPING BOARD
Remove the warp from the warping board by chaining or by winding on
the kitestick. Start from the threading cross and proceed to the raddle
cross.
Since the capacity of the warping board is limited, for wide warps you
will end up making a number of mini-warps and taking them off individu-
ally.
ATTACHING THE RADDLE
Now secure the raddle to the back of the loom. If you have an AVL
raddle, simply slip it into the set of holes in the back of the rear vertical
members.
WINDING THE APRON AND ATTACHING THE WARP
Put your apron on the beam with velcro and wind your beam in the
warping direction so that your apron is wound on the beam.
Put the metal rod through the apron. You can put your warp section onto
that rod or you can attach another one with the warp.
STICKS IN THE RADDLE CROSS
Place two lease sticks in the raddle cross and secure together with string
through the holes in the ends of the sticks. Now remove the ties from
the raddle cross and spread the warp out on the sticks.
Measure the center of your raddle to use it as a center of your warp. The
warp threads should either go through the middle of the raddle.
FEEDING THE RADDLE
To feed the raddle, distribute yarns through the raddle by dropping each
raddle cross group into a dent in the raddle.