NOTE: I am not affiliated with AVL in any way, just a very happy customer. I bought my loom reconditioned from the factory, and it had paid for itself within 90 days.
The Sandpaper Beam
This beam doesn't seem like anything special at first glance, but it really is.
On most looms, the breast beam is a rotating rod. The finished cloth is rolled onto it until the piece is done or until the amount of cloth cramps the space needed by the weaver's knees. Then the cloth is cut off and removed. It is usually an integral part of the warp's tension. The tension has to be released in order to cut the cloth off.
The sandpaper beam changes all of this. It rotates in one direction, toward the weaver. The cloth then continues over rollers toward the take-up system at the back of the loom. There is no cloth collecting over the weaver's knees, meaning that much more cloth can be woven before it needs to be cut off. (I usually weave 20-30 yards before cutting.)
Then, when it is time to cut, the sandpaper keeps the warp under tension even while the cloth is cut. The tension on the finished cloth is completely separate from the tension on the warp threads.
In a few days, I'll write about the auto-advance system. It's only possible because of the sandpaper beam.
Like I said, this little beam may not seem like much, but it really does make a huge difference in terms of efficiency.
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