A mirrored pair of flat tan printed panels, each with three stepped rows of hook-shaped slots and mounting holes along the inner edge.
The three-row holder panels form a mirrored pair, with mounting holes along their inner edges.

Overview Link to section: Overview

I designed and printed these rigid heddle loom accessories as product designs for my planned 3D-printing shop.

A rigid heddle, also called a reed, is a frame with alternating slots and holes for the warp threads, the threads running lengthwise through the loom. Lifting or lowering it opens a gap called the shed. The weft, the thread woven across the warp, passes through that gap.

I worked on both the reeds and the holders that support them.

Stepped heddle holders Link to section: Stepped heddle holders

Heddle holders, sometimes called heddle blocks, hold the heddle in its up, neutral, and down positions. Extra rows let a weaver use two or more heddles at once for more complex cloth.

The mirrored three-row panels are each about 145 by 115 by 14 mm, with a row of mounting holes along the inner edge. I also made four-slot holder blocks, about 100 by 115 by 14 mm, with screw holes.

The clip-on arms have a long top hook that hangs over the loom frame and stepped hooks down the side for resting heddles. These designs are about 83–91 mm wide, with hook and no-hook versions and two- and three-step variants.

Small and modular reeds Link to section: Small and modular reeds

The mini reed is a narrow piece with nine slots and eyelets between them, about 54 by 104 by 4 mm.

For a full-width heddle, I made modular reed sections that line up between two wooden rails, with small printed end caps. Each section is about 112 by 100 by 13 mm.

I made sections in more than one dent spacing. Dent means the number of slots plus holes per inch. My reed designs include 5, 8, and 10 dent variants, including a six-inch reed.

Revisions and loom fit Link to section: Revisions and loom fit

I went through several computer-aided design (CAD) versions of each design. The files are printable in PLA or PETG on a Bambu Lab A1-sized bed, with a print volume of 256 mm in each direction.

Fit to a particular loom brand is not confirmed. Check the holder dimensions, mounting holes, and reed measurements against the loom before printing.

These sit alongside my Catan organizers as printed product designs built around the objects they hold.