Tape Looms

I make tape looms- just for fun. They are also called box looms. These looms are used to make “tape,” cord and fringe.
My tape looms have a workman-like quality to them; like they were made on the farm with hand tools in the 18th or 19th Centuries (1700s through 1800s). The bits and pieces in my looms are not dainty, but made to withstand some use.

If you want a loom made, I can give you the contact information of a fellow artisan or two.  Feel free to contact me.

This darkly stained pine tape loom is loosely based on the well-known loom in the collection of the Hershey Museum of American Life in Hershey, Pennsylvania.I incorporated a couple of vintage bobbins that were used in a now defunct textile mill in Alamance County, NC in building this loom.I made this loom for my wife, Pam, who makes straps for my hornbooks and demonstrates with me at many of my events.

This tape loom was made from recycled materials in an “antique” style using distressed wood and paint. Note the rosehead nails. Cut nails were generally used later in the 19th Century. I gave this loom to Bennett Place State Historic Site here in Durham, NC for their living history programming.