Best of all, the AVL Studio Loom is SOLID. We've framed it in Select Northern Ash and, at the risk of over-doing things, have dimensioned our wood parts with extra thickness - well beyond the norm. Given its low center of gravity, this may be the most solidly built handloom ever made commercially available.

Why would we go to such effort with such a small loom? Because you, our customers, asked us. Over the years, we've had plenty of requests from instructors, studio designers, and students who needed small, low-maintenance, economical, computer capable looms. Alright - no frills functionality is now available from AVL.

There's something else you should understand about the AVL Studio Dobby Loom.

We built it with an eye on our heritage as well.

Because for all its robustness, solidity, and heft, we wanted the AVL Studio Loom to be one, simple thing.

An AVL loom.

Our history of well engineered looms, inspired by our founder Jim Ahrens, is well represented in the Studio Loom. Yes, the SDL is compact, but we've retained many essential features that are so distinctively AVL. Like cam-assisted treadling, so as on all AVL's the more you push down on the treadle, the easier it gets. And it uses the standard AVL dobby head, so you can be assured of years of trouble-free performance. Plus, we went to the extra expense of lathe-turning the warp beams so there will be consistent warp tension from the first pick to the last.

And there's more: full-sized harnesses and heddles; a foot-actuated warp tension brake (or optional auto warp tensioning); foundry-cast fittings -- no little plastic gears here! -- and a full-sized ratchet and pawl on the Cloth Advance. A Sliding Beater, like the one that's been so well received on our Rug Looms, twin-mounted on precision ground and hardened steel rails, is a standard feature on the SDL.

Because we know that sometimes it's the little things that count most, we've provided a built-in tool holder; a well-integrated shelf to store all those weaving accoutrements that seem never to have a place; and provision for task lighting.

Price is important. Consistent with our basic design premise that this loom should be accessible to schools and students, with their usually cramped budgets, we've done all we can to control costs without compromising quality. When you tally its features, we think you'll be astounded to find that we offer a 16 shaft Studio Dobby Loom, with Compu-Dobby® at a reasonable cost (contact AVL directly for pricing)!

The price many vary somewhat outside North America, but it's clearly our intention to make this loom truly affordable. Please note (you'll like this): there's no assembly on the AVL Studio Dobby Loom. That's right; just pull it out of its box and you're ready to weave.

Studio Dobby Loom Specifications: