Roberts Loom
Richard Roberts was born at Llanymynech, on the border between England and Wales. His father William Roberts worked as a shoemaker and kept the New Bridge tollgate. Young Richard received education from the parish priest in that rural setting. He found early employment with a boatman on the Ellesmere Canal. Later he worked at local limestone quarries to earn his keep. Robert Bough taught him drawing while working under Thomas Telford. This road surveyor provided the first technical instruction for the future engineer. Roberts eventually established himself at 15 Deansgate in Manchester. There he developed precise machine tools for textile machinery.
The frame of the loom was cast iron. Two side frames were cast as single pieces. Three cross tails were machined for an accurate assembly. A great arched rail at the top supports the healds. Front and back cross rails bifurcate at each side to give a larger binding surface. The warp passes from the warp beam over a friction guide roller. It horizontally passes through the loom to a breastbeam. Here it turns vertically to the cloth beam. Even tension is essential as any variation will lead to broken threads. As the warp beam empties its effective diameter changes making the warp slacker. Tension is maintained by adding a wooden pulley to the beam. Around this pulley are two turns of rope attached to mill weights. Thus retarding the beam through friction. The cloth beam bears a toothed wheel which works a pinion. A ratchet wheel is attached with a click level to take up the slack in the cloth. This was Roberts invention.
Heddles are arranged in groups of four. Obviously even threads and odd must go up and down alternatively. Two heddles are used for the evens and two for the odds so adjacent threads do not rub. The lower end of the heddle leaves is attached to treadles or marches. These are depressed by cam referred to as eccentrics. The loom is powered by a leather steam-belt which drives the driving shaft. There is a flywheel to smooth the motion and a crank mechanism to drive the battens. A toothed wheel engages a second shaft known as the tappet shaft or wiper shaft. Its job is to lower the treadles and throw the shuttle. This turns half the speed of the driving shaft, so its toothed wheel is twice the size. The shuttle is thrown by two levers attached to the side frame. They are activated by a friction roller on the tappet shaft. As the shuttle enters the shuttle-box at the end of its travel it depresses a lever which acts as a brake. If this lever is not depressed then the loom is stopped.
The Roberts loom was introduced by Richard Roberts in 1830. It was the first loom that was more viable than a hand loom. It was easily adjustable and reliable. This led to its widespread use in the Lancashire cotton industry. Until this moment hand looms were more common than power looms. The number of looms in the UK grew from 2400 in 1803 to 14650 in 1820. By 1829 there were 55500 looms. The count reached 100000 by 1833. The reliable Roberts loom was quickly adopted. It replaced older designs rapidly across the region. Spinning capacity remained short even after weaving improved. Roberts addressed this with the construction of a self-acting spinning mule. Textile production became an industrial process rather than a skilled craft.
Textile production was no longer a skilled craft but an industrial process. It could be manned by semi-skilled labour. Mule spinning became the man's occupation. Weaving became a girl's occupation. The technology transformed textile work from skilled craft to semi-skilled industrial labor. The Roberts loom allowed for greater output without requiring years of apprenticeship. Factory owners found they could hire workers with minimal training. This shift changed the social structure of the mills. Women and children entered the workforce in large numbers. The demand for highly trained hand weavers declined sharply. The new machines democratized access to factory jobs while reducing wages per unit.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When was the Roberts loom introduced?
The Roberts loom was introduced by Richard Roberts in 1830. It became the first power loom more viable than a hand loom and led to widespread use in the Lancashire cotton industry.
Who invented the Roberts loom and where did he work?
Richard Roberts invented the Roberts loom after establishing himself at 15 Deansgate in Manchester. He previously received technical instruction from road surveyor Thomas Telford while working under Robert Bough who taught him drawing.
What materials were used to construct the frame of the Roberts loom?
The frame of the loom was cast iron with two side frames cast as single pieces. Three cross tails were machined for accurate assembly and a great arched rail at the top supports the healds.
How does the tension system work on the Roberts loom?
Tension is maintained by adding a wooden pulley to the beam around which are two turns of rope attached to mill weights. This setup retards the beam through friction to ensure even thread tension despite changes in effective diameter.
Why did the Roberts loom change textile labor demographics?
The Roberts loom allowed for greater output without requiring years of apprenticeship so factory owners could hire workers with minimal training. Weaving became a girl's occupation while women and children entered the workforce in large numbers reducing wages per unit.