Hi everyone
I have been using an Ashford table top warping mill for the past 2 years but I was trained on a wall mounted warping frame, and every time I use the mill I think that a warping board is better . The pegs on the mill are glued in, so getting to warp off the mill isn't as simple as with a board –  I have to unscrew the bar holding the pegs whilst supporting the warp. I also find that the tension isn't completely even across the width of the warp. I generally make 6-8 yard warps in two halves and they are fine but what's your view? Warping mill that rotates, or wall mounted static warping frame? Perhaps I'll just have to buy one and see??? 🤨🤗

Hi Mary,
I bought a warping mill after struggling with my board.--Trying to find an empty wall was half the problem. I make fewer cross mistakes than I did on the board and it seems to go faster. I don't think I would have attempted a mill if it wasn't for the warp winding episode.

Jane talks about both extensively on how to get even tension on both --soooo helpful to me. Her method for counting was an Aha moment as well.

Is there a Weaving Guild near you that you could contact? Someone might be able to loan o you one to try--just give it back:)

Thank you for reminding me of Jane's advice. I will look that out, presumably from earlier forums and/or the earlier videos?

I agree that a mill does work faster than a board (although I have made the occasional mistake with the cross), and I find the mill requires no bending.

I have a Schacht warping mill. I have gently tapped the pegs at one end so that I can remove the to take the warp off. It is soooo much better. They stay in while I'm measuring without any problem. I greatly prefer the mill over the board.

Hello everyone who kindly offered their advice in response to my post.

It's helped me reach a conclusion. I am in agreement that a mill is preferable to a board, mainly because with a mill I don't need to move back and forth and can develop a good rhythm as I warp. And also because, like many of you, I don't have the wall space for a warping board. My biggest problem with my existing table top warping mill was that the pegs are fixed, making it a struggle to release one end of the warp to start the chain.

So, having watched Jane's warp winding demo from Season 1, and spotting that she was using a Louet mill with removable pegs, I have ordered and am awaiting delivery of a Louet mill (floor). I will keep the table top mill though, as its great for very short sample warps for my 8 shaft table loom.

Thanks again. I really appreciate your help. This Forum is brilliant.
Happy weaving Mary x

Has anyone noticed a difference in the length they thought that they wound on the mill and the actual warp length? I notice that my warp slides up and down a bit on the mill as I wind and wonder if I end up with a shorter warp than planned.

Hello
I can’t say that I’ve noticed a difference but that might be because I always allow some extra warp for making a sample of my design after I’ve woven what I planned to.
One reason for a slightly shorter warp may be that your yarn is being stretched during warping, and then relaxes when you take it off the mill. You don’t say how much the difference is, but this could result in a noticeable difference on even a short warp.

I'll chime in here as am relatively new to the warping mill. I have been using the warping board since I started weaving three years ago. I have an Ashford table top mill that has been sitting on a high shelf for about 8 months.
About 6 months ago my right arm began to be quite limited in its backward range. It is hard to describe as 95% of the time the arm is fine with no pain whatsoever. It that rare time you want to do the chicken dance and can't move your right elbow above the height of your chest (haha!!). After some consultations it was realised recently that I have injured my rotator cuff most likely by rapidly winding the warp on the board. A physio weaver mentioned to me that the shoulder goes through a whole bunch of movements when winding the warp on the board. And not always good ones. She swears by a mill.
Down off the shelf the mill came and I have been using it ever since. I do not find it as quick as the board (but then, I was probably zipping around too fast and I am new to the mill) but I do get good tension and have no problems winding or chaining off. I only use the bottom starting peg and you can move it to a horizontal position while warping, then more vertical to take the warp off. It needs to be behind the last vertical bar you are using/measuring from - not in front. Meaning, when you start to twirl the mill towards the left you will see the wingnut, not the peg. I do not use the ending peg (similar to Jim) as I use the last 2 pegs to make the cross. I use the warp the way I would the board (and the way Jane shows) - not the Ashford way.
It will most likely take me over 3 years to get my shoulder back right but am doing stretches, etc. For this reason, I would say acquaint yourself with a warping mill. It is better for your joints.
I do have a designated studio but the Ashford mill folds up flat for easy storage.

Chiming in to suggest that a warping mill requires a lot of fine movements of the wrists as well as a constant grip on the thread for tension. Boards, of course, can be hard on shoulders if they are not at the right height. I am trying to figure out which I prefer. I can see where a mill is more efficient but it seems like right now I prefer the stability of a board.

I have never used a warping mill, and wondered if one advantage might be allowing more warp threads to to be wound for a single warp chain, compared with a warping frame which, for my frame at least, limits thread number due to the length of the pegs.

I would be interested to know what is the maximum number of 8/2 cotton threads, for example, that can be wound onto a warping mill?

On my Ashford warping frame, anything over around 150 threads at a time gets tricky, as it brings the warp threads close to the ends of the pegs which are just 4" long.

I solved the problem of where to locate the warping frame when wall space is limited, by fixing L- shaped hooks to the wooden frame at either side of the top of my stairs and sitting the frame on these when in use. They can be turned inwards to hold the frame in place. See photos.

https://ibb.co/G4bnv2Gm
https://ibb.co/WNVmQ5Jb