Schacht Wolf Pup LT Height Extender Kit

If you stand 5 feet 6 Inches or taller, or you have long legs, weaving on a regular-height Wolf Pup LT will eventually feel cramped. The breast beam sits at 29.5 In off the floor, the treadles tuck close to the front legs, and your knees press against the bottom of the cloth beam. The Wolf Pup LT Height Extender Kit raises the entire loom by 2 In, giving taller weavers the thigh clearance and treadle reach to weave comfortably for hours instead of minutes.

It's a one-time conversion. You install it once, and the loom permanently becomes a Wolf Pup LT Height Extender model (the spec Schacht calls FL3009). Nothing about how you weave on the loom changes. Width stays at 18 In, you still have 4 shafts and 6 treadles, and every reed, shuttle, heddle, and accessory that fits a regular Pup LT fits this one. What changes is how the loom fits you.

Is this kit actually for you?

Schacht's own guidance is that weavers 5 ft 6 In and taller will find weaving more comfortable on a Height Extender loom. Below that, the regular loom is built for you, and adding 2 In will likely make your weaving worse, not better, because your feet will cover less of the treadle.

The decision gets more nuanced in three cases:

• You're between 5 ft 4 In and 5 ft 6 In. Try the loom at both heights if you can. The Schacht Floor Loom Bench is adjustable from 19 In to 24 In, which compensates for some of the height difference. If you already feel comfortable on a regular Pup LT, the kit gains you very little.
• You have knee or hip issues. Even shorter weavers sometimes find the higher seat-to-treadle relationship easier on joints. Worth trying before you buy. Give us a call and we can walk you through it.
• You weave for long sessions. Two Inches of thigh clearance over the treadles is the difference between a 30 minute session and a 3 hour one. If your weaving sessions get cut short by discomfort rather than your project being done, the kit is worth more than its price suggests.

The honest tradeoffs

This kit doesn't ship with the loom by default, and it isn't a trivial purchase. Reasons to think twice:

• It's not free or easy to undo. Once installed, reversing back to the regular loom means removing the extender blocks and swapping the longer treadles back out, and you'd need to keep the original treadles you removed. Most weavers don't reverse it.
• You'll need a different stroller. If you currently use the Wolf Stroller (FL3051) to roll your Pup LT around, it won't fit the extended loom. You'll need the Wolf Height Extender Stroller (FL3053) instead. If you've already bought a regular Wolf Stroller, the second purchase stings.
• Bench height becomes more critical. A 2 In taller loom means recalculating your bench-to-orifice relationship. Most weavers using the Schacht Floor Loom Bench just dial it up by 2 In and the math works out. Worth checking before you commit.

The best time to install it

If you know in advance you want the extended height, order the Wolf Pup LT Height Extender variant (FL3009) instead of the regular loom (FL3006). Schacht installs the kit at the factory before shipping, you avoid an afternoon of assembly work, and the HE variant up front typically costs less than buying the regular loom and the kit separately.

If you already own a regular Pup LT and want to convert it, this kit is the path. Installation is straightforward for most owners:

• Looms built after May 9, 2016 have the mounting holes pre-drilled at the factory. The install is bolts, washers, and lock nuts with a Phillips screwdriver and a 9/16 In wrench. Plan on about 2 hours.
• Looms built before May 9, 2016 need 4 holes drilled in the legs. You'll need a drill and a 1/4 In bit in addition to the standard tools. Add another hour, and use the scrap wood Schacht's manual recommends to back the drill so you don't blow out the wood.

If you're not sure when your loom was made, check the serial number on the inside of the back beam. Schacht's serial number system encodes the manufacture date directly. Or call us. We can usually tell you within a minute.

What's in the kit

• 4 hard maple height extender blocks (labeled RI, RO, LI, LO for right-inside, right-outside, left-inside, left-outside)
• 6 extended treadles, replacing the originals
• 1 extended brake release pedal
• 1 extended brake cord
• 24 extended tie-up cords
• All required hardware: 1/4-20 Phillips machine screws in three lengths, flat washers, and lock nuts
• Schacht's printed assembly manual

You supply a #2 Phillips screwdriver, a flat (slotted) screwdriver, a 9/16 In or adjustable wrench, a mallet or hammer, and a piece of scrap wood. Drill and 1/4 In bit only if your loom predates May 2016.

What this kit doesn't change

It's important to know what the Height Extender Kit isn't. It doesn't:

• Change weaving width (still 18 In)
• Add shafts (still 4) or treadles (still 6)
• Change reed, heddle, or shuttle compatibility (everything that fit your Pup LT before still fits)
• Affect the fold mechanism or the built-in wheels
• Change what structures you can weave (the loom still does plain weave, twills, overshot, summer-and-winter, lace, and the rest of the 4-shaft canon)

It is purely an ergonomic adjustment. Two Inches of leg room, an afternoon of work, and you're done.

Why isn't the height extender just built in?

Schacht designs the Wolf Pup LT for the median weaver, and the median weaver is not 5 ft 10 In. Adding 2 In permanently would force shorter weavers to either deal with a too-tall loom or pick a different loom entirely. By making the height extender a separate kit, Schacht lets shorter weavers buy a loom that fits them while taller weavers tailor the same loom to fit them. The decision lives with you, not with the factory.

Specifications

• SKU: FL3084
• Material: Hard maple, Danish oil finish
• Rise: 2 In (breast beam from 29.5 In to 31.5 In)
• Compatible loom: Wolf Pup LT (FL3006) only
• Install time: Approximately 2 hours for post-May-2016 looms, 3 hours for pre-2016 looms
• Tools required: Phillips and flat screwdrivers, 9/16 In wrench, mallet. Drill required only for pre-May-2016 looms.
• Shipping weight: 3.2 lb
• Country of origin: USA (Boulder, Colorado)

This kit does not fit the Wolf Pup 8.10 or the discontinued original Wolf Pup. The 8.10 has its own separate Wolf Pup 8.10 Height Extender Kit (FL3086). There is no Height Extender Kit for the original Wolf Pup.