History
Reedmaking - a Handcraft
Historically, farming didn´t provide enough to feed the families
near Mora, Sweden. So in the wintertime the men of the region travelled
around Sweden and Norway making and selling reeds. They carried
the materials and the necessary tools in a knapsack and left home.
The wooden parts of the reeds had been made at home. The work of
making the reeds was then done on location during their journeys.
For several hundred years now, reed making has been concentrated
to an area northwest of Mora, in central Sweden.
The handcraft becomes an industry
In 1926 Gunnar Andersson bought his first reed-making machine and
started the limited company Gunnar Anderssons Vävskedsfabrik AB,
GAV. Vävsked is Swedish for reed. Soon thereafter they developed
into making other weaving tools such as temples, shuttles, umbrella
swifts, bobbin winders etc.
"- Just come with your wishes and drawings and we will make
it", Gunnar Andersson would have said.
Glimåkra
In 1950 the two entrepreneurs Lennart Persson and Yngve Nilsson
started Glimåkra Vävstolsfabrik (loom making factory) in the small
town of Glimåkra in the south of Sweden. 1975 this company was bought
by one of the larger groups of companies in Sweden, the Bonnier
Group. With the international network of a major group of companies,
Glimåkra became an internationally well known brand name in the
weaving world. The Glimåkra looms were, and still are, sold all
over the world. In 1980 Glimåkra made a record number of 12,000
looms!
In 1999 GAV bought the loom manufacturing and the right to the brand name from Glimåkra and moved the loom manufacturing to Oxberg, near Mora. With the addition of Glimåkra looms, GAV became one of the world’s most complete manufacturers for the weaving world. GAV has an almost complete range of high quality looms and weaving tools, made in the factory in Oxberg. It is a true one-stop-shop with full control over the whole manufacturing process from the selection of wood and other raw material through the manufacturing to the packaging and delivery.
It is a history and tradition you can rely on for your weaving needs.
