Woodsman s Thong Manual. Patriots Path Council, B.S.A. Rope, Knots & Pioneering. Compiled by: Angelo Greco

Transcription

1 Woodsman s Thong Manual Patriots Path Council, B.S.A. Rope, Knots & Pioneering Compiled by: Angelo Greco

2 Rope History of Rope and Knots: The first rope was probably fashioned of vines or reeds. Man then discovered that leather thongs made from animal hides could be used to tie and hold things together as well as lift and pull things. Later, other plant fibers were discovered which could be twisted or braided into rope. Early man soon found that a single reed or thong alone was too weak to hold up for very long, so his next discovery was that by twisting the individual strands around each other, rope could be made which was much stronger. Rope was used extensively in the construction of the pyramids as well as other ancient structures. In 1850, the first machine made rope was produced. Once man had rope as a tool, the next logical discovery was that he could form knots and hitches with the rope and cause it to hold fast to objects. Over the years since the first knot, many new knots and hitches have been developed to meet specialized needs. For example the bowline knot was developed for situations where it was desirable to not have the knot close in on itself when the rope was pulled. This became especially useful for rescue work. Types of Rope: Rope can be made from natural materials such as manila from the abaca plant in the Philippines, sisal from the agave plant in the Yucatan, Mexico area, and cotton from the cotton plant~ which is found in a variety of places. Some less commonly used rope fibers today are flax, hemp, jute and paper. Fibers of these plants are spun into yarn, yarn is twisted into a strand, and strands are then twisted into rope. The final twist is called the lay of the rope. This is the - direction of the rope as it is held vertically and observed. Right twist equals right lay, and left twist equals left lay. In recent times rope has been made from man-made fibers such as nylon, dacron, polyethylene, and polypropylene. These advances have made rope stronger and more resistant to deterioration. Knot Types: Whipping -To keep rope ends from unraveling. Stopper -To keep rope ends from slipping through an opening. Binder -Keeps objects bound together. Loop -Secures an object. Hitch -Used to tighten rope around an object. Bend -Used to temporarily tie a rope or ropes together. Splice -Used to fasten a rope or ropes together permanently. Care of Rope Good rope is expensive, it should be: A. Kept clean and free of dirt. B. Kept dry. If it is damp, don't coil or store it until it is completely dry. C. Kept knot free and freely coiled. D. Kept whipped or fused on all loose ends. Use of Rope Do not overload rope above its safe working load weight as recommended by the manufacturer. Use the formula, safe working load equals the tensile strength (from manufacturer), divided by 4. Rope may be used for -rescue work, climbing, building things (Pioneering), or hoisting and moving things. Through the use of advanced knots, rope can be utilized for specialized purposes such as: the man harness knot, butterfly, Bowline (double or triple), Prusik, and diamond hitch, to name a few. Splicing may be used to join or repair rope. For rappelling with rope, which should only be done by those specifically trained, equipped and under proper supervision, knots must be very secure, and you need to be especially watchful for worn or weak rope.

3 Your rope should be positioned correctly over the land surface and on the person. Descent must be controlled; you must wear gloves, and suitable clothing. AGAIN, DON'T TRY RAPPELLING UNLESS YOU OR SOMEONE WITH YOU IS TRAINED AND YOU ARE SURE YOU HAVE THE PROPER EQUIPMENT AND SUPERVISION! Fibers, Ropes and Fishlines "Line" - rope - cordage, by whatever name, is indispensible to a camper and absolutely essential to the wilderness wanderer on survival basis. Line can come from three sources: 1. The cordage you carry along with you. 2. Improvised line a. Shoe or boot laces b. Thread from hems or seams c. Fabric threads unraveled or unwoven d. Sweater or stocking yarn e. Belts and belt materials (The Scout belt has 6 ft. of good fishline per inch of length.) 3. Natural line a. Vines (Grape) b. Roots (Spruce, hemlock ~ Larch. Strip off bark & split root.) c. Bark: Milkweed * Red Mulberry (Root bark) Dogbane or Indian Hemp * Hickory Ragweed * Willow Basswood ** Slippery Elm * Tulip Tree ** * Fresh green bark may be used. ** Use the inner bark, preferably of dead branches. Soak in water before using. How to Make Line (From Nature Adventuring") "In making line, first hold two pieces of fiber together and tie an overhand knot in one end. The pieces should be of unequal length. Loop the knot over a peg or nail, and hold one piece in each hand, between the thumb and forefinger. Twist each piece separately in a clockwise direction several times. Then hand over hand, still twisting each piece clockwise, twist or lay the two pieces together in a counter clockwise direction. This twisting strengthens the fibers and keeps them from raveling. Just before one strand is used up, lay another strand beside it with about a three inch overlapping and twist it into the line. When the line is complete, cut off the overlapping ends with a knife. The thickness of the individual strands will determine the thickness of the line and the strength. The individual strands should be the same thickness throughout their length." Efficiency - Knots reduce load carrying capacity of rope: Straight rope - no knots 100% Bowline 50% Square knot 50% Short splice 95% Long splice 90% Rope strength (tensile strength in pounds) Material Size-Diameter Sisal Manila Polyethylene Polypropylene Dacron Nylon ¼" ½" l Safe working load = Tensile Strength / 4.

4 ROPE WEIGHT AND STRENGTH SPECIFICATIONS TENSILE STRENGTH IN POUNDS Nominal Size in Inches Federal Spec. Minimum Approximate Average Cir. Dia. Manila Polyethylene Dacron Nylon ¾ ¼ / /8 3/ ¼ 7/ ½ ½ / ¼ ¾ ¾ 7/ WEIGHT IN POUNDS PER 100 FEET Nominal Size in Inches Federal Spec. Minimum Approximate Average Cir. Dia. Manila Polyethylene Dacron Nylon ¾ ¼ / /8 3/ ¼ 7/ ½ ½ / ¼ ¾ ¾ 7/ Really put that rope to work If load is very heavy and rope is strong, then continue to make more loops. Each loop and each time around the tree is the same as another pulley in a block. (Less the friction.) PARBUCKLE for raising or lowering any cylindrical objects

5 Man Harness Knot - As a mountain climbing tow rope. Also serves to give foot and handholds for climbing. TYING KNOTS

6 DOUBLE BOWLINE: A good seat sling. SPANISH BOWLINE: Lifts a man COW HITCH

7 LARK S HEAD NECK HALTER TIMBER HITCH After knotted end is passed through knot in the bight, it is tightened. BLACKWALL HITCH CARRICK BEND To join heavy ropes, hawsers, cables. For maximum security, the ends should be seized to the standing part. SHEET BEND FISHERMAN S KNOT

8 To Join Light & Medium Ropes Joins Fishlines, Small Rope & Twine The MAN HARNESS Mountain Climbing Tow Rope also serves to give foot and handholds for climbing WALL KNOT HALTER HITCH X - Over a post or through a ring HONDA KNOT for making a lariat End of rope through honor to form noose first put Wall Knot on end so as to keep end of lariat from slipping through the Honda Knot that forms the noose.

9 HALF HITCH TWO-HALF HITCHES quite secure No Good Fair for mooring for a fish hook CLOVE HITCH When using at end of rope half hitch the to standing part MIDSHIPMAN S HITCH mooring & lifesaving END or STOPPER KNOTS OVERHAND FIGURE EIGHT RUNNING or SLIP KNOT PACKER S KNOT If in the water, first pass line under legs, forming loop and then tie as follows: 1. Half-Hitch around standing part 2. extra turn around Half Hitch wedged inside when tightened 3. Half-Hitch around standing part above the loop. A sliding loop that will not untie at the loop

10 RUNNING BOWLINE to retrieve objects overboard and to tie packages BOWLINE BOWLINE ON A BIGHT Use to lift an injured man. Put a leg in each loop of A and pass D under arms.

11 SHEEPSHANK used to shorten a rope Knots Overhand Knot Double Overhand Square Knot Figure Eight Knot Figure Eight Double Bow Knot Lark s Head Sailor s Knot Overhand Bow Granny Knot

12 Running or Slip Knot Surgeon s Knot Packer s Knot Stevedore s Knot Sheet Bend Sheet Bend Double Fisherman s Bend Miller s Knot Bowline Bowline on Bight Running Bowline Lariat Loop Fisherman s Knot Cat s Paw Carrick Bend Sheepshank

13 Slippery Hitch Half Hitch Two Half Hitches Clove Hitch Blackwall Hitch Timber Hitch Midshipman s Hitch Taut-Line Hitch Hitching Tie Rolling Hitch Chain Hitch Halyard Bend Marlinspike Hitch Killick Hitch

14 Lashing - To hold spars or poles together. Types: Square- to secure poles at right angles. Diagonal -To secure poles at less than or greater than 90 Shear - to secure parallel poles. Anchorage - Combination lashing and knots. SQUARE LASHING Square lashing is the most useful method for fastening two poles together with ropes. You can use it for making numerous camp items. Tie the rope to the pole with a clove hitch. Wrap the rope several times around both poles. Make three complete wrappings. Then tighten by winding rope three times between poles. This is called frapping. Finish with a clove hitch. Finished Square Lashing. Front (Left) Back (Right).

15 Short Splice Marrying End Splice

16 Eye Splice

17 Campcraft and Gadgets Dovetail Notch This notch will firmly join two pieces of wood without nails, wire or rope. You can make it quickly with just four saw cuts an a few knife and ax strokes. 1. Saw a slanting to your right, not quite halfway through the branch or pole. (Avoid knots... start well in from end to avoid splitting when dovetail is driven in) 2. Make an equal cut slanting to your left. 3. Make two saw cuts close together in the middle of and to the same depth as the side cuts 4. With your knife, pry out the wood first on one side, then on the other until the notch is cleaned out and ready for the dovetail. Now make the dovetail to fit the notch. 5. Hold the branch to be fitted and shape the 6. Drive dovetail into notch. It s done. base and sides with your ax. Make end a bit smaller than the notch. Many things can be made by using dovetail notches. For example:

18 Belt Tool Storage Lantern Hanger

19 Hot Plate Holder Broom Camp Rake Reflector Billy Hook Fire Tongs Clothes Pegs Hanging Shelves

20 Brush Hoe Fire Place Gatry Fire Water Buckets Meat Loaf Stick Egg Stick Twixer Spear Stick Smug Pot Lamp Dingle Stick Pot Rack Kitchen Table Clothes Hanger Clothes Line Towel Rack

21 Clothes Hook Wash Stand Name Tag Shoe Scrapper Shoe Rack Pot Porter Fire Crane Clothes Rack Camping Chair

22 Bridges: 1. Simple - stringer 2. Ladder 3. Monkey 4. King Post 5. Queen Post