KNOTSAND HOW TOTIE THEM

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

CONTENTSThe Development of RopeMaking Rope 4Whipping 6Caring for Rope 7Bight, Loop, Overhand 7End Knots 9Knots for Joining 10Tying Ropes to Objects 13Knots for Loops 18Other Useful Knots 21Splices 25Lashings 28ndex 32

33170ISBN 0-8395-3170-21978 Boy Scouts of America1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

--

THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROPE

Although we automtica I ly associ-ate knots with rope, thousands ofyears may nave elapsed between thediscovery of the elementary knotsand the invention of rope. For a longwhile primitive man was satisfied withsuch crude but easily obtainablematerials as vines, reeds, and leatherthongs. Rope probably developedfrom the thongs. A single thong wasfound too weak for some purposes,and so two or three thongs had to becombined. To twist the leather stripsinto a solid rope was a short andnatural step.

With the improvement in materialsand methods carne improvement nthe technique of making rope; andthe two present methods, twistingand braiding, slowly evolved. In atwisted rope a few fibers are twistedto the right to form a yarn, then a fewyarns are twisted to the left to forma strand. Three (or sometimes four)strands are twisted to the right to form

a rope. Three ropes are twisted to theleft to form a large cable-laid rope.

The important element in twistedrope is the alternation of directionsso that the fibers and strands pulagainst each other and overemetheir natural tendency to untwist andfray. The friction of the alternatelytwisted pars makes a hard compactrope, capable of repelling water andstanding tremendous strains.

The braided type of rope is usuallywoven by a special braiding machinein much the same manner as areheavy fabrics. When made this waygood cotton rope, such as "spottedcord," is smooth, compact, and capa-ble of giving long service before itbecomes too soft. One way to test thequality of sash cord is to moisten it.The sizing in poor grades will quicklymake it pasty and sticky. Braidedrope s used extensively for ropespinning.

MAKING ROPE

You can make your own rope f youput together any of the machinesshown here.

ROPE CRANKUse %-inch wood for the parts. Thehooks may be made of coat-hangerwire.

Use heavy binder or twine. Tie theend of the twine to one of the hooksand loop it back and forth betweenthe hooks and the 6-inch dowel orpencil. About three strands to eachhook will make a medium-sized rope.The "lay" needs to be three times thelength of what you want the finishedrope to be.

The number of strands will deter-mine the size of the rope. Note thesame number of strands must beplaced on each hook so the finishedrope will be laid evenly.

Inser the crank handle in thecranks and start rotating it. Hold thestrands apart with the rope wrenchuntil they get fairly tight. Then takehold of the strands behind thewrenchthat is, on the side awayfrom the machineand begin twist-ing them slowly together as thewrench is moved forward.

The rope will go into shape itselfand remain there, but the wrenchshould be used to ensure even twist-ing and to prevent kinks. The cranksshould be turned slowly while therope is beng formed.

When your rope is complete, takeit off the hooks and whip the ends toprevent fraying.

..

hole same sizeas dowel

1-inch x 2-inch x2-inches

block

12 nches

6-nch dowelor stick

12-inch dowel

ROPE SPINNERTie a loop on each end of a longpiece of binder twine or heavy cord.Attach the twine to the spinner asshown n the diagram so that youhave three strands. Spin the spinnerin a clockwise direction. When thetwine is wound tight take three ofthese strands and repeat. A third per-son should do this so that the linecan be held stretched out, otherwiset will kink badly. Spin the spinnercounterclockwise until rope is woundtight. Take rope off the spinner, whipthe ends, and it's ready to use.

SETTING A ROPEIf you are serious about using therope you make, t should be strainedto put the "set" in it. Take the ropeoff the machine and tie it betweentwo strong points and put a strainon t.

PULL

WHIPPINGThe ends of every rope should bewhipped to keep them from raveling.There are several methods of doingthis. For ropes of polypropylene and

other synthetic fiber ropes, whippingmay be done by applying a hot ronor fame to the ends. This fuses thestrands. A rule of thumb is that thelength of the whipping should be atleast as long as the diameter of therope.

AMERICAN WHIPPINGYou can use any twine for Americanwhipping, although waxed sail twineor electrician's twine is best. Beginby laying a loop of the twine on theend of the rope.

Take several turns around the endof the rope, spiraling away from theend and drawing each turn tight.

When the whipping is as wide asthe diameter of the rope, pul on theend until the loop has disappeared.

SAILMAKER'S WHIPPINGBegin by unlaying (untwisting) therope 2 inches. Make a bight in a3-foot length of twine and place itaround one of the strands. Re-lay therope. Wind the twine tightly aroundthe rope end for a sufficient numberof turns. Carry the bight originallyformed back over the end of thesame strand around which t waslaid. Pul twine ends tight and tiethem with a square knot between therope ends. Trim ends of twine.

ENGLISH WHIPPINGMake twine into a loop and place itat the end of the rope. Wrap the twinetightly around the rope. When whip-ping is as wide as the rope is thick,slip the end through the loop, pulhard, and trim off the twine.

CARING FOR ROPEA good rope s expensive and shouldnot be handled carelessly. Keep itclean and free of mud or grease. Ifit is damp, do not coil or store it untilt is thoroughly dried out. Alwayskeep t n a dry place. It should neverbe thrown into a crner to tangle andkink. When a job is finished, the ropeshould be placed where it will beavailable nstantly, if necessary, andshould be coiled so that it will pay outsmoothly when needed.

COILING ROPE

To coil rope, first shake it out in astraight line so there will be no kinks.Hold the end with one hand. Withyour other hand pul in enough ropeto make a loop about 18 inches long.As you place the loop in your hand,

roll the rope a half-turn with yourthumb and forefinger. This will coun-teract the twist you put in the rope asyou made the loop and will help toelimnate kinks.

To make a fat coil (as shown in thedrawing), lay the outer circle first andcoil n toward the center in a clock-wise direction. Give a half-turn toeach coil to elimnate kinks. If yourcoil s too lose, you can tighten it bytwisting the center with the palm ofyour hand.

BIGHT, LOOR OVERHANDKnots are formed by using the bight-loop-turn-tuck. Even the most com-piex knot can be figured out if youremember these terms.

The bight is formed by laying theend of the rope against the standingpart or long end.

Loops, overhand or underhand,are just what their ames say.

With these three turns you canmake any sort of knot.

A turn is wrapping the rope aroundsomething and a tuck is to inser therunning end or a bight into a loop.

Bight

UnderhandLoop

Coil

HANSON KNOTTie an overhand knot in the standingpart of the rope by making an over-hand loop and pulling the endthrough the loop.Bring the end back through the loseoverhand knot as though you weremaking a slip knot.Now, bring the end over the standingpart, under it, and through the over-hand knot. Make a half hitch by bend-ing the end across the overhand knotand under itself so that it lies next tothe standing part.Tighten the overhand knot first andthen the half hitch. To untie, push onthe top loop (A) and pul on thebottom loop (B).

HANSON KNOT(Variation)Tie a figure 8 knot exactly like thisone with the overhand loop over thestanding part.

Roll the overhand loop on top of theundernand loop.Pass the working end under the firsttwo loops and over the last two asshown by the arrow.

Followng the arrow, reach inside theloop just formed and pul the over-hand loop while holding the runningend against the underhand loop (x).The overhand knot will tighten. Thenpul the working end to jam the knot.To untie, push on the part marked (A)and pul on the part marked (B).

8

END KNOTSKnots n this group are most oftenused to prevent slipping. They maybe tied in either the end or standingpart of the rope to check it from slid-

ing through a block, hole, or part ofanother knot. They may be used tem-porarily to stop fraying when a ropes not whipped.

FIGURE EIGHT KNOTOften used n such places as the endof a string when tying a package witha slipknot or in the end of a ropeforming a lariat loop.

STEVEDORE'S KNOTThis is the same as the figure eight,except that t has an extra loop thatgives it more bulk at the end of therope if that is required.

WALL KNOTThis knot is a firm, round, semiper-manent "stopper" knot tied with theend strands of a rope. Snug it care-fully so that strands tighten evenly.You can trim the ends or twist themtogether again and whip the end.

SINGLE MATTHEWWALKER KNOTBegin by tying the wall knot, butbefore snugging, carry each endthrough the bight ahead of it so thateach strand runs under two bights.

9

KNOTS FOR JOININGThese knots are used for tying tworope ends together: sometimes the

ends of the same rope; sometimesthe ends of different ropes.

SQUARE KNOTYou can loosen the square knot eas-ily by either pushing the ends towardthe knot or by "upsetting" the knotby pulling back on one end and pull-ing the other through the loops.

SURGEON'S KNOTThe surgeon's knot is a square knotwith an extra twist. The purpose ofthe extra twist is to give added fric-tion to hold until the second crossingis made.

WEAVER'S KNOTThe weaver's knot is exactly thesame knot as the sheet bend, buttied in a different manner.

FISHERMAN'S KNOTThe fisherman's knot is used for join-ing two fine unes such as fishingleaders. It is simply two overhandknots, one holding the right-hand lineand the other the left-hand line. Puleach of the two overhand knots tautseparately. Then make the wholeknot taut so that the two overhandknots come together by pulling on thestanding parts of each line.

10

SHEET BENDThe sheet bend is an importan! knotfor joining two cope ends, especiallyif the ropes are of different sizes.Sailors named it in the days of sail-ing ships when they would "bend"(tie) the "sheets" (ropes n the riggingof a ship).

Begin with a bight in the largerrope. Then weave the end o thesmaller rope up through the eye,around the bight, and back underitself. Snug it carefully before apply-ing any strain lo the knot.

DOUBLE SHEET BENDWhen the two ropes being tiedtogether vary widely in diameter thedouble sheet bend should be used.The two loops help to hold the bightn the larger rope. Consider using thisalso when the rope is wet or whenusing some of the slicker syntheticfiber ropes.

SLIPPERY SHEET BENDThe slippery sheet bend is simply anordinary sheet bend with a bight leftin the smaller rope. This bight makesit "slippery" because it can be untiedquickly, merely by a tug on the freeend of the rope. It is a valuable knotfor use when you expect to tie anduntie it often.

11

SINGLE CARRICK BENDThe carrick bend is among the stron-gest of knots, but requires that bothends be seized onto the standingparts. To make the carrick bend,begin by making a bight in the left-hand rape, then weave the right-handrope through it as shown. Finish byseizing the ends of bolh ropes.

THE HUNTER'S BENDOnly three new knots have been dis-covered during this century: the Con-strictor knot many years ago. the Tar-buck knot discovered by KennethTarbuck in 1958, and now Hunter'sbend discovered by Dr. EdwardH unten

Hunter's bend is used to join tworopes. It has a distinct shape, doesnot distort, and is very easily untied.It is an excellent knot for nylon rope.Nylon ropes need somehing extra nknots for safety, and the doubte lockof Hunter's bend makes t ideal forthis.

12

TYING ROPES TO OBJECTSKnots that are used for attachingropes to things like poles or rings arecalled hitches. They are important

n camping and all types of pioneer-ing work.

HALF HITCHThe half hiten s the start of a num-ber of other hitches and is useful allby itself as a temporary attachingknot. It will hold against a steady pulon the standing part, especially if astopper knot like the stevedore's knotor figure eight is put in the end.

TWO HALF HITCHESThis is a reliable and useful knot forattaching a rope to a pole or boatmooring. As its ame suggests, it istwo half hitches, one after the other.To finish, push them together andsnug them by pulling on the stand-ing part.

SLIPPERY HALF HITCHThis s occasionally useful but shouldbe considerad temporary. It is actu-ally only an overhand knot aroundthe object with the end run backthrough the knot and left "slippery."It can be quickly untied by pulling onthe free end. The slippery half hitchcan be locked by passing the endback through the eye and pullingtight

13

CLOVE HITCHThis is one of the most widely usedknots. Because it passes around anobject in only one direction, t putsvery little strain on the rope fibers.Tying it over an object that s open alone end is done by dropping oneoverhand and one underhand loopover the post and drawing themtogether.

CLOVE HITCH OVER BARThis is the same knot as the clovehitch, but this method of tying it mustbe used if the bar is closed at bothends or it's too high to toss loopsover. This hitch s used in starting andfinishng most lashings.

TIMBER HITCHThis is an importan! hitch. especiallyfor dragging a heavy object like a log.It will hold firmly so long as there isa steady pul; slacking and jerkingmay loosen it. The timber hitch isalso useful in pioneering when twotimbers are "sprung" together.

When it is used for dragging, asimple hitch should be added nearthe front end of the object to guide it.

14

SLIPKNOTThis knot s not as satisfactory as twohalf hitches because, unless strain isput on it, it may sude, especially ona vertical object like a post. Basically,it is an overhand knot around thestanding part.

It will be more secure if a stopperknot, like a simple overhand or figureeight, is tied in the end of the rope.

PIPE HITCHThe pipe hitch is useful for lifting abar or post straight up, as in pullingitoutof theground. Totie it, takefouror five turns around the post. Crossthe end over and finish with two halfhitches around the standing part. Anadded hitch is usually taken higheron the post with the standing part tokeep the post vertical.

ANCHOR BENDThis hitch, which is also called thefisherman's bend, s one of the stron-gest hitches. Begin by taking twoturns around the post or ring. Thenbring the end over the standing partand through the loop. Finish as in twohalf hitches. This can be made moresecure by seizing the ends of therope.

15

TAUT-LINE HITCHCan be tied on a line that is taut.When used for tying a tent guy line,you can tighten or loosen the line bypushing the hitch up or down on thestanding part.

Pass rope around the peg. Thenbring the end under and over thestanding part and twice through theloop formed. Again, bring the ropeend under, over, and through the loopformed. Tighten the hitch around thestanding part.

MASTHEAD KNOTThe masthead knot is used prin-cipally for decorative purposes today.Originally, its purpose was to placea strap around a temporary mast-head to which other straps could bemade fast. This knot is started withthree overlapping hitches. The innerbights of the two outer hitches are ledin regular sequence over and underto the opposite sides of the knot,while the upper bight of the centerhitch is merely extended.

16

HITCHING TIEThis s a common method of hitch-ing animis. Notice that it is a typeof slipped hitch.

STOPPER HITCHThis is formed the same way as thetaut-line hitch except that turns 1 and2 are reversed.

SINGLE BLACKWALLThis is a simple half hitch over ahook. It will hold only when subjectedto a constant strain. A stopper knotin the end will make t a little moresecure, but human lite should neverbe entrusted to it.

DOUBLE BLACKWALLThis hitch is somewhat safer than thesingle blackwall, but it, too, should beconsiderad temporary. For a stronger,more permanent tie over a hook, usethe bowline.

CAT'S-PAWThe cat's-paw s a better way toattach a rope to a hook than eitherof the blackwalls. It will not slip andneeds no constant strain to hold.Form two loops and turn them inwardone or two complete turns. Hangthese "eyes" over the hook or othersubject.

17

KNOTS FOR LOOPSThese knots are used to holdloopseither permanent or "run-ning" like a cowboy's lariat, Thebowline and its variations are impor-

tant for rescue work and on boardship where they have scores o uses.

BOWLINEThe bowline has been called the kingof knots. It will never slip or jam fproperly made and. thus, is excellentfortying around a person in a rescue.Begin by forming an overhand loopin the standing part. Then take thefree end up through the eye, aroundthe standing part and back where itcarne from.

FRENCH BOWLINEThs is a double bowline because itprovides two nonslip loops (whichcan be of different sizes). With it aperson can sit in one loop and havethe second loop as a back support,leaving his hands free. It is excellentfor rescue work or for seamen work-ing over the sde of a ship. Begin bymaking an overhand loop as in theregular bowline. But then pass theend through the "eye" twice beforebringing it back around the standingpart and through the original eye.

The bottom drawing shows detailsof the final knot.

18

BOWLINE ON A BIGHTLike the French bowline, the bowlineon a bight forms two loops, but theymay be of the same size or differ.Start by making a good-size bightand an overhand loop as shown infigure A, and bring the end upthrough the loop. Open the end loopand bring it down and around theentire knot as in figure B. Set the knotsecurely before putting weight on itas in figure C.

MAN-HARNESS KNOTThe principal use of this knot s tomake a loop in the middle of a ropethat is being used for hauling orclimbing. A man can then use theloop as a harness over his shoulderso he can put his full weight to itsbest use. Form an underhand loop asshown at top. Grasp the loop at A andlay it over the part of rope shown bythe arrow. The result will be as shownin the middle drawing. Now grasp therope at B and draw it up under andover as shown at bottom. This formsthe bight which becomes the loop foryour shoulder. Draw the knot tightbefore using it.

19

ALPINE BUTTERFLYThis is the best knot for making anonslip loop in the bight of a rape.Simply make a bight of the requiredsize with two small overhand loopsturned inward at the top. Overlap theloops and bring the bight up andthrough from front to back. Adjust asnecessary.

FIGURE EIGHT ON A BIGHTMuch used by mountain climbers, itmakes a nonslip loop in any part ofthe rope. It can be tied quickly andeasily in difficult situations. This canbe another loop end knot that can beused to form a running loop.

20

OTHER USEFUL KNOTS

MILLER'S KNOTThis is a cise relative of the clovehitch and is used in tying sacks withheavy string or cord. Note that thefirst turn around the sack leads overthe forefinger and the others passunder all fingere. In the middle draw-ing, the forefinger A is about to drawthe cord end B under C to completethe knot. The final result is shown inthe third drawing.

STRANGLE KNOTThe strangle knot has many applica-tions. For example, it may be used asan emergency whipping, or in placeof the miller's knot. In the strangleknot, the important point is to crossthe second turn over the first and topul the end under both turns.

21

PACKER'S KNOTThe packer's knot is one of the bestways to begin to wrap a package. Its simply a figure eight knot tiedaround the standing part. In wrap-ping packages or bundles, make thefirst turn by passing the loop of thepacker's knot around the packageand pulling it tight.

STRAP KNOTThis knot is designed, especially, fortying fat leather straps. It s merelytwo interlocked loops. They shouldbe pushed together. With a strapknot, leather belts or straps can belinked together to form an emergencyrope.

SHEEPSHANKThis knot is used to shorten a ropethat is fastened at both ends. Take upthe slackas shown in figure 1. Makean underhand loop as shown at B nfigure 2 and slide it over the B1 bightand pul! tight. Do the same to theother end to complete the knot. Thesheepshank s only a temporary knotas it stands. But it can be mademore permanent by adding a secondhalf hitch to each end as shown infigure 3.

22

-*

TOGOLSA toggle is a small piece of wood ormetal often used to lock a knot thatmay have to be loosened quickiy orto help it hold better. Two examplesare shown. At left is one end of asheepshank with a toggle inserted tomake sure the knot does not slip. Atright is a lark's-head with toggle.Removing the toggle releases thehiten.

BELAYINGThis is a sailor's term for attachmg arope to a cleat. Begin with a turn asshown in the drawing. Then makeone or two figure eight movements asin the second drawing. Finish with ahitch (underhand loop) pulled snug,unless the rope needs to be loosenedquickiy.

MOORING HITCHThis is a good knot to moor a boatbecause it can be released quickiy.It also holds fast. It is difficult to tieunder tensin. The mooring hitch isa slippery knot that gives a secutehitch.

23

DIAMOND HITCHThe damond hitch, long used byprospectare, traders, and trappers nloading packhorses, is also a handyway to lash your pack to a six-pointtrame. Its advantage s that a pul onany section of the fine makes everyother section tighter. Begin by tyingone rape end at point 1, using a clovehitch. Loop the rope over points 2and 3 as shown in A. Before pullingthe line through the bight between

24

points 1 and 2, twist the two centerstrands two or three times as shown.Then loop the rope over the otherpoints in numerical order as shown.When the hitch is nearly complete,pul the rope to tighten all sides andtie it at point 1 (over the starting hitch)with a hitch or knot. Drawing D showsthe diamond hitch completed arounda pack. Note the "diamond" in thecenter.

B

SPLICESSplices join ropes permanently andleave the rope almost as strong as itwas originally. The strongest of thems the short spiice. It makes a smallbump in the rope, however, so it will

not pass over a block. The longspiice is a little less strong, but withit the rape remains the same diam-eter. The eye spiice and backsplicehave special purposes.

SHORT SPLICEBegin by unlaying (untwisting) theropes a few turns. If the rope is large,make temporary whippings on theends of the strands.A. Altrnate the strands of the two

ropes.B. Tie strands down to prevent more

unlaying.C. Tuck strand 1 over an opposing

strand and underthe next strand.D. Tuck of strand 2 goes over

strand 5, under the second, andout between the second andthird,

E. Repeat operation with strands 1and 3 from same rope end.

F. Remove tie and repeat operationon other rope end. Make two ormore tucks for each strand. Thenroll the tucks and cut off ends.

You can smooth the spiice by rollingit under your foot on the floor.

25

LONG SPLICEA. Unlay each rope end about 15

turns. Place the two rope endstogether, alternating strands ofeach end.

B. Using opposite pairs, unlay oneend 4 and fill its place with the"partner" strand 2. Repeat oper-ation exactly with another pair ofstrands 1 and 6 in oppositedirection.

C. Trim the longer strand 4 and tieeach pair of opposing strands 2and 4 with an overhand knot,tucking each strand twice. Thetuck goes over one strand, underthe second, and out between thesecond and third. Strands 3 and5 are simply tied with an over-hand knot. Strands 1 and 6 arehalved, and opposite strands tiedwith an overhand before tucking.

D. Roll and pound all tucks into therope and then clip the individualstrand ends.

BACKSPLICEThe backsplce is a method of pre-venting fraying or raveling in the endof a rope. It is more durable and per-manent than whipping.

Begin by unlaying the rope andmaking a crown knot as shown ndrawings A, B, C. The ends are thentucked with the over-and-undermovement. See drawing D.

Finish by trimming the ends andsmoothing the splice by rolling it onthe floor with your foot.

FIO. 2

EYE SPLICEThe eye splice is the strongest typeof rope loop. Like the short splice, itis woven "one over, one under."Strands may be loosened for tuckingby twisting the rope in the directionopposite the lay.

Begin by unlaying the end four orfive turns.A. Tuck strand 2 over strandc, under

b, and then out between strandsa and b.

B. Tuck strand 1 once over strand band under a.

C. Turn rope over and tuck strand 3under strand c and over nextstrand.

D. Tuck each strand inturn over andunder for several tucks.

RACKING SEIZINGRacking seizing is used to lashtogether two parallel ropes. Start witha timber hitch in the seizing materialand then wrap it around the ropes na figure eight pattern as shown infigure 1. Make as many turns asnecessary. When this is done, bringthe turns together as shown in figure2. Now begin winding round andround back toward the eye splice, lay-ing the lashing into the spacesbetween the turns of the first set asindicaled by the numbers in figure 2.The seizing may be finished by mak-ing frapping turns and fastening witha clove hitch.

27

LASHINGSFor lashing, or bnding together tim-bers with rope, it's important to useropes of corred thickness andlength. For staves or spars up to11/4 nches in diameter, use toughtwisted or braded line. For spars upto 3 inches in diameter, you needV4-nchrope. For spars over 3 nchesin diameter, use 3/Q-inch rope. As to

length, figure 1 yard of rope for eachinch of the combined diameter of thespars. For example, when you arelashing 3-inch and 4-inch timberstogether, you will need 7 yards ofrope.

Frapping turns are used to drawthe lashing tight.

SHEAR LASHINGThe shear lashing is used for form-ing shear legs of timbers n pioneer-ing bridges. Begin by laying the sparsparallel to one another. Tie a clovehitch around one spar. Then bind thetwo timbers together by laying sevenor eight turns around them, loosely,one turn beside the other. Then maketwo frapping turns around the lash-ing between the spars. Fasten therope end with a clove hitch aroundthe second timben Open out the twotimbers to form shear legs.

Sometimes shear lashings areused to lash two spars together tokeep them parallel (to extend a flag-pole, for example). In that case, donot use frapping turns.

Sometimes, in this type of lash-ing it is necessary to put a long,tapered wedge behind the lashing totighten it.

28

DIAGONAL LASHINGA diagonal lashing is used to"spring" two spars together; that is,to lash together two spars that do nottouch where they cross. Begin witha timber hitch around both spars.Tighten it to draw the two cisetogether. Three or four turns are thentaken around one fork; three or fourmore, around the other. The turnsshould be beside each other, not ontop of each other. Then take two frap-ping turns about the lashing at thepoint where the spars cross. Finishwith a clove hitch around either spar.

SQUARE LASHINGA square lashing s used wheneverspars cross at an angle, touchingeach other where they cross. Startwith a clove hitch around the upright,directly below where the crosspiecewill be. After tightening it, twist thefree rope end and the standing partaround each other to hold the loseend. Now wrap the rope behind theupright, down in front of the cross-piece, and around behind theupright. Do this three times, keepingoutside the previous turns on thecrosspiece and inside them on theupright. Then make two frappingturns between the timbers and strainthem tightly. The lashing is thenfinished with a clove hitch on thecrosspiece. Make all turns as tightand secure as possible.

29

TRIPOD LASHINGThe method for forming a tripod ssimilar toshearlashing. Begin by lay-ing the three spars on the groundpointing in altrnate directions. Makea clove hitch or timber hitch aroundone of the outside spars. Now takeseven or eight lose lashing turnsaround all three spars and two frap-ping turns in the spaces between.Finish with a clove hitch on the centerspar and hoist the tripod into place.

TRIPOD LASHING FORLIGHT STRUCTURESHold spars as in drawing. Place ropeend in groove between spars. Wraplightly a few times around spars andbring rope end up in groove. Finishwith square knot and open tripod.

TRIPOD LASHING FORLARGE STRUCTURESLay the three spars on the groundpointing in altrnate directions. Start-ing at the middle of the rope, weavearound the spars a few times witheach rope end. Tighten with two frap-ptng turns in the spaces betweenspars. Finish with square knot andswing middle spar over.

It may take a little practice to judgehow tight the wraps should be madeand still allow for the tripod to sel up.

JAPANESE SQUARE LASHINGBegin by using the rope doubled.Loop the bight around one spar andwrap just like the regular square lashwith rope doubled. When frapping,split the rapes apart and frap in oppo-site direction with each. Finish withsquare knot.

JAPANESE SQUARELASHING MARK IIBegin as with the Japanese lashing,but instead of using two ropestogether, use each one separatelyand wrap in opposite directions. Frapusing ropes in opposite directionsand finish with a square knot.

31

INDEX

Alpine Butterfly, 20American Whipping, 6Anchor Bend, 15Backsplice, 26Belaying, 23Bight, 7Bowline, 18Bowline on a Bight, 19Caring for Rope, 7Carrick Bend, Single, 12Cat's-Paw, 17Clove Hitch, 14Clove Hitch Over Bar, 14Coiling Rope, 7Development of Rope, The, 3Diagonal Lashing, 29Diamond Hitch, 24Double Blackwall, 17Double Sheet Bend, 11End Knots, 9English Whipping, 6Eye Splice, 27Figure Eight Knot, 9Figure Eight on a Bight, 20Fisherman's Knot, 10French Bowline, 18Half Hitch, 13Hanson Knot, 8Hitching Tie, 17Hunter's Bend, The, 12Japanese Square Lashing, 31Japanese Square Lashing Mark II, 31Knots for Joining, 10Knots for Loops, 18Lashings, 28Long Splice, 26Loop, 7Making Rope, 4Man-Harness Knot, 19Masthead Knot, 16Miller's Knot, 21

Mooring Hitch, 23Other Useful Knots, 21Overhand Knot, 7Packer's Knot, 22Pipe Hitch, 15Racking Seizing, 27Rope Crank, 4Rope Spinner, 5Sailmaker's Whipping, 6Setting a Rope, 5Shear Lashing, 28Sheepshank, 22Sheet Bend, 11Short Splice, 25Single Blackwall, 17Single Matthew Walker Knot, 9Slipknot, 15Stippery Half Hitch, 13Slippery Sheet Bend, 11Splices, 25Square Knot, 10Square Lashing, 29Stevedore's Knot, 9Stopper Hitch, 17Strangle Knot, 21Strap Knot, 22Surgeon's Knot, 10Taut-Line Hitch, 16Timber Hitch, 14Toggles, 23Tripod Lashing, 30Tripod Lashing for Large

Structures, 30Tripod Lashing for Light

Structures, 30Two Half Hitches, 13Tying Ropes to Objects, 13Wall Knot, 9Weaver's Knot, 10Whipping, 6

BSfi BOOK KHOTS 6

7 30176 33170 6