The answer to last week’s blog was the Cove Hitch. What it goes to is lashings, as I’m sure you can tell by the incredibly punny title I chose to use this week. Now before we get into lashings, I want to give you reassurance that they are not going to be nearly as bad as you have them set to be in your mind. Before I did this blog, I was very nervous to try lashing for the first time, mostly because of what they are used for, such as chairs, rafts, shelters, meat poles (what you hang animal carcasses off). Once I watched a few videos from, , I really began to learn that lashings are as easy as 1, 2, 3. Before we get into lashings and all that stuff, let’s go over the clove hitch.
Clove Hitch Knot
To perform the Clove Hitch, you are only concerned with the
working end in your right hand (I like to leave out about a foot). Lay the
working end over what you are tying the hitch to, in this case a piece of wood
and wrap once crossing over the top of the working end, really focusing on make
the X-shape that is essential to the Clove Hitch. Take the working end all the
way back around and feed it underneath the X that the two strands make and
cinch it tight. We use the Clove Hitch because regardless of whether you pull
on the working end or the static end, this knot does not come loose unless you
pick it apart. I remember it as being called a Clove Hitch because it is split
like the hooves of an animal such as a cow.
Before we go into square lashing, I just want to talk about
the terminology real quick. You’ll need to know that when I say “wrap” I mean
to place the cordage in a particular pattern based on which lashing we’re
doing. And the “frap” which is wrapping the wrap to strengthen and tighten.
Square Lashing Knot
To begin our square lashing, we first want to begin by
placing a Clove Hitch slightly off center (I chose off right to the center) on
one of our lashing poles. For this lashing, I am going to be lashing a 1 1/2”
diameter branch to a 4” diameter tree. I can go in any pattern that I want, but
what I mainly want to do is wrap BEHIND the pole in the back and in FRONT of
the pole in the front. You want to keep it as tight as you possibly can. After
each pass, ratchet it down. Once I have done this three times, I want to begin
the frap. With this, I want to wrap around the cordage in the space between my
two lashing poles. Again, crank down as tight as you can after each pass. I
watched a video that said that this can be as tight as steel spikes if done
correctly. I end it with another clove hitch after my final frap. This should
secure it onto the pole without loosening it all.
Diagonal Lashing Knot
This lashing is very similarly constructed to the square
lashing. The only differences are instead of going around the pole, you go in
between them, and instead of starting with a Clove Hitch, you start with a
Timber Hitch. So go ahead and tie that Timber Hitch. You want to tie it
diagonally on the lashing poles. Next you want to wrap three times in whatever
original direction you started with the timber hitch, which itself does not
count as a wrap. Next you want to wrap in the opposite plane going in the other
direction diagonally for another set of three wraps. Next you want to frap
again three times around the cordage in the space between the two lashing
poles. At the end I tie off with a Clove Hitch, and again I am done. While I haven’t
tested it, I do theorize that one could do the Timber Hitch in one diagonal,
then instead of wrapping that diagonal, wrap the opposite diagonal, then come
back and wrap the same diagonal as the Timber Hitch. I believe that it would
give this more stability. I have not been in a place where I could really test
my theory out, so anyone who could help me out with an answer to that, please
leave a comment below.
Tripod Lashing Knot
The last lashing is called the Tripod Lashing. A lashing
that every woodsman should know, especially if they plan on cooking via a
tripod. For this lashing, you will need to again tie a Clove Hitch onto
whichever pole is to the far right, a little bit below the top. Next you will
want to wrap the other poles in a weaving pattern. To do this, start from the
Clove Hitch and go under the middle pole, around the leftmost pole, over the
middle pole, and around the rightmost pole, and so on until you have about five
wraps on the outermost poles. Make sure that each weave is tightened down. Next
you want three fraps around the cordage in between the poles. To stand it up,
take the middle pole and pull the bottom of it backwards while pushing the tops
of the outermost poles together at the top. This will form your tripod.
Sort of a shorter blog this week. There are other lashings
out there and we may go over them again in the future if that’s something you
guys would like. Also, we may try our hand at making furniture with these
lashings, but that will be another blog. Next week we will be going over the
cordage review. It seems that this month has just flown by. As
always feel free to comment, share this blog, and check back next week for
a new one. Follow me on Facebook: @BPackBushcraft and
on Twitter @BPackBushCraft.
Until next time, keep those fires burning and put another log on for me.
What do you guys think?
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