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- Apr 14, 2006
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As some of you know by previous threads, I have a real penchant for toggled knots and any other cordage/stick combination. The more I play with them, the more possibilities emerge. One of these possibilities was a technique for shortening a line, seen below. I started with a length of 550 with multiple loops tied. Then, by inserting a stick (pencil in this case), the hanging length can be raised, which shortens the overall length of the cord. The stick can then be inserted in a third loop which locks in the shortening of the cord. OK, so it works, but the problem is, I just don’t know how useful this can be. But I kept thinking about it.
So a few weeks ago, an idea emerged. Can this technique be used for mechanical advantage in lifting something? A lot of us have seen Mors Kochanski’s Flip Flop Winch – an excellent tool for laterally moving heavy weight (if not, it can be seen here ). He also mentions The Finnish Windlass and the Spanish Windlass in his little booklet called, “Top Seven Bush Knots And The Use Of The Windlass”. Both used in a lateral fashion, at least in the booklet.
But I wanted to see if incorporating some of the stick and cordage idea above, would give a vertical lift with a mechanical advantage, so this past weekend, a couple of buddies and myself went out in the woods to try it out. The result:
[video=youtube;KvIK5PD2quw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvIK5PD2quw&feature=player_detailpage [/video]
Unfortunately this video is not as clear as I would have liked, so I’ve whipped up a drawing that hopefully better defines it.
In the video, we used a carabiner and a Prusik for the upper anchor point, although the carabiner isn't necessary if you have a branch to line the rope over.
In any case, it met and surpassed my expectations. So, I think this is pretty cool, but maybe it’s just me. ???? Any comments or questions welcomed.
Doc
So a few weeks ago, an idea emerged. Can this technique be used for mechanical advantage in lifting something? A lot of us have seen Mors Kochanski’s Flip Flop Winch – an excellent tool for laterally moving heavy weight (if not, it can be seen here ). He also mentions The Finnish Windlass and the Spanish Windlass in his little booklet called, “Top Seven Bush Knots And The Use Of The Windlass”. Both used in a lateral fashion, at least in the booklet.
But I wanted to see if incorporating some of the stick and cordage idea above, would give a vertical lift with a mechanical advantage, so this past weekend, a couple of buddies and myself went out in the woods to try it out. The result:
[video=youtube;KvIK5PD2quw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvIK5PD2quw&feature=player_detailpage [/video]
Unfortunately this video is not as clear as I would have liked, so I’ve whipped up a drawing that hopefully better defines it.
In the video, we used a carabiner and a Prusik for the upper anchor point, although the carabiner isn't necessary if you have a branch to line the rope over.
In any case, it met and surpassed my expectations. So, I think this is pretty cool, but maybe it’s just me. ???? Any comments or questions welcomed.
Doc
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