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At the most recent gathering several people were involved with the Custom Makers Knife Challenge to construct a shelter using green bamboo, and the tools used were the custom knives graciously provided for the cause. The shelter had some issues that were pretty apparent though, and I thought we might discuss some of those issues here as a means of giving some helpful tips to eachother in future endeavors. (Let me begin by saying that I am far from an expert on the process, but I do have a fair amount of knowledge of ropework and knots, so if you see something blatantly wrong, feel free to correct me.)
The first thing we should look at is the shelter that was constructed atop Half Moon Ridge. Here is a picture of the finished product:
Now it looks serviceable, and in all reality it would function decently enough, however, as anyone that was there can attest, it was far from solid. The word "rickety" comes to mind, and perhaps the biggest cause was the method of lashing the individual pieces together.
As you can see here, the lashing work was very minimal, and wraps were done around the two sticks to attach eachother with little done in the way of reinforcing the tightness you can achieve with a proper lashing:
In particular look at the attachment method in the bottom right hand corner. A proper square lashing would have provided the best method (in my limited experience) of attaching the main support to the horizontal support used.
Last night during our Scout meeting we undertook a similar task, and although our shelter was not designed to be load bearing due to the size of the saplings we had at hand, our Scouts were able to construct a very durable framework (with guidance) using proper lashings as taught by the Boy Scouts of America. Had there been larger material available for use, I would not have hesitated to place a large amount of weight upon it because the lashings were very well done, and the structure was incredibly strong and stable as a result. (Sorry for the poor picture quality.)
Now our structure did not have a raised floor as it was mainly to illustrate a fairly quick framework using a tarp as the roofing material, but during our next attempt at shelter building we will attempt something more complex and I will better document the processes we use at that time.
The two main lashings used in a shelter like the one done at Half Moon Ridge and the one our Scout Troop made last night are square lashings and diagonal lashings. Here are a couple of links showing (in detail) the process of tying each.
http://www.animatedknots.com/lashsquare/
http://www.animatedknots.com/lashdiagonal/
While lashing two poles together, if you tighten as you go, making sure to keep the cordage even and properly "dressed" you will find that the initial stages will provide a very strong attachment. However, when you move to the second part of each lashing, known as "frapping", you will tighten the turns holding the poles together even further, creating an incredibly solid joint between the two. Perhaps the most crucial part of the lashing is the beginning and end knots, known as the clove hitch, and proper knowledge of how to tie a clove hitch alone will prove invaluable in almost any situation where cordage is used.
http://www.animatedknots.com/clovehalfhitches/
Hopefully you will find this information helpful and useful in your endeavors. I will update this post with better pictures as I have the time to whip up some examples, as well as other types of lashings and knots useful in the construction of something similar to the shelter done at the gathering.
The first thing we should look at is the shelter that was constructed atop Half Moon Ridge. Here is a picture of the finished product:
Now it looks serviceable, and in all reality it would function decently enough, however, as anyone that was there can attest, it was far from solid. The word "rickety" comes to mind, and perhaps the biggest cause was the method of lashing the individual pieces together.
As you can see here, the lashing work was very minimal, and wraps were done around the two sticks to attach eachother with little done in the way of reinforcing the tightness you can achieve with a proper lashing:
In particular look at the attachment method in the bottom right hand corner. A proper square lashing would have provided the best method (in my limited experience) of attaching the main support to the horizontal support used.
Last night during our Scout meeting we undertook a similar task, and although our shelter was not designed to be load bearing due to the size of the saplings we had at hand, our Scouts were able to construct a very durable framework (with guidance) using proper lashings as taught by the Boy Scouts of America. Had there been larger material available for use, I would not have hesitated to place a large amount of weight upon it because the lashings were very well done, and the structure was incredibly strong and stable as a result. (Sorry for the poor picture quality.)
Now our structure did not have a raised floor as it was mainly to illustrate a fairly quick framework using a tarp as the roofing material, but during our next attempt at shelter building we will attempt something more complex and I will better document the processes we use at that time.
The two main lashings used in a shelter like the one done at Half Moon Ridge and the one our Scout Troop made last night are square lashings and diagonal lashings. Here are a couple of links showing (in detail) the process of tying each.
http://www.animatedknots.com/lashsquare/
http://www.animatedknots.com/lashdiagonal/
While lashing two poles together, if you tighten as you go, making sure to keep the cordage even and properly "dressed" you will find that the initial stages will provide a very strong attachment. However, when you move to the second part of each lashing, known as "frapping", you will tighten the turns holding the poles together even further, creating an incredibly solid joint between the two. Perhaps the most crucial part of the lashing is the beginning and end knots, known as the clove hitch, and proper knowledge of how to tie a clove hitch alone will prove invaluable in almost any situation where cordage is used.
http://www.animatedknots.com/clovehalfhitches/
Hopefully you will find this information helpful and useful in your endeavors. I will update this post with better pictures as I have the time to whip up some examples, as well as other types of lashings and knots useful in the construction of something similar to the shelter done at the gathering.
