Rope maker

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Need information on rope making.

-- mike wilson (mdwils@pressenter.com), October 09, 2001

Answers

I go to auctions all the time and I see rope making equipment see every once in a while. What do you want to know?

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), October 09, 2001.

A simple rope maker machine consists of a gear wheel turning 3 or 5 hooks all in the same direction.

The individual strands are connected to the hooks with the other end connected to something that will hold the strands in tension and only allow them to rotate against a resistance. When the strands are twisted they also tend to twist around each other and of course they get shorter. The ends can be held by a helper or attached to a thing that will allow the 'bundle' to twist against a resistance.

You can make a sort of serviceable rope with a simple hand bench grinder:

Make up a long strand of the material you are using, I used to play around with lengths of used baler twine.

Connect one end of the strand to the grinder spindle and the other to something heavy, for example a concrete building block. Position the block so that the strand is tight. Turn the grinder until the strand is really tightly wound but dont allow it to bunch up. Chock the grinder handle and find the halfway point of the twisted strand and have someone hold it there, very tightly. Now take the end at the anchor block and walk it around to the grinder keeping everyting very tight to as to avoid bunching up on the strand. Attach the second end to the grinder and release the grinder handle. Allow the grinder to turn backwards which will twist the two strands together and also release the tension. You have a two strand 'rope'!

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), October 09, 2001.


Pick up a copy of an old Pioneering Merit Badge pamphlet. Rope making was one of the requirements. Instructions on making a rope making machine are described.

-- walt (longyear@shentel.net), October 09, 2001.

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