Grasses, sedges and water rushes should be cut and never pulled. Cutting above ground level is ‘harvesting,’ but pulling up the plant means its ‘destruction.’

It is advisable not to denude an area entirely but to work over a wide location and harvest the most suitable material, leaving some for seeding and further growth.

For the gathering of sedges and grasses, be particularly careful therefore to ‘harvest’ the material, that is, cut what you require above ground level, and take only from the biggest clumps.

By doing this you are not destroying the plant, but rather aiding the natural growth, since your harvesting is truly pruning.

You will find that from a practical point of view this is far the easiest method.

Many of the strong-leafed plants are deeply rooted, and you simply cannot pull a leaf off them.

Palm fibre in tropical or sub-tropical regions is harvested. You will find it at the junction of the leaf and the palm trunk, or you will find it lying on the ground beneath many palms. Palm fibre is a ‘natural’ for making ropes and cords.

Fibrous matter from the inner bark of trees and shrubs is generally more easily used if the plant is dead or half dead. Much of the natural gum will have dried out and when the material is being teased, prior to spinning, the gum or resin will fall out in fine powder.

There may be occasions when you will have to use the bark of green shrubs, but avoid this unless it is absolutely essential, and only cut a branch here and there. Never ever cut a complete tree just because you want the bark for a length of cord.

TO MAKE CORD BY SPINNING WITH THE FINGERS

Use any material with long strong threads or fibres which you have previously tested for strength and pliability. Gather the fibres into loosely held strands of even thickness. Each of these strands is twisted clockwise. The twist will hold the fibre together. The strands should be from ¹/₈” downwards–for a rough and ready rule there should be about 15 to 20 fibres to a strand. Two, three or four of these strands are later twisted together, and this twisting together or ‘laying’ is done with an anti-clockwise twist, while at the same time the separate strands which have not yet been laid up are twisted clockwise. Each strand must be of equal twist and thickness.

This illustration shows the general direction of twist and the method whereby the fibres are bonded into strands. In similar manner the twisted strands are put together into lays, and the lays into ropes. Illustrated in this diagram is a two strand lay.

The person who twists the strands together is called the ‘layer,’ and he must see that the twisting is even, that the strands are uniform, and that the tension on each strand is equal. In laying, he must watch that each of the strands is evenly ‘laid up,’ that is, that one strand does not twist around the other two. (A thing you will find happening the first time you try to ‘lay up.’)

When spinning fine cords for fishing lines, snares, etc., considerable care must be taken to keep the strands uniform and the lay even. Fine thin cords of no more than one-thirty-second of an inch thickness can be spun with the fingers and they are capable of taking a breaking strain of twenty to thirty lbs. or more.

Normally two or more people are required to spin and lay up the strands for cord.

Many native people when spinning cord do so unaided, twisting the material by running the flat of the hand along the thigh, with the fibrous material between hand and thigh and with the free hand they feed in fibre for the next ‘spin.’ By this means one person can make long lengths of single stands.

This’ method of making cord or rope with the fingers is slow if any considerable length of cord is required.

A more simple and easy way to rapidly make lengths of rope of fifty to a hundred yards or more in length is to make a rope-walk and set up multiple spinners in the form of cranks. The series of photographic illustrations on the succeeding pages show the details of rope spinning.

In a rope walk, each feeder holds the material under one arm and with one free hand feeds it into the strand which is being spun by the crank. The other hand lightly holds the fibres together till they are spun. As the lightly spun strands are increased in length they must be supported on cross bars. Do not let them lie on the ground. You can spin strands of twenty to one hundred yards before laying up. Do not spin the material in too thickly. Thick strands do not help strength in any way, rather they tend to make a weaker rope.

SETTING UP A ROPEWALK

When spinning ropes of ten yards or longer it is necessary to set cross bars every two or three yards to carry the strands as they are spun. If cross bars are not set up the strands or rope will sag to the ground, and some of the fibres will tangle up with grass, twigs or dirt on the ground. Also the twisting of the free end may either be stopped or interrupted and the strand will be unevenly twisted.

The easiest way to set up crossbars for the rope walk is to drive pairs of forked stakes into the ground about six feet apart and at intervals of about six to ten feet. The cross bars must be smooth, and free from twigs and loose portions of bark that might twist in with the spinning strands.

The cross bar A is supported by two uprights, and pierced to take the cranks B. These cranks can be made out of natural sticks, morticed slab, and pegs, or if available, bent wire. The connecting rod C enables one man to turn all cranks clockwise simultaneously. Crossbars supporting the strands as they are spun are shown D. A similar crank handle to C is supported on a fork stick at the end of the rope walk. This handle is turned in reverse (anti-clockwise) to the cranks C to twist the connected strands together. These are ‘laid up’ by one or more of the feeders.

Always make it a rule to turn the first strand clockwise, then the laying up of the strands will be done anti-clockwise and the next laying will again be clockwise.

Bark fibre being spun into strands using a single crank handle.

Spinner-feeder on right with bundle of material under his right arm feeds in material.

Joining the strands prior to lay up.

Testing the rope of bark fibre, breaking strain 1” diameter, about 800 lbs.

Close up of the finished rope.

Proof that your rope is well made will be if the individual fibres lie lengthways along the rope.

In the process of laying up the strands, the actual twisting together, or laying will take some of the original ‘twist’ out of the strand which has not yet been laid. Therefore it is necessary to keep twisting the strands whilst laying together.

When making a rope, too long to be spun and laid in one piece, a section is laid up, and coiled on the ground at the end of the rope walk farthest from the cranks. Strands for a second length are spun, and these strands are married or spliced into the strands of the first section and then the laying up of the second section continues the rope.