Author Topic: Newb question: solid core rope  (Read 4564 times)

andyp

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Newb question: solid core rope
« on: August 13, 2013, 02:10:11 AM »
Hey all.  Having a devil of a time figuring out how best to join two ends of 8-strand, solid core polyester rope.

It will be suspending kids on a tire swing from a branch high overhead.  Picked the polyester for durability, but not sure how to best secure the rope.  Do I pull out the solid fibre core and try and splice, tie a knot, or...what?

Any hints would be much appreciated...just point me in the right direction, please!

SS369

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Re: Newb question: solid core rope
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2013, 03:34:16 AM »
Hello andyp and welcome.

I'd like some clarity please. Is the rope indeed solid core? Perhaps you can refer to the manufacturer and any details you can add.

The joining of the ropes could be done with a knot, which will be somewhat easier than a splice.
Is it that you have two ropes from the tire to be connected at the branch? If so you can tie a noose (not a hangman's noose, there are others.) on each rope that will tighten around the high up branch. A running bowline for example. Then affix them to the tire.
Or you can use a suitable bend and offset the knot so it does not lie on top of the branch.

Give us a little more info and we'll try to assist you.

SS


Dan_Lehman

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Re: Newb question: solid core rope
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2013, 07:27:04 AM »
Hey all.  Having a devil of a time figuring out how best to join two ends
of 8-strand, solid core polyester rope.

We're having trouble figuring what sort of rope
(or --gasp-- "cord") you are working with.  The
strand count and having a core don't make sense
to me, off-hand.


--dl*
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Sweeney

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Re: Newb question: solid core rope
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2013, 02:48:07 PM »
I have quite a bit of polyester rope which has an 8 plait sheath and a solid plait core, I think this is what the OP refers to. It's not clear where the knot is going but it could be that a sling is being made going over the branch (well protected I hope) and through the tyre either directly or via a girth hitch. Any number of bends would suffice if that is the case.

Barry

andyp

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Re: Newb question: solid core rope
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2013, 07:43:36 PM »
You're right, I'm probably using the correct terminology.  Here's what I'm talking about: http://www.tscstores.com/516X50-POLYESTER-DIAMOND-BRAID-ROPE-P9887.aspx I think Sweeney's got it.

I had previously used polypropylene rope to go over the branch and hang down to a level where I could clip a binder to it....used a knot like a hangman's noose (though very sloppy).  The rope over the branch and down was then basically a big circle and it would travel over the wood.  It frayed and broke much more easily than I thought it would.  So I switched to this stuff.  I was planning on slipping a couple over and cinching them around the branch so that it bends more below the wood, rather than transiting over it, as the swing moves. 

Basically just wonder what is the best way to create a loop at the bottom of the rope to attach the (pre-strung) swing to it.

Is this any more clear?  Thanks for your patience.

Thanks too for the links to the previous posts.  I was so fixed on trying to determine what material I was using and how to work with it, I missed the obvious and didn't search for what others had done previously in this situation.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2013, 07:44:12 PM by andyp »

James Petersen

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Re: Newb question: solid core rope
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2013, 08:02:02 PM »
I think a good dose of caution is the order of the day. The line in the picture looks extremely small for a swing. Also, it seems from what you describe that your first rope was badly abraded and failed. But how badly was the branch that it went over damaged? The abrasion of the rope on the cambium/bark may have weakened or otherwise compromised the branch (if the bark was damaged, there is the potential that the branch will rot and break off at some future time. It would be best to protect the branch before tying the swing to it, or at least tie it in a way that the rope doesn't abrade the bark. There are various hitches would fit the bill -- search in the other threads for thooughts on how to do this.

-- J:P

andyp

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Re: Newb question: solid core rope
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2013, 08:54:52 PM »
Thanks James.  The branch is quite healthy, but yes, I can see a portion of the bark worn off.  This is a very large tree and the branch is at least 5-6" in diameter.  I think cinching it over the branch (like I have another swing on another branch) is the way to go.  Also, I plan on using multiple lines of this in the interim (I can't seem to easily locate thicker polyester rope locally).  I will replace it at some point in the near future. 

James Petersen

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Re: Newb question: solid core rope
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2013, 05:59:22 AM »

...used a knot like a hangman's noose (though very sloppy).  The rope over the branch and down was then basically a big circle and it would travel over the wood.  It frayed and broke much more easily than I thought it would.  So I switched to this stuff.  I was planning on slipping a couple over and cinching them around the branch so that it bends more below the wood, rather than transiting over it, as the swing moves. 
...
This was my experience with making a swing in a tree: http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?topic=4198.msg26316#msg26316 . I used 1/2' laid nylon line. The swing is still there and the branch is still healthy, even after having 'swallowed' the hitch.
Quote
...
Basically just wonder what is the best way to create a loop at the bottom of the rope to attach the (pre-strung) swing to it.
...
So, if I understand correctly, you want to tie off to the branch with short lines -- which have loops in the standing end -- and then attach the swing (and its long line/lines) to this loop? I wish I had done that. Part of the reason the swing is still there is that it was a major operation to remove it. This would have made it a very simple operation. 

If this is, indeed, what you were thinking, there are many ways of attaching the "swing lines" to the "branch lines", incuding hitches to the loops in the branch lines that I think you have mentioned, and bends (tying two ropes end-to-end). If I had it to do again, I would use a loop-to-loop bend, e.g. two figure 8 loops with the loops attached, which I have found (in some limited, controlled, experimentation) to be very strong.

-- J:P
« Last Edit: August 18, 2013, 07:25:07 PM by James Petersen »

 

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