Essential knots

I've learned by following posts here, and I thought this would be a
good first post...
A debate has come up as to what are the essential knots
a working person has to know. I know this is a craft knot site
but hopefully this question is not inappropriate here.

What we're talking abt here are knots for everyday
occupational work, and tasks around the house. What are the five
knots you'd choose if you could only choose five?

Also, let's assume the very basics are givens and not to be
included in the list (overhand, square, half hitch, etc.)

Leslie

wrote :

Also, let's assume the very basics are givens and not to be
included in the list (overhand, square, half hitch, etc.)

I have seen this question before and (IIRC) it quickly devolved into an
argument about which knots were "assumed".

My list of essentials:

Bowline - Use almost every day for temporarily hanging loops on eyelets.
Constrictor - tying bundles of weeds with another weed.
Stopper - I usually make a quick triple overhand on every cut end until
I get time for a proper terminal.
Back splice - not really a knot I suppose, but I use it or an Eye splice
often. I hate to store a twisted rope unless I have put an eye in one end
and a back on the other. It just seems more immediately useful to already
have them ready.
Salamander hitch - Since I invented it to fill my need, it's no surprise
I need it regularly.

These are the five I use most now. I am sure there are a few I would
need more if I really depended on ropes everyday.

wrote:

What we're talking abt here are knots for everyday
occupational work, and tasks around the house. What are the five
knots you'd choose if you could only choose five?

Also, let's assume the very basics are givens and not to be
included in the list (overhand, square, half hitch, etc.)

Leslie

There might be a presupposition in your question that beyond five
knots, you're going to run into unnecessary duplication of functions.
I don't think that's the case.

Here are some knots for your consideration:
http://www.geocities.com/roo_two/knotindex.html

On 3 Jul 2006 08:20:12 -0700, wrote:

I've learned by following posts here, and I thought this would be a
good first post...
A debate has come up as to what are the essential knots
a working person has to know. I know this is a craft knot site
but hopefully this question is not inappropriate here.

What we're talking abt here are knots for everyday
occupational work, and tasks around the house. What are the five
knots you'd choose if you could only choose five?

Also, let's assume the very basics are givens and not to be
included in the list (overhand, square, half hitch, etc.)


Bowline
Constrictor Knot
Eskimo Bowline
Sheepshank
Transom Knot



Leslie

On 3 Jul 2006 08:20:12 -0700, wrote:

A debate has come up as to what are the essential knots
a working person has to know. I know this is a craft knot site
but hopefully this question is not inappropriate here.


This newsgroup is oriented about equally between working
and decorative knots. This is about the ONLY place in
the usenet newsgroups to ask your question. If you
ask it in a group like one of the boating newsgroups,
your list will be biased towards mariners' knots; if
you ask in a climbing or fishing newsgroup, you will
get different biases.

Beyond the basics (in which I would also include
things like bowlines, clove hitches, etc.) I like
these two less-common knots:

Midshipman's Hitch
I use a lot of parachute cord, and this holds
reasonably well and is good for non-critical
guy ropes and lashings that you want to tie under
tension. Finished with an extra half-hitch it
doesn't tend to come apart under no tension
and it takes a fair amount of excess tension
to make it slip. (I said, non-critical.)

Knife Lanyard Knot (Ashley 787)
Again, tied in parachute cord. This simple
decorative knot can be used for a lot of things.
I make (surprise) knife lanyards, fobs, loops
for just about any static purpose. By burying
different ends within the knot you can make
it do a lot of things. I especially like
making it into a double loop symmetrical
knot. I make the fixed loop small for the
suspended item. I make the large loop from
the two free ends by cutting (and melting)
one short, inside the knot. Then I measure
for the large loop in the other free end,
melt a generous lump on the end and bury it
inside the knot, entering where the short end
would have exited. Work the knot tight and you
have a safe lanyard; if it ever gets hooked on
something that would otherwise drag or strangle
you, it will pull out and save you from maybe
an unexpected hanging. I've never had one of
these come free under normal loads, but I have
had it pop loose when I fell and had it hook
over something on my way down.
--
--Pete
"Peter W. Meek"
http://www.msen.com/~pwmeek/

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oups.com ???...
I've learned by following posts here, and I thought this would be a
good first post...
A debate has come up as to what are the essential knots
a working person has to know. I know this is a craft knot site
but hopefully this question is not inappropriate here.

What we're talking abt here are knots for everyday
occupational work, and tasks around the house. What are the five
knots you'd choose if you could only choose five?

Also, let's assume the very basics are givens and not to be
included in the list (overhand, square, half hitch, etc.)

Leslie

wrote:
I've learned by following posts here, and I thought this would be a
good first post...
A debate has come up as to what are the essential knots
a working person has to know....


As a sailor there are some knots I find essential:

Bowline - use less then the books imply, but still essential
Figure Eight - a stopper is required on sheets and halyards
Stunsail Tackbend (Buntline Hitch) - used on all semi-permanent lines
Midshipman's Hitch (Tautline Hitch) - used to rig anchor bridles,
tie-downs, etc

Without these four I wouldn't be able to rig and work my boat. As for
a fifth, I'm not sure - square, clove, sheetbend? Actually, what I
use to secure the boat is docklines around a cleat - full turn, cross
over and half hitch - would count as my fifth essential. I was
surprised that I didn't find this form in Ashley, he seems to
recommend simpler versions. If I didn't have various mechanical
cleats, some form of cleat hitch would be required to sail the boat.