Topic
Lashings, spars and the knots that hold everything together. Scouters built towers, bridges and camp gadgets, then shared the plans.
242 posts · 2007–2020
7 posts
I've featured a few JOTA towers , but no JOTI pioneering.. until now. :) We were relying on a wireless internet connection this weekend, so the modem needed to be placed high up for good signal. So here is the modem, securely lashed to the wan router , both suspended from a window in our Scout hall.
These projects are all built by troops in the Northern District in Gauteng, South Africa. This district holds regular inter-troop Pioneering competitions, as well as a Scouter's competition. The above photo shows the winning Scouters from 2008, 1st Athol, in front of their 35ft-span suspension bridge, built in 4.5 hours.
Author Gerald Finley has put together a fine, no-nonsense book 'Rope Works Plus'. The expanded version of his original 1997 book 'Rope Works' features clearly illustrated directions for tying and using knots, splices and lashings, making rope (with plans for a geared rope making machine) and netting.
Japanese traditional architecture and crafts are a great source for inspiration about lashings and pioneered structures. The images above and below are from the book 'Structure and Form in Japan' (apparently out of print but possibly available from Amazon.com ) Flickr user Anthony Grimley took this beautiful photograph of a fence outside a tea house: And…
I received an e-mail this week asking for advice on the best simple project for people who have never done any pioneering before. I suggested an A-frame, because it is a simple, stable structure that is quick to build and can be used for many fun activities.
Browsing the 3D Warehouse the other day, I found an incredible model TaffGoch posted - a bowline made entirely in SketchUp. This is a pretty impressive piece of modelling work, and complete instructions for modelling a knot are included. The first file shows how to model the shape of the knot, while the second one shows…
Keat Lee is a former Scout from Malaysia who has shared some model pioneering photos with me. The five models featured in this post are all of Keat's own design- thanks for sharing them with us! Keat uses cotton thread to tie the lashings, and uses real square and diagonal lashings, not the elastic band…
