77 - Sliding Door Shop Cabinet, страница 32

T Start with a Bowline. Easy to tie at the end of a line, a bowline knot won't slip and can be undone quickly.

always look forward to starting a .new project because it means making a trip to the lumberyard to pick out the wood. But one thing I don't enjoy is tying down my purchase for the ride home. Usually, my knot-tying efforts end up looking like a macrame project gone bad. And all the way home, I find myself nervously checking the rear-view mirror to make sure that my lumber isn't flying out of the back of my pick-up truck.

Fortunately, I've discovered that you don't need to be an Eagle Scout to tie down a load properly. All you need

Bowline Knot.

to know are a few basic knots. And with a bit of practice, these will become second nature. Note: There are literally thousands of different knots, many of which serve the same basic purpose. We've selected a few useful ones that are fairly easy to learn.

Bowline - No matter what kind of load you are tying down, the first thing you will probably need to do is tie a loop at the end of the rope to anchor it down to a hook or rack on your vehicle. One of the simplest knots to use for this is a boivline (pronounced BOH-

_ linn). The advantages of a bowline

are that it won't slip and can be untied quickly. The drawings at left will show you how to tie this knot

Loop & Hitch - To cinch the rope down over the load and secure the other end, start by tying a farmer's loop in the middle of the rope (see drawings on opposite page). Then take the loose end of the rope and wrap it around another hook on the vehicle. Now simply pass the end of the rope through the loop and pull it down snug. The loop acts like a pulley, allowing you to pull the rope down extremely tight To hold it in place, you can tie off the rope with a half hitch. Together,^ these knots will ensure that you and your lumber arrive safely.

32 ShopNotes No. 77