The Incredible Rope-Making Machine

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This joining can be done in either of two ways: [1] You can simply tie the pieces of twine together with square knots. The resulting rope will be a little lumpy, but its looks won't hurt its strength any and it'll still be pretty enough to tie a load of hay on a wagon with or fashion into a halter the next time you want to lead Old Bossy around the barnyard. Or [2] you can take the time to splice the short lengths of twine together. (Cut the ends of two pieces off clean with a knife, unravel both of 'em back about three inches, lay 'em down on a flat surface so that the ends overlap somewhat more than the length of the frazzles and the fibers of both strands spiral in the same direction, and then—with a pencil or sharp stick—lace and weave the two twines together.) Once the cords are twisted together tightly with others to make a rope, the splice will hold as well as any knot.

Of course, if you want absolutely perfect rope at a giveaway price, you can always ask the folks down at the farm supply store if they have any balls of twine that have come partially unrolled and are no longer fit for use in a baler. Such string usually sells for practically nothing.

Or—what the heck—just go first class and buy brand new baling twine in good 18,000-foot rolls at its full price. It's worth it. Without worrying about a single knot or splice, you'll be able to crank off top-quality, half-inch rope (the kind that sells "ready-made") for less than one thin cent a foot.

TWIST 'EM TOGETHER

New or old, knotted or one long strand, once you have your raw materials in hand, the rest is easy. Tie or bolt your rope-maker to something as shown below. Then loop the twine back and forth between the hooks on your machine's main board and the ears of the "Y" stick as shown in Photo 2. And remember that your rope will "shrink" about one-fourth in length as you crank it together. If you want a finished line that's 100 feet long, then, you should start off with 750 feet of twine looped into six strands that run back and forth between a rope-making machine and a "Y" stick that are positioned 125 feet apart.

OK? Grab your husband, wife, one of the children, your best friend or somebody, and while one of you stands back and holds the "Y," the other should begin cranking. And just keep on crankin' until the twists in each line become so tight that they almost double over into "knots." At that point, the person on the far end has only to start sliding the "Y" toward the rope machine as he or she pulls the twisted twines out behind the forked stick. And, believe it or not, those purled cords will automatically wrap themselves into real rope (just as strong and tight as they sell down at the hardware store) as they feed off the back of the holder.

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