Natural Cordage

Why cord holds together

Every rope is built the same way ¹:

1. Fibers are twisted loosely into a yarn.
2. Two or more yarns twisted together, in the opposite direction, make a strand.
3. Three or more strands twisted together, opposite again, make a rope.

Because each layer is twisted against the one before it, each one’s urge to untwist is what holds the next one tight ¹. Ordinary rope is three-strand and right-hand laid (“with the sun”). Strength depends mostly on the fibers’ strength and length and on how hard each layer is twisted ¹.

Hand-twisted cord uses the same trick at a small scale: two plies, each twisted one way, laid around each other the other way.

Testing a fiber

Before spending an hour twisting, test the material ²:

1. Pull a length: does it hold?
2. Twist it between your fingers and roll the fibers together: does it snap?
3. Tie an overhand knot and gently tighten: if the knot doesn’t break, the material is usable.

Inner bark

The Army manual lists the inner bark of linden, elm, hickory, white oak, mulberry, chestnut, and red and white cedar, shredded and braided into cord ². Linden is basswood, common in Wisconsin woods and the classic bark for cordage: strip it in late spring or early summer when the sap is running and the bark peels freely, soak or ret the strips in water for some weeks until the fibrous inner layers separate, and peel them into ribbons. Take bark only from trees you’ve felled or have permission to use; stripping a ring around a standing tree kills it.

Other good fibers: stinging nettle and dogbane stalks (dried, crushed, and stripped of the woody core), and the inner bark of the trees above. Test each with the three steps.

Reverse wrapping

Two-ply cord made by reverse wrapping is the basic hand method:

1. Take a bundle of fibers and fold it off-center, so the two legs are different lengths (the joins won’t line up later). Pinch the fold.
2. Twist the top ply away from you a few turns, then cross it toward you over the other ply. The other ply is now on top.
3. Repeat: twist the top ply away, cross it toward you. The twist in each ply and the opposite crossing lock each other, the same principle as rope ¹.
4. When a ply gets thin, lay new fibers alongside its last few inches and keep twisting them in. Stagger the splices between the two plies.

Keep the twist even; tight, consistent twists make strong cord. Braiding several finished cords together makes them stronger still ².

Sinew and rawhide

From a deer:

• Sinew: dry the leg and back tendons completely, pound them so they separate into fibers, moisten, and twist into strands. Moist sinew is sticky and shrinks and hardens as it dries, so small lashings need no knots ².
• Rawhide: scrape off fat and meat, dry the hide, then cut a continuous strip about 6 mm wide in a spiral from the center outward. Soak it 2 to 4 hours until soft, apply it wet and stretched, and it dries hard and tight ².

Try it

In June, find a basswood that’s been cut or blown down, peel a few strips of bark, and soak them in a bucket of pond water for three to six weeks. Peel the inner fibers into thin ribbons, test them with the three-step test, and reverse-wrap three feet of cord. Then twist a second length from dried nettle stalks and compare: which is stronger with an overhand knot pulled tight?

What to take from this

Rope holds because fibers, yarns, strands, and rope are each twisted opposite to the last. Test a fiber by pulling, twisting, and tying an overhand. The Army manual lists inner bark of linden (basswood), elm, hickory, white oak, mulberry, chestnut, and cedar. Reverse wrap two plies by twisting the top ply away and crossing it toward you, splicing in staggered fibers. Wet sinew needs no knots; rawhide strips about 6 mm wide, soaked 2 to 4 hours, dry tight.