# Rope/Cordage from plant fiber



## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I think is is crazy to have 1000 rounds for any gun/rifle, but not have 1000 foot of some size rope.
Let's say you agree, you will still run out of rope one day.
Now what?
Plants:
Agave/Yucca leaves, Burdock stem,Paw Paw bark & roots,Hickory-Butternut-Black walnut- Oak Bark & root,Cattail-leaves,Hops stem, Flax stem.
In the USA there are 1500 plants that can be used to make cord.
I picked these because they are food source also.
I could not find a thread on this, if you know of one please tell me.
As alway I welcome all commits.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

i have made passable cordage & baskets from day-lily leaves. And every time we expand our garden, all those tree-roots we dig up are peeled and the root peelings made into quite strong cordage (after all that work digging them up I'll not just throw them away....but make use of them!)


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

kappydell said:


> i have made passable cordage & baskets from day-lily leaves. And every time we expand our garden, all those tree-roots we dig up are peeled and the root peelings made into quite strong cordage (after all that work digging them up I'll not just throw them away....but make use of them!)


Can you expand on this?


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## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

As Crabapple stated there is a long list of plants suitable for making cordage. To expand on his list, there are Basswood, Elm, Cherry, Aspen, Cottonwood, Maple and Cedar. Plants that can be used are Milkweed, Dogbane, Nettles, Velvet Leaf, Evening Primrose, Fireweed, and Sagebrush. Using the inner bark of trees are going to get you the longest cordage with less work, but plants, having shorter fibers take longer.

When I make cordage, I strip the bark off of a suitable dead tree, then lift the inner bark off in long strips, then separate them in to narrower strips. To make a single ply string simply roll the cordage along your leg the entire length until you have a suitable string. To make a stronger cord a reverse twist will have to be done. Twist the cordage until it kinks, and then grasp the kink between the thumb and index finger, with your other hand twist the bottom strand towards you, and wrap both strands around each other in the opposite direction. Move your fingers down to secure this section, and again twist the new bottom strand towards you, and again wrap both strands away from you. To lengthen your cord, simply spread the end of the shorter strand out like a broom, poke in more cordage material, and continue as above. In this manner cordage can be made any length or thickness you want, and depending on the material, will rival any store bought string or rope.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

some sea grasses and bull kelp have and are used by local folks for cordage, nets and even clothing. The cordage and clothing is a local native population traditional items, mainly shown or warn during special events. Ive seen seagrass items sold commercially. Anyways, so anyone close to a ocean...


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

Hooch said:


> some sea grasses and bull kelp have and are used by local folks for cordage, nets and even clothing. The cordage and clothing is a local native population traditional items, mainly shown or warn during special events. Ive seen seagrass items sold commercially. Anyways, so anyone close to a ocean...


The natives of Western Oregon, Washington and Northern California also used a lot of cedar bark for cordage, I've seen pictures of mats that were made of it that had been dug up at old village sites. Bear grass which grows abundantly under young forest canopies would be great for baskets as well.


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## lovetogrow (Jan 25, 2011)

Nice thread - looking forward to learning a thing or two from knowledgable folk. I've never made cordage from plant fibre. This is sure sparking an interest, particularly with the cedar, maple and elm :2thumb:


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## HardCider (Dec 13, 2013)

Marsh grass, hair, sinew and gut make good cordage as well. Sinew makes a good bowstring when in a reverse ply and a flemish loop on one end and a timber hitch on the other.


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