RE: [strawbale] tie-downs

[Tim Thompson <ThompsonT@housing21....uk>]

In the past, on boats and ships, ropes (standing rigging) were used to
support masts etc; they were then called "shrouds" or "stays". The ropes
were "wormed" and "parcelled" near deck and passed around "deadeyes" or
"bullseyes" so that they could periodically be adjusted,
tightened....Stockholm tar and tallow were among the natural products used
to help prolong the life of these ropes. You would find that older nautical
books (about knots, ropes and cables) would give you a good account of the
techniques. 

Hope this helps - if nothing else the terminology used then was wonderful.

Tim
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Barbara Jones [SMTP:strawbale@lineone...]
> Sent:	22 July 2001 11:12
> To:	strawbale-l@eyfa...
> Subject:	Re: [strawbale] tie-downs
> 
> Hi Chug,
> Really appreciate your desire to only use what will return to the earth.
> Tis a difficult question, it has to be a material strong enough and
> durable enough to do what you require of it, in this case, hold the roof
> on during strong winds, but also not damage the environment.You could use
> hemp or sisal rope, which has been used for shipping for centuries, the
> main practical problems would be to tie it securely and retie after
> settlement of the walls, and to use rope with a high enough tensile
> strength for the job (so it doesn't break under strain). I've been
> thinking of experimenting along these lines myself, so let me know how you
> get on, and good luck!
> Barbara
> 
> Amazon Nails: Strawbale building, training, consultancy, empowerment.
>                     www.strawbalefutures.org.uk
> <http://www.strawbalefutures.org.uk>
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> 
> 	----- Original Message ----- 
> 	From: chug <mailto:chug@ntlworld...> 
> 	To: strawbale-l@eyfa... <mailto:strawbale-l@eyfa...> 
> 	Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2001 11:29 AM
> 	Subject: [strawbale] tie-downs
> 
> 	Greetings baleheads,
> 	                               I am trying to finalise my roof beam
> tie down details but I am against the idea of using metal wires or non
> degradable plastics as my conscience only allows me to build using
> materials that will "return to the Earth" if   the building were
> abandoned.
> 	I know metal and plastic tie downs will eventually rot but they also
> are quite expensive in terms of energy to manufacture and to buy, I am
> trying to use as much recycled materials as possible.
> 	If anyone has any ideas please let me know.
> 	Regards Chug
> 
> 
> 
> 
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