I picked up a few library books on net making and mending and decided to give it a go.
Step one was to make a net needle. I started with a piece of 1/4 poplar that I had kicking around in the garage, and decided to use the Garcia SBT carver only. Gouging out the pin track took quite a while on this dry lumber.
Here is the final needle loaded up. I filled it with tarred seine twine after a quick rub with flaxseed oil so some of the tar transferred off to the wood.
Last night I gave the net needle a tryout .
First I grabbed my library book .this book does not use a net gauge stick; your fingers are used in the process to measure the net weave. I this case I am making a net with about 4 (stretched out) holes.
Sitting in my chair with a clamp on the side table to hold the mesh I figured out the start then quickly moved to the doorknob to hold the string while I tied off about 4 feet of the first set. I have to say, I have looked at how nets are made a zillion times and it always seemed to be so hard .but it is as easy as pie in reality. This 4 foot string took me just a couple of minutes after I got into the rhythm.
At this point I needed to move the net onto a stick to continue. I used a bamboo pole but a thinner stick would be much easier. Then a return back to the left for the second row.
This is the second pass done, ready to tie back to the right.
This is way way easy, and using my fingers to measure is fast and efficient. I can make this as long as I like and even join another net to make it wider. Really easy and relaxing to do. The larger seine twine is a good cord to use to learn I think. It feeds well and does not tangle much.
I checked out 3 books from the library and this one is my favorite
Fishermans Knots and Nets
Raoul Graumont and Elmer Wenstrom
Cornell Maritime Press, 1948
Step one was to make a net needle. I started with a piece of 1/4 poplar that I had kicking around in the garage, and decided to use the Garcia SBT carver only. Gouging out the pin track took quite a while on this dry lumber.
Here is the final needle loaded up. I filled it with tarred seine twine after a quick rub with flaxseed oil so some of the tar transferred off to the wood.
Last night I gave the net needle a tryout .
First I grabbed my library book .this book does not use a net gauge stick; your fingers are used in the process to measure the net weave. I this case I am making a net with about 4 (stretched out) holes.
Sitting in my chair with a clamp on the side table to hold the mesh I figured out the start then quickly moved to the doorknob to hold the string while I tied off about 4 feet of the first set. I have to say, I have looked at how nets are made a zillion times and it always seemed to be so hard .but it is as easy as pie in reality. This 4 foot string took me just a couple of minutes after I got into the rhythm.
At this point I needed to move the net onto a stick to continue. I used a bamboo pole but a thinner stick would be much easier. Then a return back to the left for the second row.
This is the second pass done, ready to tie back to the right.
This is way way easy, and using my fingers to measure is fast and efficient. I can make this as long as I like and even join another net to make it wider. Really easy and relaxing to do. The larger seine twine is a good cord to use to learn I think. It feeds well and does not tangle much.
I checked out 3 books from the library and this one is my favorite
Fishermans Knots and Nets
Raoul Graumont and Elmer Wenstrom
Cornell Maritime Press, 1948
