https://www.australisknots.com.au/events daily 0.75 2026-02-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/989147be-5edf-4395-b68d-d1f17b58eb89/622601534_907254275134648_9205595157415439247_n.jpg https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/international-guild-of-knot-tyers-next-australian-meeting monthly 0.5 2025-06-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/0c5dd908-5788-4411-aeac-9be40a9504fe/20250207_145217.jpg Events - International Guild of Knot Tyers - Australian Meeting Feb 2025 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/a6159f79-ee18-4445-82be-378ee7b05379/20250205_145428.jpg Events - International Guild of Knot Tyers - Australian Meeting Feb 2025 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/3ea3f251-84f2-4206-a365-acf360a4932d/20250209_111526.jpg Events - International Guild of Knot Tyers - Australian Meeting Feb 2025 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/tasmanian-made-christmas-festival monthly 0.5 2023-11-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905691042-R7O06ZK0PP8N146DT3M5/20231125_133546.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905715468-AQN3ACTKPPWEGVDDQGWM/20231125_133604.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905718356-83IS5R5GA9EFS72TZ1A9/20231125_133625.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905735646-T9C0VOCC90QH69TEK78W/20231125_133746.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905734450-GYQBYYICPD90LJ1QYFTG/20231125_133822.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905755565-R634HBJEB0EYSV9CV8DZ/tree+with+mat.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905767280-N5J1BOARJZTUL54A5ILH/tree.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905766955-5ZA4UXYK8OM9TBKMG655/white+basket.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905788812-V341NXNTI48E7SURYAAU/xmas+tree1.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1700905784170-JBRGDC6Y0HABN8XCJW0Y/yellow+basket.jpg Events - Tasmanian Made Christmas Festival 2023 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/salamanca-market-casual-stall-holder-n449x monthly 0.5 2022-07-27 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/salamanca-market-casual-stall-holder monthly 0.5 2022-10-20 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/wooden-boat-festival-2023 monthly 0.5 2023-02-05 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/abc-radio-interview monthly 0.5 2022-05-12 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/middleton-on-the-green monthly 0.5 2022-05-12 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/australian-antarctic-program-icebreaker-launch monthly 0.5 2022-05-12 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/woodbridge-water-fest monthly 0.5 2022-05-12 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/artbox-franklin-on-the-waterfront monthly 0.5 2022-05-12 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/cord-and-bell-rope-making-for-restoration-australia-episode monthly 0.5 2023-11-25 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/australian-wooden-boat-festival-maritime-trail-course monthly 0.5 2022-04-28 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/event-one-9de2e monthly 0.5 2022-04-28 https://www.australisknots.com.au/events/event-three-jxcl4 monthly 0.5 2022-05-12 https://www.australisknots.com.au/home daily 1.0 2022-03-27 https://www.australisknots.com.au/about daily 0.75 2024-11-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/3a050079-329b-4d00-981b-abb20bc624c8/20211209_121120.jpg About - Introducing Barbara Frankel of Australis Knots. Barbara is a traditional rope maker and decorative nautical knot tyer from Howden, Tasmania. She was inspired to learn these crafts aboard the icebreaker RSV Aurora Australis during her many voyages to Antarctica as a geoscientist and project manager. She is self-taught from books and online tutorials, with tremendous support and inspiration from international online communities. Having been a crocheter and sewer since a young girl, she was curious about mat making, so adding another fibre craft to her repertoire was natural. To give back to the online community she has recently co-founded an Australian rope makers and knot tyers Facebook group and is a member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. Australis Knots was formed in August 2021 after Barbara realised that these traditional crafts are not highly visible in Australia. While there are many knot tyers in the sailing and scouting communities, their products are not available for sale in many locations, and much of what is on sale is sourced from overseas (for example bell ropes and mats). As more requests and interest came her way she decided to start her small business to see where it led. Barbara prefers to use natural fibre threads to make rope and cord using the traditional wooden rope maker in the photo as well as a battery operated 3D printed rope maker. It takes three operators to use the wooden machine, while the 3D printed version can be used by a sole operator. One of Barbara’s passions is making hard laid cotton cord and using it in her knotwork. This cord is made by putting extra twist in the strands to make it stiff. This type of cord is not readily available and only made by a handful of enthusiasts worldwide. The beauty of this type of cord is not only its stiffness but also its neatness and durability. Barbara’s knotwork includes bell ropes, mats, bracelets, sailor’s brushes, nautical keyrings, and fenders made from new and sometimes recycled materials. https://www.australisknots.com.au/contact-us daily 0.75 2022-08-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1648359004790-CREIVUSNKER2ARL0XTO3/20211211_155919.jpg Contact Me https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1648359031087-5OMCEX64S9BG362M4N97/contact.jpg Contact Me https://www.australisknots.com.au/useful-links daily 0.75 2022-03-27 https://www.australisknots.com.au/gallery daily 0.75 2022-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/eaeb4724-01d1-485a-b99b-8af3e17a746e/Sailors+Bracelet+Red+White+Blue.png Gallery Sailors bracelet made with a Carrick Bend in hard laid cotton cord https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/68cfd654-9437-4960-871c-c1d73dec731e/3D+Printed+Rope+Makerer.png Gallery 3D printed rope making machine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/4b49df4e-1bcb-45e7-8339-418158900a99/20211216_085921.jpg Gallery Sailor's Carrick Bend Bracelet made with hard laid cotton cord and anchor clasp https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/a2c56e57-42ad-4e73-b81b-4b31d177c591/3D+Printed+Rope+Maker+in+action.png Gallery 3D printed rope making machine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/7bc1ecfb-c730-4148-b336-aff03eab6163/Sailors+Bracelet+Polypropylene.png Gallery Sailors bracelet made from synthetic 'Venetian Blind Cord' using a Carrick Bend and Matthew Walker knots https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/0c6f4edc-1497-483d-969b-341b2376d7d5/Rope+Maker+detail.png Gallery Traditional rope making machine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/d01ec125-45d7-4c88-bd4e-21df26116aa8/Brush.png Gallery Traditional Sailor's Brush made with sisal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/8e09ba8b-2897-4909-a0d5-ff80b08bcaa3/Nuyina+Rope+almost+done.png Gallery Nuyina bell rope almost complete https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/ad954ca3-3ae7-4e62-9842-9246b90a084a/Bell+Rope+Australis+Knots.png Gallery Bell rope donated to the RSV Nuyina made with white hard laid cotton cord https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/8f95eb55-d60e-4853-b65d-1e9d58e8c8bc/Nuyina+Bell+%281%29.png Gallery Nuyina Bell donated by the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) Club to the RSV Nuyina, December 2021 with bell rope made by yours truly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/86bf0409-fdec-4435-b62d-9a03df405fe5/3D+Printed+Rope+Maker.png Gallery 3D printed machine making rope https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/c058e948-2990-4f82-8070-b5870a4efc1d/Barb+and+Nuyina.png Gallery Barb and RSV Nuyina 18 December 2021 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/af1c7121-8b97-42f1-99ed-d0a3f44368ea/Barb+making+rope.png Gallery Barb making rope https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/75558a49-b837-46d2-8e23-84b08f345f7c/Keyring.png Gallery Bell rope showing three braid eye, Matthew Walker knot, alternate crowning, diamond knot, double crowning and star knot. Made from hard laid cotton cord. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/6266a1b9-f405-4474-af77-2d167cb324ee/Making+Rope.png Gallery 3D printed 'top' controlling the start of cord making (note the hook is a fishing swivel which removes the need for another person to turn a handle on the travelling end). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/23deb9f3-38db-41e2-b7ab-b191260b95e7/Bell+Rope+on+bell.png Gallery Bell rope made with hard laid cotton cord https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/317fb5c1-15e3-422d-bc96-bbfe9f072652/Bell+Rope+on+bell+2.png Gallery Bell rope made with hard laid cotton cord https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/b4261a6d-bd8e-4ae6-ae2e-17ee5b47d064/Barb+and+Rope+Maker.png Gallery Barb and the traditional rope maker https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/3d0b1cfa-7586-4c0d-8070-1b959d331555/Placemats.png Gallery Placemats made of sisal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/3fed4531-c3bf-4b28-955c-155949b14f3a/Rope+Maker+at+Maritime+Museum.png Gallery Rope making at the Maritime Museum of Tasmania with their machine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/5c73534f-8811-4be3-85f8-9a81b46303d3/Coiled+String+Coaster.png Gallery Coiled string coaster. This string was donated by the Adrian Levings whose father had it in his possession at various lighthouses throughout Tasmania from the 1960s to 1980s https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/767eddb9-9a14-4f5e-bfa4-21efbd61e9b0/Coiled+string+coasters+from+lighthouse+string.png Gallery Coiled string coasters backed with felt - from string donated by Adrian Levings whose father had it on various lighthouses in Tasmania from the 1960s to 1980s https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/cd23b8ac-3bb9-4f65-b37d-7a01e314150c/Mat+and+tool.png Gallery Mat made with recycled manila https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/55e310b4-bf71-43dd-8cd0-68cd5c43e0f2/Franklin+Tasmania.png Gallery Franklin, Tasmania. Home of the Living Boat Trust and Wooden Boat Centre https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/03f59dd6-c166-47d3-bfea-dddc47ccd2c7/Door+stop+%281%29.png Gallery Monkeyfist doorstop made with recycled rope and a rock core https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/ee78bb70-0e85-4032-bb45-b56de28ca655/Door+stop+with+rock.png Gallery Door stop made with recycled rope and a rock https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/2ab43e10-db34-4a43-bc76-00725a9fc1ca/Cord+made+from+3D+printed+machine.png Gallery Hard laid cotton cord made with the 3D printed rope maker https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/f0e12efe-01a6-4275-8d1c-5f9780ba7f14/Door+stop+with+rock+%281%29.png Gallery Doorstop with rock https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/18d73b1d-b5d0-44c5-bb3c-e9c5021dc203/Door+stop.png Gallery Doorstop made with recycled rope and rock core https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/9330cf64-59de-4d71-9888-a0dbda6633ab/Rope+making.png Gallery Rope making on the patio https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/73eeba4a-8339-4ae8-9b25-3b5fbda62f61/Recycled+Ocean+Plait+Mat.png Gallery Traditional Ocean Plait Mat made from recycled nautical rope https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/77dd843c-916f-4185-897b-525d9e0fe95a/Frog+on+mat.png Gallery Frog visitor on recycled rope mat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/87d40626-60b9-4794-82ba-4629f05bbec1/Glass+fishing+float+and+jute+net.png Gallery Glass fishing float and jute net https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/cf940e58-ca31-44c5-ac4a-4d613ffb059a/Mat+and+Bowl.png Gallery Mat and bowl made from fluoro pink braided rope. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/8f00f407-baee-420a-b245-afb284e53790/Market+Stall.png Gallery Market stall Dru Point, Margate, March 2021 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/a8fd1371-d6f3-46df-bb1c-d8fe8602fb4f/Dog+toy+from+old+climbing+rope.png Gallery Dog toy made from old climbing rope using a monkey fist knot and figure of eight https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/3c0a8b65-6c15-4da0-ad49-8cd273ec77dc/Cat+o+Nine+Tails.png Gallery Cat O' Nine Tails. Note the 'bloodknots' on the ends! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/db76e6ff-86bd-4430-969a-e13bc315ff7f/Graeme+Creighton+and+Barbara+Frankel+handover.png Gallery Graeme Creighton handing over his traditional rope making machine to Barbara Frankel. August 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/46bd6dc2-5841-4d24-a856-baef01e161b6/Monkey+Fist+and+Square+Knot+Keyrings.png Gallery Monkey Fist and Square Knot keyrings. A marble is inside each monkey fist https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/6c66d2b9-70bf-4c40-8897-f07a2e316d8f/Mat+pink.png Gallery Fluoro pink mat made from braided rope https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/f83aa812-19e5-423f-a30a-06ead3fb2da1/Star+knot.png Gallery Star knot made from sisal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/f74b276b-3612-4f82-8fef-498a311e9b76/Turtle.png Gallery Tortoise made from white polypropylene washing line https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/856941b5-a343-456b-832f-8e50da828cfd/Mat+made+with+USB+cable.png Gallery Mat made from broken USB cord! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/acca4436-d5fb-43d6-a930-3ef0a89ca5ce/Red+and+black.png Gallery Egg in a basket https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/ed252514-9889-4d26-a4a5-6ea0b468a2d1/Fender+%281%29.png Gallery Fender made with white cotton 10mm rope https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1a44453e-822e-4cc1-8fa3-2cff470199ca/Franklin.png Gallery Franklin, Tasmania showing the location of the Living Boat Trust and Wooden Boat Centre. The black box on the left is the ArtBox mobile gallery where knots were displayed in February 2022 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/2dc06075-e383-4967-8ffd-8990d33832e7/Fob.png Gallery Nautical key fob made with hard laid cotton cord https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/7cd89fed-5bf7-4e2c-92f0-95e7cbe8d9e9/Fender+and+cat.png Gallery White cotton crowned fender (and cat) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/74c68c2b-ffa9-4f6c-ba99-d2b952c7beeb/Tightening+up+a+mat.png Gallery Tightening or 'dressing' a mat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/42d01f90-6593-4d5f-b5d0-b55550fff1c3/Starting+a+mat.png Gallery Starting a mat using a cushion and pins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/273cde57-6b54-4734-9f4d-80f360160c8a/Mat+progress.png Gallery Progress on a mat made with jute https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/be7133d8-abea-4e05-aedc-9cf2370beb2b/Rope+Maker+6x8.png Gallery Traditional rope making machine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/2dc06075-e383-4967-8ffd-8990d33832e7/Fob.png Gallery Nautical key fob on the traditional rope making machine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/d4913d6b-bd93-452b-b3cf-40ba8b12c463/Barb+with+rope+maker.png Gallery Barbara Frankel and the traditional rope making machine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/79a31285-3af3-40a8-872e-3cfde21519dc/Rope+maker+%282%29.png Gallery Rope making https://www.australisknots.com.au/general-2 daily 0.75 2023-03-11 https://www.australisknots.com.au/new-page-1 daily 0.75 2022-03-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/e2c0e5b4-7402-4f60-a1d7-61d4203433cd/Graeme+and+Barb.png The Wooden Rope Making Machine (Copy) - The Story of the Traditional Wooden Rope Making Machine Prior to the 2019 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, Tasmania, Paul Cullen, the Festival Organiser, commissioned this traditional wooden rope making machine from his fellow Antarctic wintering friend Graeme ‘Critter’ Creighton of Colac, Victoria. Together with Critter’s friend Arthur Grant , the rope machine was designed and made. Paul and Critter had wintered together at Casey Station in 2000; Paul as the Station Leader and Critter as a Diesel Mechanic. They have remained close friends ever since. Critter made several trips to Tasmania during 2018 to add some suitable timbers to his collection. He also searched the internet for inspiration on a design. He settled on a video made by a Swedish rope maker at a community fair that he watched 50 times in order to transpose what he saw on screen to a design he could use for cutting the timbers. The machine comprises five parts; the rope winding stand, a ‘traveller’, a ‘brake’, a ‘top’, and yarn dispenser. Scroll down to find out more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/be4161a5-dfc8-4333-bf48-ce7b5ab8bac0/20220326_140506.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine (Copy) - The Rope Winding Stand The foot of the rope winding stand is made of Victorian blackwood with blackbutt supports. The uprights are made from Tasmanian celery top pine sourced from the Huon Valley. The cog wheel is made from blackwood, with cogs made from Tasmanian oak. A weight made from an old red gum railway sleeper from Colac provides ballast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/b57e552d-9984-4e44-b692-47efc7eadb6e/20220326_140442.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine (Copy) - Make it stand out There are four hooks on the stand which turn in a 1:3 ratio with the handle. The cogs turn in four wheels with copper tube separators. Although there are four hooks on the rope maker, only three are most commonly used. Four hooks are used if making a rope with a core, with the central pulley wheel used to tension a non-spinning core strand; the core shortens as the rope is made so it needs to travel over the pulley with a weight attached. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/25b85579-926c-4658-9122-f152e87afa16/20211105_091025.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine (Copy) - The Traveller The foot of the traveller is made of blackwood, and the upright from celery top pine, and topped with red gum around the bearings support block. A slab of red gum adds ballast and has a plaque detailing the craftsmen’s names. Wheels at the front of the traveller allow the stand to be pulled along as the twisting shortens the strands, and the rear foot of the traveller intentionally drags on the ground in order to maintain tension. Different amounts of weight can be added to this foot depending on what type and length of rope is being made. Yarn Dispenser Yarn on cones or spools is the easiest to dispense for threading the machine and it needs to be pulled smoothly without catching on anything or itself. A yarn dispenser from sewing machine accessories is used here, mounted on a piece of cypress pine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/103201c2-dc98-49cc-a89d-c1b6bdbaef85/20220326_171158.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine (Copy) - The Brake While loading thread onto the machine it is important to keep thread tension even. The traveller is designed to move towards the winding end and tends to move if the tension changes while loading threads, therefore a ‘brake ‘ is required to prevent it from moving. In this case the brake is a stick of blackwood with a wedge shaped blackwood burl on its base to push under the leading edge of the traveller. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1af48ea7-99c1-4c22-9701-397309556b25/20220326_171000+-+Copy.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine (Copy) - The Top The top is an egg-shaped piece of grooved wood that separates the strands during rope making and controls the twist as it moves along the strands. It is made of blackwood. The stand is made from a piece of wood found on a beach in South Australia that is believed to be from the shipwreck of the Osprey which operated in the mid 1800s, including in the Derwent River. It is a superb piece of English Oak riddled with ship worm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/21c74b1b-7e23-42ab-8646-b2cda353c84d/20220326_135003.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine (Copy) - Make it stand out The top is used to separate the strands and control the twist. In this photo a fishing swivel is being used so that the handle on the rear of the traveller doesn’t need to be used (this reduces the number of people required to run the machine). https://www.australisknots.com.au/new-page-2 daily 0.75 2022-11-14 https://www.australisknots.com.au/new-page daily 0.75 2022-03-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/df910ad2-2a85-4f92-8152-bba1c49e41f2/20210805_092040.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine - The Story of the Traditional Wooden Rope Making Machine Prior to the 2019 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart Tasmania, Paul Cullen, the Festival Organiser, commissioned this traditional wooden rope making machine from his fellow Antarctic wintering friend Graeme ‘Critter’ Creighton of Colac, Victoria. Together with Critter’s friend Arthur Grant , the rope machine was designed and made. Paul and Critter had wintered together at Casey Station in 2000; Paul as the Station Leader and Critter as a Diesel Mechanic. They have remained close friends ever since. Critter made several trips to Tasmania during 2018 to add some suitable timbers to his collection. He also searched the internet for inspiration on a design. He settled on a video made by a Swedish rope maker at a community fair that he watched 50 times in order to transpose what he saw on screen to a design he could use for cutting the timbers. The machine is finished in Danish oil and comprises five parts; rope winding stand ‘traveller’ stand ‘brake’ ‘top’ yarn dispenser. Critter had no idea if the machine was going to work when he made and as he said to Paul Cullen ‘But it’ll look good!”. And he was right. Scroll down to find out more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/be4161a5-dfc8-4333-bf48-ce7b5ab8bac0/20220326_140506.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine - The Rope Winding Stand The foot of the rope winding stand is made of Victorian blackwood and Queensland blackbutt. The uprights are made from Tasmanian celery top pine sourced from Hydrowood (who salvage wood from dams on the west coast of Tasmania) courtesy of Dave Golding of Glen Huon. The cog wheel is made from blackwood, with cogs made from Tasmanian oak. A weight made from an old red gum railway sleeper from Colac provides ballast. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/b57e552d-9984-4e44-b692-47efc7eadb6e/20220326_140442.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine - Make it stand out There are four hooks on the stand which turn in a 1:3 ratio with the handle. The cogs turn in four wheels with copper tube separators. Although there are four hooks on the rope maker, only three are most commonly used. Four hooks are used if making a rope with a core, with the central pulley wheel used to tension a non-spinning core strand; the core shortens as the rope is made so it needs to travel over the pulley with a weight attached. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/25b85579-926c-4658-9122-f152e87afa16/20211105_091025.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine - The Traveller The foot of the traveller is made of blackwood, and the upright from celery top pine, and topped with red gum around the bearings support block. A slab of red gum adds ballast and has a plaque detailing the craftsmen’s names. Wheels at the front of the traveller allow the stand to be pulled along as the twisting shortens the strands, and the rear foot of the traveller intentionally drags on the ground in order to maintain tension. Different amounts of weight can be added to this foot depending on what type and length of rope is being made. Yarn Dispenser Yarn on cones or spools is the easiest to dispense for threading the machine and it needs to be pulled smoothly without catching on anything or itself. A yarn dispenser from sewing machine accessories is used here, mounted on a piece of cypress pine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/103201c2-dc98-49cc-a89d-c1b6bdbaef85/20220326_171158.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine - The Brake While loading thread onto the machine it is important to keep thread tension even. The traveller is designed to move towards the winding end and tends to move if the tension changes while loading threads, therefore a ‘brake ‘ is required to prevent it from moving. In this case the brake is a stick of blackwood with a wedge shaped blackwood burl on its base to push under the leading edge of the traveller (made by Critter’s mate Rod Menzies). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1af48ea7-99c1-4c22-9701-397309556b25/20220326_171000+-+Copy.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine - The Top The top is an egg-shaped piece of grooved wood that separates the strands during rope making and controls the twist as it moves along the strands. It is made of blackwood. The stand is made from a piece of wood found on a beach in South Australia that is believed to be from the shipwreck of the Osprey which operated in the mid 1800s, including in the Derwent River. It is a superb piece of English Oak riddled with ship worm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/21c74b1b-7e23-42ab-8646-b2cda353c84d/20220326_135003.jpg The Wooden Rope Making Machine - Make it stand out The top is used to separate the strands and control the twist. In this photo a fishing swivel is being used so that the handle on the rear of the traveller doesn’t need to be used (this reduces the number of people required to run the machine). https://www.australisknots.com.au/general-1 daily 0.75 2022-03-27 https://www.australisknots.com.au/shop daily 0.75 2023-11-26 https://www.australisknots.com.au/shop/p/hard-laid-cotton-cord monthly 0.5 2025-06-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1648354779256-7SDWRGOS8HXMAAZIQ2HV/20220326_171719.jpg Shop - Hard Laid Cotton Cord https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1648354780107-67ZGDS2QDF6ZMMKIV5EU/20220326_171647.jpg Shop - Hard Laid Cotton Cord https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1648354780393-EXVWMMSCVYOGQ0WFXQ7Z/20220326_171658.jpg Shop - Hard Laid Cotton Cord https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1648354780404-HT6DLORSYNA7EFGHHD8F/20220326_171707.jpg Shop - Hard Laid Cotton Cord https://www.australisknots.com.au/shop/p/9tblzrsnzzdmbvwisactzkhmh5pwft monthly 0.5 2023-10-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1660266033263-5NWV0AZTB89UTTP9OBTZ/20210708_174834.jpg Shop - Sailor's Brush/Duster https://www.australisknots.com.au/shop/p/nautical-keyring monthly 0.5 2022-09-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1648278783865-U01M5NKJJZC6MZD0L419/20220326_171827.jpg Shop - Nautical Bellrope Keyring https://www.australisknots.com.au/shop/p/sailors-nautical-bracelet monthly 0.5 2025-06-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1648278462843-RF8W0BFFHAWAN8N1928X/20220326_173018.jpg Shop - Sailor's Nautical Bracelet https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6205a587b79e753a38c0fb99/1648278532087-725PFGOOFH9XHELUX4ZA/20220326_172808.jpg Shop - Sailor's Nautical Bracelet