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  1. #1
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    CF poles and Comfort shaping....

    Hi,

    New poster here.... Got interested in hammocks as lightweight alternatives to tents and pads. And as an inveterate DIY guy I came across this forum. I've made clothes, sleeping bags, overbags with Gore-tex, and a few boats... Been reading a bunch here over the last few days and decided to join.

    A couple of things have come to mind in all the reading I've covered.

    1) CF poles - have you guys looked at the kite building suppliers? CF poles are common in a whole range of sizes/weights and in nesting diameters and with inserts for joining in lengths. Kitebuilder.com is one such source. They also sometimes have interesting fabrics in very light weights at good prices (sale prices...) .75 oz or even 0.5 oz.... Not great for hammocks, but probably fine for very light cat cut tarps.

    2) In the HH diassembly thread there was some minor mention of bias cut material. It looked to me like they are indeed bias cut, but there is very little notice made of that. Bias cutting is likely a vital part of the "comfort" and apparent "flatness" and the final little bit of the secret of the HH hammock.

    The reason is that Bias cut fabric has more give and conforms much better to curves as the fabric is more able to distribute the pressure to other threads around it (assuming the threads aren't bonded to each other in some fashion like PU coating or silnylon.) This means that high pressure points will cause more give in the fabric in localized areas and this will make the sling/bed conform more naturally. The downside is that its likely that the edges of the hammock would require binding to maintain strength. Not really an issue if you're making something like a bridge hammock, but more work if you're making a whipped one. This knowledge comes from extensive fibreglassing experience where bias cut cloth will fold cleanly over a much sharper edge and conform tightly to compound curved surfaces where flat laid/cut cloth won't even come close, without bubbles, puckers, wrinkles and folds.

    Has anyone experimented with the bias cut idea?

    Looking forward to making a few hammocks and seeing what works best for me and my best girl.

  2. #2
    Senior Member headchange4u's Avatar
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    First off, welcome to the forums.

    Due to the development of the Bridge hammock, I have been looking into CF pole quite a bit. There are several sources out there. I will check out the website you listed. Finding something that would allow you to break down CF poles into smaller sections would be a great benefit.

    What exactly do you mean by bias cut? The HH body is made from a rectangular piece of fabric and the shape of a HH comes from the asymmetrical shape of the netting, side tie outs, and the whipping/folding technique.
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  3. #3
    Senior Member Redtail's Avatar
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    Rapt,
    By bias cut, do you mean cut the fabric at a 45 degree angle to grain of the fabric?

    I'll have to check my HH tonight to see if it is bias cut.

    For homemade hammocks I don't think it's really an option since we use the full width of the fabric (usually 60-63"). You have to have some really wide ripstop to be able to make a bias-cut hammock out of a single piece of fabric.

  4. #4
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    Yes,

    Well actually bias cut means the threads of the weave of the fabric are at an angle (any angle not just 45 degrees) to the rectangular shape.

    So instead of the threads running parallel or perpendicular to the length and width of the hammock, they run at an angle (or bias).

    This is a standard sewing term and is used in making clothing that fits, drapes and conforms better.

    Good point about fabric width, it may require some tweaking or wider width fabric, or worse yet another seam. Also bias cut fabric tends to not holds its shape as well prior to sewing so its somewhat harder to sew with since you can't pull very hard on it without pulling it out of shape.

    Experiment with a small piece cut in a square on an angle and then pull on the various sides to see what happens....

    I understand the HH is a rectangular piece, but in one close up photo it looked like the warp and weft (threads of the fabric) were at an angle to the sides of the rectangle.
    Last edited by Rapt; 09-05-2007 at 09:58.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Redtail's Avatar
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    Seeing the direction of the weave is pretty easy with ripstop.

    The more I think about it, a bias cut would be undesirable for a hammock. Since you are lying diagonally in the hammock it would be more comfortable for the hammock to stretch in that direction. You wouldn't want the length or width of the hammock to stretch. In other words, you'd want the grain of the fabric parallel/perpendicular to the centerline.

  6. #6
    Senior Member hangnout's Avatar
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    I don't think we have a choice since most of our ripstop comes 48" to 60" wide we can not cut a piece long enough on the bias without making a seam.

  7. #7
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    Good points...

  8. #8
    Senior Member stoikurt's Avatar
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    As Redtail kind of eluded to we sleep on the diagonal, which in effect is lying in the bias directions, and therefore taking advantage of the stretch and conforming nature of a bias cut.
    Stoikurt
    "Work to Live...Don't Live to Work!"

  9. #9
    That's great site and resource.

    What kind of performance fibre would make the best lightweight tarp that could double as a poncho?

  10. #10
    slowhike's Avatar
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    welcome to HF rapt.
    about those light weight fabrics... .75 oz or even 0.5 oz.... Not great for hammocks, but probably fine for very light cat cut tarps.
    are they water proof or maybe DWR treated?
    they might make a good hammock shell or quilt. ...tim
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

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