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  1. #1

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    Making Clews, their jigs, and making a camping hammock.


    Picture0309142240_1 by bohlmann.eric, on Flickr

    Making clews for hammocks is easy. As expected, the first time for anything is slow because you are going into the unknown. But once the basics, and I mean there is only a few basics involved, making clews can become more about creativity and exploration than frustration. Or it can be just following a pattern, nothing wrong that. Derek Hansen has created a wonderful video tutorial on how to create a clew so there is no reason to try and recreate what he has done. Here is a link to his blog post:

    http://theultimatehang.com/2013/01/w...clew-tutorial/ .

    In this post I would like to share some basic information on creating a jig and information on nettles that shows just how practical it can be to make them. I would also like to challenge any mindsets that clews don't belong on camping hammocks and that they are made with bulky rope. I suspect that as clews are explored a smaller hammock body and clew could increase comfort while decreasing packing size and possibly weight.

    The Jig:

    The pattern jig:
    Mr. Hansen has a simple "picture frame" jig that is great for creating a pattern type clew and there is nothing wrong with that. Follow his instructions and your hammock can become a real slice of heaven.

    The adaptable jig:

    IMG_0000 by bohlmann.eric, on Flickr


    IMG_0841 by bohlmann.eric, on Flickr

    After creating my first clews I decided that I hadn't explored enough how clews can create an amazing hammock. There were two reasons I created this jig. 1. was that I didn't want to go buy wood when I scrap pieces sitting around. 2. I wanted something that would let me create vastly different types of clews without having to make many different jigs. this simple platform jig lets the user place finishing nails anywhere desired. There is a four inch gap between where the ring is placed and the edge of the platform, which makes it easier to weave the clew together.

    The width of the platform:
    The width of the platform isn't the most important. The question to answer ask oneself is, "Is it wide enough for ease of use?" the distance between each nail won't have an affect on the clew. I have my nails about one inch apart and that is fine for weaving and placing.
    Lets have an example. You are creating a clew with 12 nettles and you think one inch between each nettle would be adequate. In this case you would need the platform to be 13 to 14 inches wide. If you are going to use larger diameter rope then you would most likely want the space between each nail to be wider and the platform as well, but not by much.

    Length of the platform:
    Now this really does matter. The length of the nettles will determine how wide the clew will open. Generally the clew should be the length of half the width of your hammock body. So, if your hammock is 50 inches wide then your nettle needs to be 25 inches long. Your platform needs to be how ever long your nettles need to be plus a few inches. You will notice in the photo that I have a single line of white rope attached to each nail. This helped to stop the nettles from sliding off.

    The Clew:

    The clew is a real piece of magic for comfort and flexibility. The clew is finished product. Each strand that descends from the weaved area is called a nettle.

    The Nettle

    The length of the nettles will determine how it affects the hammock. For a basic clew the nettles should be the length of half the width of the hammock. A 50 inch wide hammock should have a 25 inch nettle. But if you want to get even more creative you vary the length of each nettle. This is where creativity can really take hammocks places. Imagine you wanted the distance from the ring to the hammock body to be 10 inches. Each nettle would have to be a different length. If math isn't your thing consider downloading google sketch-up and using it to create your clew. Sketch-up is free.

    What to make nettles from:
    I used a product called, "The Handy Hundred," and it worked just fine. The weight of the occupant will be divided over the many nettles so a Zing-it or other small ropes can be used. Natural fiber ropes can be used, but are often more bulky than campers and backpackers would like.

    Amount of nettles needed:
    This is one area I am not sure about. If you use a smaller rope that can hold 100 to 200 pounds then the more nettles you have the better. spacing between each nettle attachment point might determine how many you have. If you are making a camping make sure to account for a nettle being on the outside of the channel on each end. If you use 7/64th amsteel then you might not need as many lines. I have not explored how less lines have impact a hammock and needs to be further explored. I imagine that 12 to 13 nettles would be a good standard to use.

    Determining where to place your nettle on the platform:
    For the clew to work right your nails need to be placed in order. To figure where your nail needs to go measure a price of rope with a loop at one end the length of the nettle. Leave some extra rope at the end so it can held in place easier. place the rope where it will be attaching to the ring you are using and don't let it move from where you have placed it. Place it in the center of the jig. Place a pencil or pen in the loop, extend the rope to its furthest point and draw a line. Anywhere along the line should be the correct length for your nettles.

    If you want to vary the length of each nettle then you will have to make sure you are marking each different length and making sure they are in proper order.
    An example, You have a 50 inch wide hammock and want to make a clew that is 10 inches from the ring to the hammock body. The two edge nettles would be 25 inches and the center nettle would be 10 inches. The remaining nettles would be whatever length is necessary to insure that there is 10 inches between the ring and the hammock body.

    I have not fully explored how nettle length and ring placement can affect how the hammock lays. What would an ring set to side of the hammock do to how it lays? Imagine making a clew and then turning each nettle into a adjustable loop!

    The binding rope:
    Since the majority of hammock forum members are interested in camping and backpacking the traditional naval hammock is to heavy, doesn't pack well, and can come apart to easily. One solution is to sew button holes into the end channels so the rope in which the nettles attach to can stay in place. I am going to call this rope the binding rope since it binds the clew to the hammock body. Further the binding rope needs to have loops at the end for the end nettles to attach to. This will stop the rope from pulling out of button holes. Make the rope the length of the width of the hammock. I have not explored shorter lengths for the binding rope.

    The binding rope ends:

    IMG_0829 by bohlmann.eric, on Flickr

    Make an adjustable locked brummel at each end. Further down the rope splice in a line with a knot at end facing the locked brummel. I sewed the slice because it was the easiest solution. Thank you Dedominick for that suggestion. This will give you a loop that can be opened for the nettle rest in and be closed so it won't slip out. There is probably many ways to make the end, but that's what seemed the best to me.


    Fear of tangles:

    If you are worried about the clew tangling then consider attaching a piece of no-seem-netting or fabric between the nettles. This should stop the clews from tangling. Another option would be to make a shell around the entire clew.


    Future things to discover:

    -How small of a hammock body could be used with clues and still get maxim comfort?
    -How small of a clew can be created?
    - How would a clew and a hammock body shaped like a parallelogram affect comfort?
    -How many clues are necessary?
    -Could I make a continuous loop from Amsteel instead of metal ring?


    There is a lot of exploring to do with hammocks and roped ends and clews provide a reusable and adaptable way to explore that relationship. I hope this encourages more individuals to give it a try and see what can be done!

  2. #2
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    The first thing I noticed is that the line probably weighs more than the nylon or polyester cloth that now fills that space. That's aside from the tangles and hassles.

    That said it is interesting to see how it is done. I can easily see a porch hammock done that way. Thanks for sharing it.
    YMMV

    HYOH

    Free advice worth what you paid for it. ;-)

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by nothermark View Post
    The first thing I noticed is that the line probably weighs more than the nylon or polyester cloth that now fills that space. That's aside from the tangles and hassles.

    That said it is interesting to see how it is done. I can easily see a porch hammock done that way. Thanks for sharing it.
    You're welcome and I hope you give making clews a shot!

    You are probably right about the line weighing more than that material that would of occupied that space, but the comfort provided by the clew is greater than that distance of fabric could provide. Also, you might be able to use less material for the hammock body that could be weight savings.

    As for tangles and hassles, that can be managed or made obsolete with design features or how you pack your hammock into the stuff sack. Consider not putting the ring into the stuff sack so it can't become tangled. As mentioned in the post, consider putting a price of material between the the top and bottom lines of the nettles.

    There is more to gain from clews than is lost!

  4. #4

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    A way to avoid tangling of lines.

    Here are two ways to help lines not to become tangled. I took a piece of no-see-um netting and safety pins and mocked it up quickly. If this was a finished project it would cover the length of the nettles.

    The first option is to take make channels, from one piece of fabric, for each nettle to go threw. Make sure to leave enough material between each nettle.


    Picture0310141423_1 by bohlmann.eric, on Flickr

    The second option would be to create a cover for the nettles. This option would be quicker to make and require less sewing. I don't think it would be needed while the hammock is hung. This option would be more like snake skins for tarps and would only needed to be used when storing it.


    Picture0310141423_2 by bohlmann.eric, on Flickr

  5. #5

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    You could use the loofa snake skin thing people have been discussing recently to insure you have a tangle less hammock! So many options!

  6. #6

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    Experiment 10- failed


    IMG_8687 by bohlmann.eric, on Flickr

    I tried making a clew that from the ring to the edge of the hammock body only covered 10 inches of distance. This mean that each nettle was a different length, the longest ones being 26 inches and the shortest one being 10inches. I hung it up and the sides of the hammock went as limp as wet spaghetti noodles. the only place there was tension was from center nettles, that shortest ones.

    What happened?

    As I thought about what went wrong I realized that when a hammock is hung it never opens up the full width of the fabric. I had made clews that went the entire width of the hammock instead of the width of a hung hammock. I put my regular clues back on, they are 26inch long nettles, and had my wife measure the width the hammock body when I was laying in the hammock. I adjusted several times, but each measurement came up 17 inches on the foot end.

    What can I gather from this?

    -If I want to make shorter clews I need to know how wide a hammock body, when hung and under tension, will be at the nettle connection point.
    -When I make the next set of clews they should be half the width of the hung and tensioned hammock where the nettles connect.
    -I suspect the length of the hammock body will affect how wide the ends open. I don't have, at this time, different length hammocks to test this.

    Next steps:
    -I'm going to make 9inch clews and see how that affects the hammock. I hope this still provides great comfort with less material.
    -I'm about 5'10'' and wanted to experiment with a hammock body length of 8 feet. With this size of a hammock and the 9 foot something hammock I have right now I'm can see length affects the length of nettles needed.
    -I might hold of on the clew with various length nettles and just try and see how a clew with equal length short nettles affects the hammock.

    I really would like to buy a bunch of hollow braid rope and make a set of clews that have adjustable nettles, but I don't want to spend the money. The upshot of not having adjustable clews is that I'm getting pretty fast at making them now.

    this type of hammock is the most comfortable hammock I have. I have a XLC, which is fantastic, but what the clews contribute make it a much more comfortable hammock than the XLC. Thats my opinion and I'm sticking with it!

    A side note: if you want to store a hammock with clews, but don't have covers for them, then just knot the clew a few times, not to tight, and tangling won't be an issue. It worked for me.

  7. #7
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    Thumbs up

    Useful stuff - thanks. This has been in my list of "things I need to learn" for some time. Now I have no excuse.

  8. #8
    Senior Member dirtwheels's Avatar
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    There are many ways to skin a cat. Or you could drop the artsy clew and use cords with loops on each end where tangling would never be an issue. Choose your own clew.



    Quote Originally Posted by Paprika bohlmann View Post
    Here are two ways to help lines not to become tangled. I took a piece of no-see-um netting and safety pins and mocked it up quickly. If this was a finished project it would cover the length of the nettles.
    Give me more darkness said the blind man,
    Give me more folly said the fool,
    Give me stone silence said the deaf man,
    I didn't believe Sunday School.
    Phil Keaggy

  9. #9
    Senior Member dirtwheels's Avatar
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    The more material one can replace with cordage the more visibility will be improved.

    Quote Originally Posted by Paprika bohlmann View Post
    You are probably right about the line weighing more than that material that would of occupied that space, but the comfort provided by the clew is greater than that distance of fabric could provide. Also, you might be able to use less material for the hammock body that could be weight savings.

    As for tangles and hassles, that can be managed or made obsolete with design features or how you pack your hammock into the stuff sack. Consider not putting the ring into the stuff sack so it can't become tangled. As mentioned in the post, consider putting a price of material between the the top and bottom lines of the nettles.

    There is more to gain from clews than is lost!
    Give me more darkness said the blind man,
    Give me more folly said the fool,
    Give me stone silence said the deaf man,
    I didn't believe Sunday School.
    Phil Keaggy

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by dirtwheels View Post
    There are many ways to skin a cat. Or you could drop the artsy clew and use cords with loops on each end where tangling would never be an issue. Choose your own clew.

    I dig it! How did you attach the nettles to the hammock body?

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