Noob DIY Hammock Question

[LEGage]

To those who have made their own Hammock.

Where exactly does the diagnol lay end up being?

I am planning on making my first Hammock. A 2 ply hammock with a pocket for an inflatable mattress, just like the Sky Bed design. I will even trim the ends in the same manner Sky Bed does on the gathered ends, leaving a rectangle in the middle. So is the flat lay perfectly from corner to corner of rectangle, or does the foot end slide down the side of the rectangle towards the head?

I will lay in it and test to see where I lay, but looking for pearls of wisdom from people who have made their own hammock.

Thanks,
Larry

[ChrisJHC]

I wouldn’t over-complicate your first DIY. Most gathered-end hammock are just rectangular sheets of fabric that are then “gathered” at the end with the whipping.

If you can use a pair of scissors and a sewing machine you can make a basic gathered-end hammock very easily.

Once you’ve made your first, you can start playing with more exotic shapes. Most people don’t bother.


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[Kayak_Medic]

Words of wisdom is make your first hammock a simple gathered end hammock. Also, you don't need any weird cuts to leave a rectangle in the middle for a flat lay. You can easily get a perfect flat lay in a simple gathered end piece of rectangular fabric, provided it's long enough to allow you to lay at a 20-30 degree diagonal. I'd shoot for an 11 to 11.5' finished hammock. Regarding where the diagonal lie happens, it's pretty much in the middle, if not slightly towards the head. Don't over complicate things. I made my first double layer with two openings on the side, and despite my best effort at picturing in my head where to put the openings based on how i would lay, and trying to account for where they'd actually end up after I turned the fabric right side out, the openings were exactly opposite of where I wanted them. Doh! The hammock still works perfectly fine, despite my wonky opening placement. I can still insert a sleeping pad, or sheet of Clima shield for insulation. Good luck. Also, might I suggest skipping the sewn channel at the end for gathering. Instead, use the modified sheet bend method that uses a continuous loop to secure the ends. This will allow you to try different gather methods to help minimize any calf ridge you may get.

[hutzelbein]

Do you have a Sky Bed or did you try one? I got one for curiosity's sake, and I don't think it offers a flatter lay than the Warbonnet hammocks. And I agree with the others: as a first project, make a simple gathered hammock. The Sky Bed design is pretty complex and unless you're very lucky, you will have to build a couple of prototypes until you have a working design. In addition to the design, the seams are problematic. You will need to find a fabric that can take the stress. Most fabrics are not up to it.

[WillUpnDown]

I've sort of figured out that length and width are both helpful, but main issue with any hammock is that push-back when we lay. The tight knots at the ends cause some of this. I've got a stretcher idea that is either amazing, or is going to dump me one night into mud. 14" 1/2" aluminum tube, so a 70" fabric gathered to 14" is a 1:5 squeeze, as opposed to the typical 35:1 squeeze. There will be 10 nettles-strings to a ring to even out the strain (or to help send me head first into the mud....)
Also the flat lay for any regular hammock is actually dead center and 90 degrees. Any diagonal lay is a compromise--ending at the 'banana'. This of course leads to all those 'alternative' designs, bridges etc... I do agree the bridge concepts are a bit complicated (as my stretcher nonsense will initially be; but hopefully not for 'hangs'). The diagonal lay is then a compromise, eventually a happy compromise, Warbonnet seems to have figured it out, and there's room for mods that help, like the Knotty Mod.

[gargoyle]

What hammocks have you actually laid in, Will?
If the skybed is your only reference point, I'd suggest trying a few other quality hammocks.

The diagonal lay is the solution for most folks here.
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Edit; LEGage was the OP with the skybed. my bad.