turtlelady's Bamboo Stand

[kreecher]

@titaniumfrycook - lol, perfect, you came out of lurkdom just like me because of this stand! With regards to the bowing upwards of the ridgepole, look a few posts higher at post #236. I'm re-assured to see that indeed it bends upwards like a bow as I thought it would, but at the bottom of that post I also included something I think may be a solution for this bowing of the weaker, more flexible ridgepoles (I happen to have a weaker one too ).

My stand is coming along nicely, but I'm waiting on some more amsteel to do the soft shackles and fixed loop that I proposed in my solution (there's a picture too ). Let me know if you have tested it out and if it works!

I have tied the same knots as you for suspension (double fishermans knot for the loops around the poles, prusiks (but with an extra turnaround) for the toggle thing for my hammock suspension. Not sure about everyone else. I didn't know all that much about tying knots either before I quite recently started hammocking, don't worry, you'll learn quick enough.

With regards to a flatter lay, it's the slack that'll help you there, not the trying to pull it like plank (I think you need a bridge hammock to do it that way, but with a gathered end, the flat lay is acquired differently). Try hanging from 90 to 91 inches and lay on a diagonal instead of like a banana. Also, because you made a DIY hammock, you can try to retie your hammock to become assymetrical. Being one side a bit longer than the other, this should help too.

The thing about the tripods is right IMO. And in this case, I need the amsteel I'm waiting for again. Gonna make me a flux capacitor thing to keep the legs together.

Good luck!

[turtlelady]

Titaniumfrycook -- Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the TL stand thread! Wow! When you decide to leap into DIY, you go all in. What a lovely stand and hammock you have there. Great pictures, too. Congratulations!

Your challenge now is to sort out all the variables of stand vs. hammock.

Kreecher is right that you need more slack to get a flatter lay and then to lay diagonally. Wider hammocks allow a more diagonal lay. How wide is your hammock?

You will be able to vary your slack incrementally by sliding the prusiks if you put the prusiks inside the hanging loops. It is amazing how much difference moving a prusik just an inch can make.

I can't imagine that your prusik tie point, right next to the hanging loop, as it is in the photo, is a problem. But it limits your adjustability for getting that slack dialed in.

I only once put my prusik knots outside the hanging loops, but mine were much further out from the hanging loop than yours. I was trying to move the tri-pods as close into the hammock as possible to minimize the footprint, and using the 10' steel ridgepole. This gave a long lever arm effect. It caused a major fail, folding the steel as if it were made of butter. It folded slowly, right in the middle of the pole.

Yes, you are close to the ground in these stands, and once again an inch gained here or there can make a great deal of comfort difference. It looks as if you may be able to hang several inches higher if you can shorten the hanging loop. By adjusting how the legs are oriented to the pole, you may get a clear path through the legs higher up. BTW, I hang my loop directly onto the lashings in order to spread the weights as evenly as possible onto all three poles. I notice your loop is tied directly to the center pole. Does it seem as though all the legs carry a similar load with your method?

Your method of connecting the hammock directly into the prusik appeals to me in the simplicity and economy of materials. For a stay at home stand this seems ideal once everything is dialed in. It will let you get every inch of height your stand can offer by eliminating all inches added by extra loops. It may make other things more difficult, however.

One other way to get an inch or two difference in height is the spread of the legs. Once you are comfortable with the stability of your stand, and your gracefulness of entering and exiting the hammock improves, you may choose a less stable and slightly taller stance for your tri-pod. This tightens up that clear path for the pole to pass through, so it is a balancing routine.

Keep us updated, and enjoy that rig. Oh, and you are welcome.

Joyfully, Turtlelady.

[turtlelady]

Kreecher -- Welcome back. You are most welcome to use my pictures to help illustrate your idea. I am gleefully awaiting reports and pictures of your explorations in building your stand. I like the way you think. LOL. In order to get the kind of portability you are wanting you are pushing the edges, so be safe in the process.

I am wayyyyyyyy out of my element to predict what effect your ridgeline whoopie will have, but my sense is that it is going to have very little effect in limiting the bow of your ridgepole system. It is a very good idea to put inanimate weight in your hammock for the first trial! I have used pillows, then set boxes of books on top of them. Maybe you can invite a neighbor in for the second round of trials after inanimate weight.

The spread limiter I put on my most recent stand was parachute cord put through holes drilled in the bamboo at 18" from the bottom end. The distance from one leg to the next at that point was 29".

[turtlelady]

Jason -- Thanks for the additional information on drilling the endcaps. I used my newest stand in two different motel rooms over the weekend. We bought the rail en route as planned. I bought the end caps, too, but never got those installed. Each night we were just tuckered out by the time we got to the motel room, so I just set up as usual. The one screw I quickly installed to the center poles just prior to leaving home certainly worked well, but I will be adding screws to the other four poles before the next use. Those side poles moved through the lashings several inches.

Have you experimented with that "proper" way to cross the side poles and lay the center one over it? I tried it early on and rejected it, but I can't remember why. I think it required the legs to spread much further than was practical for my parameters. Perhaps it was because I am lashing with very small cord and the tolerances are so close.

[turtlelady]

Each read more of a cool breeze ! Fun for a hot summer!
Even for those of us who are only constructing in our minds.

Vicarious pleasures, eh? So glad to be of service to you, G . . . Hawk!

[jwright]

TL - I finally got out of the hammock long enough to play with the tripod arrangement. I have spent the last three nights in it and am LOVING this thing.
I think you are right. The poles I am using are rather thick and to get the side ones to cross in front would take a really wide spread and you would lose a bit of space under the lashing. I couldn't get it to work well. I did end up with more of a twisted configuration. But with the screws below the lashings, I haven't had any slippage anyway. I also think the paracord has been living up to its reputation and has stretching.
I think I linked to a great pdf document with everything one could want to know about lashing, and clear illustrations that really show the 2 variations. Anyone making one of these should take a quick look.
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=...2seehv0NQAO9Qg
I really like the quick links. I have been making a lot of adjustments to the suspension and I like how easily it slides thru the links and no worries about sharp edges.
I have been wondering if this set up (ridgepole/connecting the whoopies in the middle) is more finicky than trees. I have had trouble getting a 30 deg suspension angle and the correct ridgeline tension. I am thinking it may have to do with the extremely short length of suspension prior to the link. Has anyone else found this to be true?
Thanks again to all.

Jason

[titaniumfrycook]

kreecher - I think I follow your idea, but the pic you posted is a little small for my eyes to handle. It sounds like you will be your own guinea pig! I found that moving my tripods about I could eliminate most of the bowing of the ridge pole. I'm willing to live with some bow and I've now found a happy meduim.

Good luck! Let us know how the design works out.

I was thinking about making two soft shackles to put around the toggles (red loops in picture) where the hammock would be suspended. I would also put a fixed loop in the middle of the pvc, gorilla tape enforced, sleeve tube that holds the two parts of ridgepole together. Then I would use my whoopie sling (yellow line in the picture) to connect to the soft shackles and feed it through the fixed loop.

[titaniumfrycook]

Turtlelady - Thank you!

Kreecher is right that you need more slack to get a flatter lay and then to lay diagonally. Wider hammocks allow a more diagonal lay. How wide is your hammock?

The unfinished fabric was 5' wide. After squirming around a bunch tonight while moving my tripods around and the suspension on the ridge pole in and out and back again, I think I've come to the conclusion that I wish the hammock was wider...maybe....I think. Are bolts of fabric always the same width?

You will be able to vary your slack incrementally by sliding the prusiks if you put the prusiks inside the hanging loops. It is amazing how much difference moving a prusik just an inch can make.

I understand your point. However, in my case I'm using those prusiks to "capture" the hanging loops such that the hanging loops from the tripod lashing can't move (in case they want to slide because the ridge pole is flexing). Also, I didn't have much luck moving the prusiks inside and then having the ridge pole flex like a giant "u" - I think part of the issue is that fact I'm using a long piece of pretty flexible wood, as opposed to a metal pole. ???

Yes, you are close to the ground in these stands, and once again an inch gained here or there can make a great deal of comfort difference. It looks as if you may be able to hang several inches higher if you can shorten the hanging loop. By adjusting how the legs are oriented to the pole, you may get a clear path through the legs higher up. BTW, I hang my loop directly onto the lashings in order to spread the weights as evenly as possible onto all three poles. I notice your loop is tied directly to the center pole. Does it seem as though all the legs carry a similar load with your method?

Yes, the legs feel secure and the load seems to be similar. Having the center leg of the tripod bearing down on the cross of the other two legs makes it very sturdy. I also haven't noticed any issue with the way I'm hanging the loops from the center leg of the tripod rather than the lashing.

I understand the point about tightening up the hanging loop - in order to the ridge pole to move further off the ground. However, the limiting factor here is space between the legs of the tripod. The taller the tripod, the smaller the angles the tripod forms at the top, which restricts the room for the ridge pole. Earlier in this thread someone pointed out that the ridge pole is really there to keep the tripods from tipping in towards eachother. I would love to use the tripod lashings as hammock suspension and then somehow put the ridgepole on top of the two tripod tops and somehow lash it down. I wonder if that would have any success?

Your method of connecting the hammock directly into the prusik appeals to me in the simplicity and economy of materials. For a stay at home stand this seems ideal once everything is dialed in. It will let you get every inch of height your stand can offer by eliminating all inches added by extra loops. It may make other things more difficult, however.

Man, no kidding! I wish I wasn't still trying to find the "sweet spot." Moving the entire tripod assembly just to tweak the prusiks is no bueno. Makes me wish I would have used an adjustable suspension.

Thanks for the responses,
John

[kreecher]

kreecher - I think I follow your idea, but the pic you posted is a little small for my eyes to handle. ...

You tried clicking on it?

@turtlelady - I'll be very careful. I've had bad images in my head of the broomsticks snapping and impaling me, lol. The neighbor as a second guinea pig sure sounds good right now.

If all goes well, I'll be able to have a functional hammock stand tonight. That is, one I'll put some bags of soil in. I'll take pictures and post them before it all falls apart.

[hppyfngy]

If all goes well, I'll be able to have a functional hammock stand tonight. That is, one I'll put some bags of soil in. I'll take pictures and post them before it all falls apart.

Better yet, set up the video camera for when you get in it!