Forgive me if this exists somewhere–I did a search and came up empty handed. Is there a general rule of thumb for estimating how much cordage/rope one needs by project? thanks
That all depends of course on the project. If you can be a little more specific maybe someone could help.
Can just repat what snellu wrote;
Without knowing type of knotwork intended, type of cord, size and a couple of other facts it is not even possible to guess.
I don’t think there is an easy way to estimate cord required but the following may help:
Make a small sample of say part of your project and see how much cord you used then calculate from there adding a safety margin (better a foot too much than an inch too little). This works pretty well for braided items such as dog leads.
For turks heads try a simple wrapping to give you an idea but add a sizeable margin to allow for the interweave, number of passes and slack which you will take out.
Check YouTube - many people specify how much cord they recommend for a given item - this may give you a baseline for your project from which you can estimate.
Always keep notes of how much cord you actually used for a project and how much you had left over - gradually you will build experience and join those of us who, in answer to your question, would say “about that much or maybe a bit more” without actually saying what “that much” is!
Sweeney
Thank you, this is what i was looking for (I guess I simply didn’t know how to ask the question)
I tie a lot of Turks Head Knots using a drafting tool called AutoCAD, which is similar to Knotmaker to print grids that wrap around different tubes. Once I have made a tool, I use a known length of line the first time I use it. I write the length used on the tool with a permanent marker. I have a nice collection of different sized Turks Head tools, and each tool will use the same length of line the next time I use it. Some I have only used once to test a design, others I have used many times, like my grid for making a Closed End Turks Head with Paracord that tightens onto a spherical glass ornament. If you need any ideas for upcoming holiday events, I have attached a photo of the finished knot. I can produce one in a half an hour if I concentrate, maybe three if I’m watching a football game. PM me and I’ll send you the PDF file. it’s too big to post here, I can’t shrink it below the posting restrictions.
Pat
Thank you I would love that! Will pm you
If you figure out how to shrink those files down to a size that will attach to this thread, please post them.
Pat