BUCKHORN CLIFFSA preparedness field manual

Tools and Repair · Skill

Sheet Bend

Joins two ropes, equal or not. Holds, then unties easily. When to use it, the four moves to tie it, and what makes it fail, with drawings.

Quick facts

Type
Bend
Holds when
Two ropes under a steady pull, even different sizes
Fails when
Tails on opposite sides (left-handed), or slack and shaking
Unties after load
Yes, it breaks open after loading

Joins two ropes, equal or not. Holds, then unties easily.

Part of Knots: which knot for the job, where the knot is picked by the problem. This page is the one knot: when it is the right one, the four moves to tie it, and what makes it fail.

When to use it

Join two ropesSame size or different.
Extend a lineGuy lines, tow lines, ridgelines.
Tarp cornerBunch the corner into a bight. No grommet needed.
Tie to a loop or eyeStrap eye, webbing, bag handle.
Netting and twineCord to rope, mesh repairs, snares.
Quick releaseTies in seconds, breaks open after loading.

How to tie it

Through, round, under.

Bight ropeWorking rope

  1. 1Sheet Bend step 1: Make the bightMake the bightBight in one rope. Other end up through it from behind.
  2. 2Sheet Bend step 2: Round the backRound the backOver the short leg, then round behind both legs of the bight.
  3. 3Sheet Bend step 3: Under itselfUnder itselfBack across the front and under its own line, not under the bight.
  4. 4Sheet Bend step 4: Snug it upSnug it upPull the two standing lines in opposite directions to set it.

Where it fails

Watch out

Both tails must end up on the same side of the knot. Tails on opposite sides make a left-handed sheet bend, which slips.

  • Unequal ropes? The thicker one makes the bight.
  • Slippery or very unequal ropes? Take a second turn round the bight before tucking.
  • Shakes loose when slack. Leave the tails a hand long.

The other three

Four knots cover nearly every job on a homestead, a campsite, or a truck. The rest are on the knots page, picked by the job.

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

How do you tie a sheet bend?

Make a bight in one rope, the thicker one if they differ. Bring the other rope's end up through the bight from behind, over the short leg, round behind both legs of the bight, then back across the front and under its own line, not under the bight. Pull the two standing lines apart to set it. Both tails end on the same side.

What knot joins two ropes of different sizes?

The sheet bend. The thicker rope makes the bight and the thinner one works round it. For very unequal or slippery ropes, take a second turn round the bight before tucking, which makes it a double sheet bend.

What is a sheet bend used for?

Joining two ropes, extending guy lines, tow lines and ridgelines, tying to a tarp corner bunched into a bight with no grommet, tying to a strap eye or bag handle, and joining cord to rope for netting and snares. It ties in seconds and breaks open easily after loading.

Why does my sheet bend slip?

The tails ended up on opposite sides of the knot, which makes a left-handed sheet bend. Retie it so both tails sit on the same side. If the ropes are slick or very different in size, add a second turn round the bight, and leave the tails a hand long so it does not shake loose when slack.

How do you tie a rope to a tarp without a grommet?

Bunch the tarp corner into a bight, wrap it once so it stays gathered, and tie a sheet bend to it with the line: up through the bunched corner from behind, round the back, and under its own line. It grips cloth the way it grips a rope bight.

Keep going

Read nextKnots: Which Knot to Tie for the Job, and How to Tie ItFour knots cover nearly every job. Pick by the problem: tie to a post, join two ropes, a loop that will not close, a tarp. Then the bowline, clove hitch, two half hitches and sheet bend, each drawn step by step with when it fails.Tools and Repair · Guide

Related to this

Tools and Repair · Skill Bowline Knot Loop. Holds: Steady pull on the loop. Fails: Slack and shaking, or stiff slick rope. Tools and Repair · Skill Clove Hitch Hitch. Holds: Steady, straight pull on a round pole. Fails: Sideways pull, slack, square posts, slick rope. Tools and Repair · Skill Two Half Hitches Hitch. Holds: Any steady pull, any post shape. Fails: Hitches turned opposite ways (a cow hitch), or a tail too short. Tools and Repair · Supply Synthetic Rope: Nylon vs Polyester vs Polypropylene Nylon is strongest and stretches; polyester holds tension wet; polypropylene floats
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