[Knot: 2.5] When Is A Bend Not Enough?

Two Quick Questions Answered by Nick Kerpan


1. Why did you say, "Don't ask a sailor?"

It turns out that the Square Knot was never really intended to function as a bend, as shown in the example video in the last post. The purpose of the square knot (of reef knot) is to bind a rope around an object. To quote from "The Ashley Book Of Knots:"

"It is universally used for parcels, rolls and bundles. At sea it is always employed in reefing and furling sails and stopping clothes for drying. But under no circumstances should it ever be tied as a bend, for if tied with two ends of unequal size, or if one end is stiffer or smoother than the other, the knot is almost bound to spill. Except for its true purpose of binding it is a knot to be shunned."

The idea of the square knot being used as a bend is prevalent in scouting, and the listing for the reef knot in the original scout handbook is "The commonest knot for tying two ropes together. Frequently used in first-aid bandaging. Never slips or jams; easy to untie." Certainly a distressing and easily disproven assertion.

2. What if the difference in diameter of the two ropes is too big, and my sheet bend doesn't hold?

This certainly can be a real problem!

This knot certainly won't hold....so what do we do?

Technical Terms:

Round Turn: Wrapping the rope once around another object to increase friction

Bight: A loop formed between the ends of a rope

The solution: The Double Sheet Bend

By simply wrapping the thinner rope one more time through the bight formed by the thinner rope, you create a much stronger sheet bend.  

[Knots: 2] Square Knot Not Working: Don't Get Bent Out Of Shape

Tying the Sheet Bend with Nick Kerpan

The activities and instruction provided relates to the Scout Rank requirement 4a, Tenderfoot Rank requirement 3a, and the 2nd Class Rank requirement 2f. 

The Backstory

If you ask any scout or scouter (please don’t ask a sailor!) What the purpose of the Square Knot is, you’ll most likely hear this: To tie two ropes together. If you ask a slightly more pedantic person like me, you’ll get: To join two ropes of similar thickness. So my first question is, “Why?”


Home Activity #1: Unwinnable Tug-Of-WarTie two ropes of different thickness together with the Square Knot. Either by yourself or with a partner, pull on the two ropes. It should look something like this: Capsizing a Square Knot


So, how do you join two ropes that aren’t the same thickness? Enter the Sheet Bend

Technical Terms:

Bend: A knot that joins two ropes together


Tying the Sheet Bend: Tips and Tricks

1) The thicker rope stays folded in a ‘U’ shape (standing end), and the thinner rope is the moving piece (working end).

2) The thinner rope is going to wrap around the thicker. You’ll want to start the wrap by bringing the thinner rope under the thicker, and starting the wrap by passing over the tail of the thicker rope.

3) Notice how the thinner rope has created a ‘U’ shape at the bottom of the last image? This is the part that trips most people up! To finish the sheet bend, you want to pass the thinner rope through that ‘U’ shape, not the one formed by the thicker rope. Finish wrapping over the thicker rope, and bring the thinner rope down through that hole.

4) The last part of any knot that can trip people up is knowing how to tighten it. If you pull the wrong things in the wrong order, you can unravel all your hard work! The sheet bend works by cinching the thinner rope tightly in the ‘U’ of the bigger rope, so to tighten it, pull the tail of the thinner rope first, and then pull the tail of the thicker rope to make the knot snug.

And there it is, the Sheet Bend. If these images didn’t do it for you, your Scout Handbook or https://www.animatedknots.com/sheet-bend-knot may be helpful!


Home Activity #2: Square Knot to Sheet Bend Transformation

It turns out that the Square Knot and the Sheet bend are very similar. This next challenge is to start with a Square Knot, and change it into the Sheet Bend as efficiently and quickly as possible.

• Hint: one half of the square knot looks suspiciously like one half of the Sheet Bend

• Spoiler: I hope you've tried a few times first ;) or Here if the first link doesn't work