How do I rig footropes on yards?

A Footrope Jig

I have had several requests for a description of the jig I use to make and install footropes. Following is that description. I am sure many of you are using similar jigs already, or, are using other means to accomplish the same ends. If so, I sure would like to hear about them.

The Jig

First you need a piece of soft pine (This is one of the rare cases where you want a soft wood) about 7 or 8 inches long, by about 4 to 5 inches wide (exact size is not important, but it should be squared). I'm using a piece of 1/2 inch flat door trim molding. It should be sanded smooth, no other finishing is required, but oiling the surface is helpful. Draw a line about 1 inch in from one of he the long edges, parallel to that edge. Along this line you want to drill a series of 1/8 inch holes. Drill the first two holes about 1/2 an inch on either side of the center line of the board, then, drill the rest about 1/2 inch apart down the line on both sides. Oh, yes, it is important to drill these holes in as straight a line as possible,

Cut 4 or 5, 1/8 inch dowels long enough so that when inserted in the holes mentioned above, they stick up above the board about an inch. You do not need a dowel for each hole. The extra holes are for adjustment depending on the size of the yard you are working on.

The last step in building the jig it self, is to insert several of the just cut dowels in the drilled holes. At least one in the center most holes and one on each end of the board. Then, carefully, measure from the upper edge of each dowel, not from the line you first drew, but from the edge of the dowels closest to the narrow part of the board, down to the wider part of the board the equivalent of 3 feet in the scale you are working in, and make a dot (In 1:96 that would be 3/8ths of an inch, in 1:64 - 9/16 and in 1:48 - 3/4 of an inch). Then connect the dots. That means draw a line parallel with the dowels, 3 scale feet below the upper edge of the dowels. You now have a jig.

How to Use the Jig

Now life gets complicated. First, dress the yard for footropes. In other words, attach, in the manner you choose, all the parts that make up foot ropes. First attach one end of the foot ropes themselves just out side the sling cleats, port & starboard, then attach the stirrups along the yard per your plans. Let them hang. Make them all longer than they should be, and then, a little longer yet.

Now, place the dressed yard on the jig above the dowels (the narrow side) letting the footrope and the stirrups "hang" below the dowels toward the scale lines you have drawn. Then the Shock! you can't make he yard touch all the dowels at once. I hope not. Reason? the yard is tapered, thus on this jig, you can only work on one side of the yard at a time. ( you can make a jig that will compensate for this, but it is far more complicated) I then use a couple of small spring clamps over the yard and clamped to the dowels to hold the yard in position.

Next is the use of either brads and/or T-pins. Where the stirrups cross the 3 ft. scale line you want, stick a T-pin or brad. The choice of a T-pin or brad is based on the diameter you want the eye on the stirrup that the footrope passes through to be. (I usually place the stirrup line on the left side of these pins.)

You then form with your fingers, the footrope that is attached to the opposite side of the slings in a proper curve on top of the stirrups 'to be', along the 3 foot scale line (against the bottom of pins) out to the yard arm Where it should be seized. Two or three T-pins should also be used between where the foot rope is attached at the slings and the first stirrup pin to facilitate a nice curve.(Oh yes! while doing all this, I usually smear all lines with a water diluted white glue or thinned head cement, to kind of make all the lines more manipulative and stiffen all up a bit). After the footrope has been seized at both ends, and forms a nice curve, it's time to complete the stirrups. The stirrups, at this point, should be lying in a straight line from the yard, under the footrope and to the left of a pin or brad. You then bring the tail of the stirrup up over the footrope and around to the right of the pin. At this point, you can either tie several half hitches around the stirrup it self, or, if you are a masochist, seize the stirrup to it self, snug up against the pin or brad. now both the pin and the footrope pass through the eye you have just seized, or tied in the stirrup. Lastly put a drop of glue (I use Fly tiers head cement) on the knot or the seizing, then when you pull the pin you have an eye with the foot rope passing through it.

Just an add on, These footropes will get curled, mangled, and messed up as you proceed with the rigging. The answer is diluted white glue or some other dressing and a lot of patience after all is done.

I hope this is understandable without drawings.
{Neb Kehoe}

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