Getting tentage ready for PIP

[Jack Roberts]

I have gotten the solution of the long ridgepole for my fly ...by adding a hinge in the middle so I can pack the nine foot + sections directly on top of either the trailer or jeep

Do you have any pics? I'm curious on how you did this. I might be doing the same.

[callenish gunner]

I ended up revising it when I encountered some 40+ mph winds it needed to be a bit more stable! so I used two braces of 1"x4"x3' and 1/2 inch bolts to create a reinforced joint between the two sections figured I'd rather be safe than sorry!!

[William Brand]

This may be a bit off subject, but...

...who here snores?

[Capt. Sterling]

ROTDLMBAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! start another thread!!

[Jack Roberts]

I'm not prone to snoring but talking in my sleep, HA! Just ask my wife, I've carried on entire conversations with her (They don't make any sense) and I can't remember anything.

But digressing back to the topic of tents, I just finished making my poles for mine. I went to visit my parents in Georgia this weekend. My dad and I spent all day yesterday making them. Of course I took pictures and here they are.

Freshly cut trees. You'd be amazed how hard it is to find tall straight trees. Never really dawned on me until I had too look.

My Dad didn't have a draw knife or bark spud. So we used a machete like a draw knife.

Here is the frame.

Now the finished tent.

Still have some work. Next will be the PC ropes and such. The ridge pole will

have to be sleeved. Broke my heart to cut it in half but alas I had no choice but to. I'm so excited I can't wait til PiP.

[Black Mab]

Oh that looks wonderful!!! You have tons of space in there, too.

Thanks for providing all the pictures . . . let us know how the sleeve works.

[Patrick Hand]

I was going ta say, you could cut some offa th' ridge pole....... then I thought 'bout it...... dang.... you could hang a latnern offa it.... an that could be cool....

Hey Great job.........

[William Brand]

That's fantastic. It's nice to see porjects from beginning to end, now, and for future participants.

[michaelsbagley]

I was doing some surfing this evening and I stumbled across the below link that was posted on one of the 18th century message boards that I am on...

Period treatment for canvas

I thought of this thread and figured it might make a nice addition....

[Patrick Hand]

Just be aware that it will make your tent much heaver...

My oiled groundcloth is covered with a 50 50 mix of boiled linseed oil and terpentine (then left outside for about a week untill it is really dry (remember the oily rags and spontaionus compustion thing...))

It stays flexable and waterproof, but it weighs about twice as much as just the canvas did befor treatment.

[Misson]

You know, Amajiria's (Jack's) stuff was really well done. While were dreaming up presentations for next year, what about having Jack explain some of the PC tentage, it's production and so forth? He really did a bang up job with it. (Someone else will have to film him, of course. )

[Jack Roberts]

Thanks for the complement Mission. I could do that, but I certainly hope someone else does all the filming next year. Dang it I want to play.

[William Brand]

I'll bring Andrew to film. We're doing a short drama piece next year.

[Animal]

I was planing on making a tent for next year but deceided to go the way of Patrick and do a hammock and skeeter netting this year. Lot less to carry in and loose.

Animal

[Patrick Hand]

a Hammoc be the way te go (well if yer outside O' th' fort war thar be trees.....) hey ask Nigel.....

But ye still need a tarp.....

But that be easy..... just a chunka cloth...about 8x8 or 10x10 ter string over you.....

This year Nigel had a chunka poly ( blue) tarp.... so he took it down everyday so it didn't look bad/tacky.... kept him dry... but a chunka cloth... and he wouldn't have had to take it down each day.....

And it don't have to be anything special or heavy... just enough to shade and slow down any rain......and yer good ter go......

4 yards of cheap cotton cloth (or a little more)cut in half and sewn together....... will make a good enough tarp......

Then layin' in yer hammoc.. under a tarp........ wigglin' yer toes (red sock optional) and looking out at the sea....... PRICELESS.......

[callenish gunner]

been putting the fine tuning on my sutlery tentage ...finally fixed the ridge pole for the fly so it's portable and sturdy and had to add some battens to the edges of the fly to keep that secure and i will be making painted tent floors/rugs for inside (very period)

made a period looking enclosure for the portable shower unit with the propane water heater ....

also have been working on the rest of the camp with the kitchen box and other additional accoutrements have to make a couple of open woodne crates to haul the cast iron pots and skillets.....i have several dutch ovens and large cast iron skillets and a four gallon covered kettle with tripods and fire-irons with trammels

....just placed the order for the camp beds and a couple of chests ....

once the weather breaks here i'll post pictures of the tentage with floor plans and details

[Fayma Callahan]

Where did you order your chests and beds from? I am in need of both items, as well as some other things.. but I want to get started.

[callenish gunner]

I went to a friend who owns Fort Augusta Woodworking ....pm me and I'll send you the particulars excellent period and modern modifications for convenience

[RustyNell]

Hack... hack... cough....cough.... $165.00 ...... sputter sputter......

You can hand sew one outta linen or Hamp camvas for a heck of a lot cheaper than that...........

If you don't wanna hand sew.... you can still make one for a lot less than that..........

And if you don't care if it's linen or hemp canvas...... you can make it even cheaper.......

$165.00 for a 15 x 15 foot chunka (cotton..... ok treated ) canvas........

NO WAY.........

Our tent comfortably slept 4 with room to spare and it cost us about 80.00 total. We bought a couple of giant canvas drop cloths, some water/fire-proofing stuff, and chopped down some malaluca for the tent poles.

It took a little work but it sure beat dropping 500.00 on a period tent.

[RustyNell]

This may be a bit off subject, but...

...who here snores?

LOL!!!

OK I DO!! like anyone that slept INSIDE the fort doesn't already know that LOL!!

[RustyNell]

Where did you order your chests and beds from? I am in need of both items, as well as some other things.. but I want to get started.

Fayma,

Chris and I kept hitting thrift stores and good wills until we finally found out chest. I don't think he spent over 50 bucks for it. And we used an inflatable bed we got at a thrift store for about the same amount, we hid it under blankets during the day then plugged it in and blew it up at night.

[Fayma Callahan]

Good idea, I'll have to find some local shops. We live in a small town, and I don't think we have a Goodwill shop, but I think there are some thrift shops in the next town over. I'll have to start looking them over. Callenish sent me some good stuff too. We also are looking at tentage, and I have been actively researching options there too. Keep the tips coming!

[RustyNell]

Good idea, I'll have to find some local shops. We live in a small town, and I don't think we have a Goodwill shop, but I think there are some thrift shops in the next town over. I'll have to start looking them over. Callenish sent me some good stuff too. We also are looking at tentage, and I have been actively researching options there too. Keep the tips coming!

Fayma,

We literally used paint drop cloths, and went out into the woods and cut down malaluca branches for the poles. I sewed two 12 x 15 drop clothes together. We had to water and fire proof them, and the water proofing wasn't the best so we put plastic tarp on the inside to keep water out that first night. It worked though.

[Littleneckhalfshell]

Just wondering why no one uses Bamboo for the ridge pole of their tent?

I think Bamboo is found native in the south, so it would have been available for use.

The Journal of William Dampier", was supposedly found stashed in a hollow bamboo tube.

Years ago to make a pavilion for a town festival food booth, I used a long rug bamboo rod for the ridge pole and a poly tarp for the canvas, I think I was spanning 12 feet. It worked great, and it was a lot lighter than a wooden ridge pole. I would think that Bamboo would also be more aesthetic than 2x4's

and would lend itself to sectioning a lot better (use a dowel epoxied into one end and on the socket of the other section reinforce it with expoxied wire wrapping that would then be covered up with rope wrapping.)

Another thing that I would find interesting for a temporary camp tent would be the use of oars for the cross legs. I missed out on salvage of a whole bunch of wooden oars a number of years ago, would have been the ideal thing to give the tentage that nautical look.

[RustyNell]

Just wondering why no one uses Bamboo for the ridge pole of their tent?

I think Bamboo is found native in the south, so it would have been available for use.

The Journal of William Dampier", was supposedly found stashed in a hollow bamboo tube.

Years ago to make a pavilion for a town festival food booth, I used a long rug bamboo rod for the ridge pole and a poly tarp for the canvas, I think I was spanning 12 feet. It worked great, and it was a lot lighter than a wooden ridge pole. I would think that Bamboo would also be more aesthetic than 2x4's

and would lend itself to sectioning a lot better (use a dowel epoxied into one end and on the socket of the other section reinforce it with expoxied wire wrapping that would then be covered up with rope wrapping.)

Another thing that I would find interesting for a temporary camp tent would be the use of oars for the cross legs. I missed out on salvage of a whole bunch of wooden oars a number of years ago, would have been the ideal thing to give the tentage that nautical look.

We plan to use bamboo next year. We used malaluca because we could readily chop it down without anyone complaining, Its everywhere - no one wants it and its a "paper" tree so its light as a feather. Still in the end its not that strong, so next year we'll use bamboo.