do you teach your apprentices KNOTS. ?????

[bren guzzi]

Just woundering do you guys teach your aprentices "knots" . They don't seem to over here. They don't need many but they come out of school not knowing how to do even a bowline. Just putting up our H poles we tie the four ropes at the top on bowlines and we use the trucker knot "in the pic" at the bottom ..... When I was in New Zealand as part of the linemans apprenticeship was a test . They had to learn 21 knots and 3 splices.. I still know all 21 and the splices. Its a bit frustrating that they know "so much" when they come to us from school. But can't tie a knot (that we use every day. )

Ps. The truckers knot is used in conjunction to four bars to hold the pole vertical after the digger puts it up. We can pull on the four ropes to plumb the pole. And as its held on the bars we climb up to undo the shackles from the slings . To free up the digger so iit can back fill the hole.

[Pootnaigle]

ummmmmmmm i tridea lurn em nots n usally after a year er so they dint needa knife to undo em.

[bren guzzi]

DOOH. !!!! Ment to post this pic as the second pic.. Its the digger (bucket removed) useing slings to put pole up..... (Its a quick release bucket )

[bren guzzi]

ummmmmmmm i tridea lurn em nots n usally after a year er so they dint needa knife to undo em.

That's my point exactly poot....... :). They can tell ya all the electrical theory, can "climb", and know a lot of other BS. But we need them to be able to tie us on gear so it don't fall off half way up and that we can take off the handline without a knife. Aint much to ask I reckon. :)

[BigClive]

While not being an expert at knots, I know enough to get by. Clove hitch is my main "fits-most" knot.

Remember, Bren. When one of your apprentices screws up and ties a randomly weird knot, tell them it's a "Circus knot". Then pause momentarily and say "Because it was obviously tied by a clown." :D

The Internet has sites with animated knot tying on them for learning the knots.

[Swamprat]

Absolutely Bren.:cool:
Taught em how to Braid rope too.

Somethin alot of Linemen don't know how to do real well.
Stuff like, just correctly makin up a Real Handline, with a "slip" becky on the end of the block.

When I was teachin Lineman Class's over in Saudi, I taught all the Basic and Standard Knots.
After a few days of practicing the knots, to where most of em had it, I'd tell the class, "Ok...stand up, put your hands behind your back, and tie me a Bowline."
Then I'd shut the lights off in the classroom.

(Go ahead, Try it);)

Use to teach how ya needed to Know the knots so well, that you could tie em with your eyes closed...cause sometimes, ya had to tie a knot FAST, and in bad lighting...or Night.

When I came back to the states, and went back to work as a Lineman, Use to do the same thing. Anytime an app. asked me to show em or explain somethin, I'd be more than happy too.
Sometimes After work, sometimes durin work. I worked non union contractor when I came back, so I was always happy to share anything with guys that were interested.

[bren guzzi]

In the 80,s swampy I also was in Saudi. Teaching linemen. It was funny we had all these plans to teach them heaps of stuff. BUT ! It took us a week to get them to go in the right truck.:( every morning when the first truck pullef out "they all jumped on it" maybe 50 guys. Coz they were afraid of getting left behined (and therefore not paid).
In the end we had to paint the trucks different colors and give the guys T shirts with the same color. And we litteralyy had to coral them into "their truck"

Differnt world. :).

Never got to teach them many knots.(Just the basics).
We once did a fibre optic earth wire change. And we need 17 one kilometer lenthes of rope spliced together. There were 16 strands in each. Took me an another guy 4 days of splicing (we had an instruction leaflet on how to do these splices "with pictures). But they all held togetherand we pulled the cable through with it.. (Only just rememberd that HA HA ). Happy days.

Well I'm off now on holiday.
Its. 5am here in Scotland and I'm off to England (the midlands) for a few days then back to Ireland for a week. So you guys keep the lights on for me untill I get back.

CIAO for now.