86thMt Merrion K2ScoutTroop
How to… Pioneering
Pioneering
Pioneering involves the process of designing and constructing equipment for practical uses. This can
range from a simple washstand for your bowl to a cantilever raising bridge across a river. Pioneering
requires a familiarity with knots and lashings and their appropriate use. With the more ambitious
projects teamwork and forward planning will be welcome additions to the pioneers skill set.
For Scouts pioneering can serve many practical and useful purposes. A lengthy camp will be made all the
more comfortable with the addition of gates, benches, tables, washstands, dressers, showers and other
items. Pioneering can be great fun, simple monkey bridges and aerial runways can be as much fun to
build as they are to use.
Using your skills to construct a bridge across a lake can serve both the enjoyment and practical sides in
one go. You certainly learn how to tie your lashings properly once you have walked over a bridge and
have it collapse under you!
Ropes
Always check your ropes and lashing lengths before you start. Never consider using frayed ropes or
ropes that have been stored badly and appear to be rotting. Never let anyone stand on your ropes – bits
of grit will get ground into the fibres and will damage them. Wet ropes should always be hung to dry and
very muddy ropes should be washed carefully and dried before going into store.
Spars
Spars must be tested for soundness. Saw cuts and cracks on the outside will be obvious but the inside
may also be weakened by rot and splits. To test for internal damage, get two people to hold the spar
horizontally, half a meter above firm ground. At a given signal, the heavier end is allowed to drop to the
ground. The spar will give a hollow ring if it is sound. A dull thump will indicate rot and a twang, like a
ruler plucked against a tabletop, indicates dangerous splits.
The "A" Frame
The basic 'A' frame is very simple to produce and can provide hours of entertainment. It can be built
using staves or full size spars, depending on what you plan to do with it and it only needs three lashings.
Walking the Giraffe
Make an 'A' frame out of staves or light spars and attach 2 ropes to the top and 2 to the bottom ends of
the two side spars.
Stand the frame vertically and 4 Scouts, holding the ropes, can make the 'A' frame (or giraffe) walk along
the length of the Hall. Points are deducted for dragging.
Sedan Chair
Make an 'A' frame but lash a couple of extra spars parallel to the base to form a seat.
Lay the frame flat on the floor and one member of the Patrol sits of the seat.
The rest of the Patrol lift the frame shoulder high and carry it around the hall.
The Indian Travois
Build an 'A' frame with slightly bigger spars and then string a couple of lashing lengths between the legs
to provide a 'load platform' This can be quite useful for transporting tents, provided the ground is firm
but not across the Warden's lawn! The travois was quite a common sight in old cowboy films for
transporting injured people and more dignified for them than being slung face down over a horse's
saddle.
The Scout Transporter
Build an 'A' frame using full size spars - the sides of the frame need to be 4m (12ft) spars.
Do the sheer lashing at the apex some 1m - 1.5m (3ft - 4'6") from the top of the frame.
Tie two long ropes to the top of each spar.
Push the frame into the stream so that the butt ends of the legs are approximately in the centre, with
the top of the frame resting on the bank.
One of the ropes tied to the top of the frame goes to each bank and a further spar is required on each
bank.
To use the transporter, a Scout sits on the top of the frame between the spars, facing the opposite bank.
The Patrol lifts the top of the frame with the bottom bearing on the bank of the stream. The loose spar
is used to push the frame upright into a vertical position. The Scout sitting on the frame holds on for all
he or she is worth! Once the frame is upright, it is controlled by hauling on the ropes. The Scout being
transported holds tight until the frame is past the vertical and he or she can jump off onto the opposite
bank.
Although not for the faint hearted, using a Scout Transporter builds a sense of trust between the
members of the Patrol.
Basic Camp Gateway
Equipment
- 8 x light spars 2.5m (8ft) long
- 2 x light spars 2m (6ft) long
- 4 x light spars 1.5m (4ft) long
- Sisal
- Large pegs or pickets
- Troop name board
Method
The sides of the gateway are made from two narrow trestles. As they will not be carrying a great load
they should only need a single diagonal brace, which saves time.
The sides are held upright by an additional spar lashed to the middle of the top horizontal spar with a
square lashing. The position of this outer leg should be adjusted so that the sides lean outwards slightly
and can stand on their own.
Lash the two remaining spars across the top of the gateway and hang your name board from the front.
Camp dresser - Basic
Equipment
- 6 x staves 1.8m long
- 2 x staves 0.5m long
- Sisal
- 2 x pegs
- Roll top table or more short staves
Method
Select the two straightest staves for the work top. Using the remaining staves, make two identical A
frames ensuring the horizontal bars are at waist height. Use a sheer lashing at the top and square
lashings on the horizontal staves. (a)
Lash the other long staves on top of the short horizontal staves using square lashings. If you are using a
roll top table, make sure that it will sit on these staves without falling through. (b)
If you have a square or rectangular washing up bowl it can be supported in the dresser by two additional
short staves. (c)
The rest of the dresser should be covered with either the table top or more short staves.
To ensure that the dresser is quite stable, drive a peg into the ground at each end of the dresser and run
a guy line from one peg, across the A frames to the other peg. Secure the guy line to the pegs with a
mooring hitch or round turn and two half hitches and to the A frames with clove hitches.
Table and Benches v1
Equipment
- 4 x 3.6 metre (12 ft) spars
-7 x 3 metre (10 ft) spars
-approximately 20 light spars x 2 metre (6 ft) long
-20 x lashing lengths
-sisal or light rope.
Method
Construct 2 A frames using 2 x 4 metre spars and 1 x 3 metre spar (a).
Join the 2 A frames together using 3 x 3 metre spars. The lower spars are lashed on the top of the
bottom cross members of the A frames.
Two more 3 metre spars are lashed between the A frames to support the table top (b).
The last two 3 metre spars are lashed alongside the lower spars joining the A frames to form the bench
seats.
The actual table top is made up of light spars that rest on the support members and are held in place
with a couple of turns of sisal or light rope.
If your lashings are good and tight the table is now complete, but it may be necessary to add a couple of
guys for more stability.
Wood Store
A simple wood shed can be the best gadget you will build for your campfire. When the morning comes
and all the others are trying to light their kindling that has been soaked overnight, you can cooly walk up
to your perfectly dry wood store and proceed to make breakfast and a nice cup of tea, put your feet up
and watch everyone else struggle.
The idea is a simple one. Lash together a frame around uprights driven into the ground (be sure to make
the front two uprights longer than the back two to form a sloping roof frame). If your uprights have
forked ends you can simple lay a pole across between them to support the roof.. Be sure to lash some
poles across to form several shelves. Construct a roof and lay across the top of your frame.
You now have a simple waterproof store for your wood. I suggest your store your wood in 'grades' from
large to small. Be sure to include plenty of dry kindling, you will need it. It may be sensible to place the
larger grades at the top, and the kindling on the lower shelves, just in case the roof does leak a little. For
a perfectly dry wood store, construct side and front panels, or cover in plastic sheeting.
Shoe Scraper
This is a candidate for 'Simplest Gadget Ever'. Simple place an upright 'board' in between four pegs
driven into the ground. You can now scrap the mud off your shoes and keep the campsite tidy.
Ceremonial Flag Pole
This simply consists of several long poles lashed firmly together (shear lashing) driven into the ground.
You will want to attach guy lines at least to the upper part of the pole to secure it, but preferably at
intervals up the height of the pole. Simply stake out with pegs as you would a main guy for a tent.
On your upright you will need a cross piece (around four fifths of the way up) and a smaller pole that
extends outwards at a right angle to the 'cross'. Connect rope as shown in the diagram to complete and
peg down with guy lines as before.
Bowl Stand
A bowl stand is perhap the most 'common' gadget made at camp. Simple to construct and useful it is a
good item for those learning about pioneering and gadgets. All you need to do is select three suitable
lengths of wood (good strong stout branches, not thin weak ones as they will not take the weight of the
bowl of water).Simply lash the three branches together about one half to a third of the way down the
length. Then open out the tripod so that the three legs are interlocking and 'resting' upon one another.
Place a bowl firmly into the top and ensure the stand is sturdy. You may want to secure the feet by
driving them into the ground a little.
Note that several different lashing types could be used, although I recommend a simple shear lashing
with frapping turns. The trick is to make the lashing and frapping turns slightly loose so that the tripod
can open out.
To finish off you can attach a cross frame around the top or bottom of the tripod and add optional
extras like towel holders.
Clothes Line
A line for drying those tea towels and sundry clothing items will be essential for any camp kitchen. This
is very simple to construct, as you can see from the picture. Simply drive two uprights into the ground
and lash a cross piece to join them across the top. To ensure the structure is sturdy you could add two
further poles lashed at an angle to form a simple 'A' frame at either end. Attach guy ropes to the two
ends and peg out to keep the clothes rack on the ground in those high winds. You can add several lines
by lashing ropes across the uprights (or even saplings), on which you can hang your towels to dry.
Filter Bin
A filter bin is another gadget that I would consider essential for the camp kitchen. Waste disposal is very
important to handle correctly at camp, hygiene in camp is very important to control for everyone's good
health. You will need to build at least two types of bins, one for dry refuse (e.g. empty packets, tins,
sweet wrappers) and one for those with a 'wet' content (food slops, dirty washing up water etc.).
Simply construct two 'box' frames formed from uprights driven into the ground lashed together. It
would be good idea to site the bins in the same place, within the same frame. Attach a strong plastic bag
within each box securing it firmly at the corners at least. Both of the bags should have perforated
bottoms (use a fork to make plenty of small holes). The dry bin can be now left as is. The wet bin will
now require lining with some material to absorb the waste. A sensible technique would be bracken on
the bottom weighed down with small stones. A layer of charcoal and then sand/gravel should go on top
of this, finished off with a layer of bracken. This will have all the properties to absorb all types of waste,
water/grease etc. If you want to finish this off you could construct a lid to cover the bins (if you think the
local wildlife will be inspecting the left-overs when you turn in for the night) although I would leave the
lid off during the day for ease of use and to remind everyone exactly where they should be putting their
rubbish!