Making a rope with a marlinspike - GIF

[TheElderBrother]

I'd love to get my hands on a marlinspike like that. I do rope-making with my Scouts for Pioneering Merit Badge, and I try to show off as many methods as I can.

I'm make one but I don't have access to a lathe.

[WmRMeyers]

I'd love to get my hands on a marlinspike like that. I do rope-making with my Scouts for Pioneering Merit Badge, and I try to show off as many methods as I can.

I'm make one but I don't have access to a lathe.

Got a drill and a file? Drill and angle grinder? A torch or even a fire pit and a chunk of iron you can use as an anvil? A file and some patience? Lots of ways to do what you want.

The guys who made the original lathes used hammers, chisels, files, and their minds to make all the tools they needed to make the machines. You do not NEED machines to make basic tools, though it can definitely speed things up. A hand drill, hand cranked, even, can be used. An electric drill is a bit easier. A simple drill press can also become a lathe.