Reef knot
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Canonical Name: reef knot.
Variant Name(s): square knot.
Category: binding.
Origin: Ancient.
Related knot(s): thief knot, granny knot, grief knot.
Releasing: Jamming.
Efficiency: 48%.
Caveat: This knot should NEVER be used to fasten two separate pieces of rope together. It is far too insecure (contrary to common opinion). It spills easily, but this can be very useful in certain situations. To fasten two ropes together, use a Sheet bend or a Fisherman's knot instead.
Uses: Used to tie two ends of a single line together such that they will secure something that is unlikely to move much, such as furled sails. or a bandage. (The knot lies flat when tied with cloth and has been used for bandages for millennia.) With both ends tucked (slipped) it becomes a good way to tie shoelaces. It is also used decoratively. Finally, it is quite handy for tying plastic garbage or trash bags, as the knot forms a handle when tied in two twisted "ears".
Note: The working ends of the reef knot must be cis (that is, both at the top or both at the bottom); the other lines lead to the full rope. This is important; if the line ends are trans (that is, top on one side and bottom on the other), you produce a thief knot, which may slip out under load. (The "cis" and "trans" terms are derived from terminology used to describe geometric isomerism.)
It is called a reef knot because it was used to "reef" or tie up sails. It is called a square knot from its appearance.
A number of knotting guides have voted this knot "the worst knot", and noted that more deaths and injuries have been caused by its misuse than all other knots combined. Its symmetry and initial feel of security have led to it having a wide and undeserved reputation as a secure knot, which it certainly is not, especially if the ropes are of differing sizes or materials, or if the rope is likely to be bumped.
The International Guild of Knot Tyers (IGKT) warns that this knot should never be used to bend two ropes together even though many scout troops, and other organisations around the world, insist on teaching it for this very purpose. It is likely that this is the cause of most of the deaths referred to above.
If you pull on one end, at right-angles to the knot, it will loosen and invert (turning into a lark's head knot), hence its original purpose: it secured the furled-in sails, and is easily undone one-handedly by a sailor who is holding on with the other hand. The weight of the sail would drag the lark's head undone.
If you want to tie something securely, then investigate the bowline or other such loop knots.
The reef knot is one of the key knots of macrame textiles.
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Tying a square knot
To tie a reef knot, tie a left-handed overhand knot and then a right-handed overhand knot or vice versa.
The Boy Scout instructions for this knot are: right-over-left and under; left-over-right and through. (This knot is the first knot most Boy Scouts learn, and in fact mastery of the knot is listed among the joining requirements in the United States, and has been adopted as a symbol by the movement.)
Do not tie two knots of the same handedness. That makes a granny.
Alternative
A superior knot for joining two ropes is the sheet bend, or, better still, a Zeppelin bend.
See also
External links
- Grog's Animated Knots: How to tie the reef knot (http://www.grogono.com/knot/reef/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg)
- Notable Knot Index (http://www.geocities.com/roo_two/reefknot.html)
- IGKT Sea Cadet Knots (http://www.igkt.net/beginners/sea-cadet-knots.html)
