DIY Rope Fids

A rope fid allows you to separate individual strands of a braided rope. Depending on your needs, a fid with a trough that allows other ropes or threads to be pushed through the rope strands may be handy. Fids are not complicated and are easily fashioned out of common shop tools. If you wish to make a custom fid, consider turning a piece of hard maple on a lathe to produce a taper-ended fid.

Things You'll Need

  • Small wide-handled screwdriver
  • Flat tapered piece of wood
  • Lathe (optional)
  • Power drill (optional)
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Instructions

  1. Lathe Method

    • 1

      Place an 8- to 12-inch piece of 1-by-1-inch hard maple into a wood shop lathe. Put on safety goggles and turn on the lathe.

    • 2

      Place the paring tool on the spinning wood and gently apply pressure, going down the length of the wood, whittling down the square-block shape and turning it into a round, dowel shape.

    • 3

      Apply extra pressure in the middle and even more as you move the paring tool down to one tip of the soon-to-be fid. Make the fid resemble a wooden "carrot" with a sharp taper toward one end.

    • 4

      Remove the fid and drill a small hole near the top of the wide end. Use the drilled-out hole to thread rope or threads for rope weaving if desired. Push the fid through the individual strands of rope to bring new strands into or through the rope to weave or repair ropes.