Skip to content
sheepshank
EntityQ2141619· pop 15· linked from 229 articles

sheepshank

Sign in to save

A shank is a type of knot that is used to shorten a rope or take up slack, such as the sheepshank. The sheepshank knot is not stable. It will fall apart under too much load or too little load.

In the Vinony graph

Within Vinony's link graph, sheepshank is referenced by 229 other articles, and connects out to fisherman's knot, knot and whipping knot.

It is catalogued under topics including Non-jamming knots and Shortening knots.

Its subject is documented across 14 Wikipedia language editions.

Key facts

Knot.image
Sheepshank knot.jpg
Knot.name
Sheepshank
Knot.caption
An unloaded sheepshank tied in nylon rope
Knot.type
shortening
Knot.origin
1627
Knot.related
Catshank, Dogshank, Bell-ringer's knot
Knot.releasing
Non-jamming
Knot.uses
Provides loops, shortens or removes slack from a rope, bypasses a frayed section of rope
Knot.caveat
Spills if not under tension
Knot.abok_number
1152, #1153, #1154, #1158, #1159, #1160

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Sheepshank knot.jpg
Show 1 more fact
Commons category
Sheepshank
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~6 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections
Contents
  • Construction methods
  • Modern usage
  • Disadvantages
  • Variants
  • Man-o'war sheepshank
  • Sheepshank with Marlinespike hitches
  • Kamikaze knot
  • Use
  • Bell-ringer's knot
  • Catshank
  • Dogshank
  • Further reading
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

A shank is a type of knot that is used to shorten a rope or take up slack, such as the sheepshank. The sheepshank knot is not stable. It will fall apart under too much load or too little load.

The knot has several features which allow a rope to be shortened: It provides two loops, one at each end of the knot which can be used to pass another rope through The knot remains somewhat secure under tension; the coarser the rope the more secure it is (see Disadvantages, below) The knot falls apart easily when tension is removed

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “sheepshank” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (4)

Connections

Categories