Sennit Frame of 1885 Wavertree
The Completed Sennit Frame
Building the frame out of Poplar wood.
Laying out the frame dimensions.
A jig for making some of the various sennits used on the frame.
Completed sennit awaiting final trim and attachment to
frame.  Sennit is made by plaiting or braiding/weaving
strands of small cotton cord.
Examples of various mats
Jig for making sword mat.
Trying different layouts of sennit, mats, and knots
Final layout coming together.
For trimming and cutting the miters on the corners, I like to use a sharp chisel for a clean cut on the sennit after the ends have been glued to avoid unravelling..  Occasionally I will use a scalpel to finely dress areas.
I find using a hot glue gun works great
for securing the knotwork to the frame.
I place a piece of cardboard over the
image to protect from any stray glue and
the like.
Alignment is crucial for a finished look.  Using pieces of wood as mandrels to help shape long runs of ropework keeps them straight and uniform.
Just sitting on the couch tying knots at my old rigging loft.
Finished frame I made for the Presidio
Yacht Club - a great group of folks!
Knot Board for Presidio Yacht Club in San Francisco
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I have wanted to make another sennit frame for many years since I made one featuring the first
square-rigger I sailed on HMAV BOUNTY.  I found a handsome print of the full rigged ship
Wavertree and decided to make a sennit frame with this print as the subject.  I view it as a
commemoration of the successful full rig restoration of Wavertree I lead in 2016.

The print is by Edward Walker and depicts Wavertree being passed in the Irish Sea by Cunard's
Umbria and Agemenom of the Blue Funnel Line.