Lashing a camp table and bench from poles

A trestle consists of two poles crossing like an X, joined at the crossing with a square lashing. Two such trestles stand on their own but easily tip sideways, because a rectangle of poles can shift like a parallelogram. Only a diagonal – a pole lashed in at a slant – divides the rectangle into triangles. Triangles cannot change shape unless a pole gets longer or shorter, and that is exactly why the frame then becomes stiff.

A lashing does not hold through the knot but through friction and tension. Many tight turns press the poles together so that they cannot slip. Frapping turns are turns that run between the poles around the whole lashing and pull it together once more. Without them a lashing loosens as soon as the wood gives a little or dries out.

The height of the table top depends on where the legs cross. The higher the crossing point, the higher the table. The long rails lie in the upper fork of the X or are lashed there. On top goes a layer of thin, straight poles, tied at the ends with a continuous cord.

You need four legs of roughly equal length, two long rails, a diagonal brace and many thin, straight poles for the top. That is a lot of wood, and this is exactly where the limit lies: only fallen deadwood is used, and only where the landowner or local rules allow it. Nothing is cut from living trees. In heavily visited areas a carried folding table is the better choice, because collecting many poles there puts strain on the forest floor.

Jute or sisal twine works well as cord: it grips firmly and rots if a scrap is ever left behind. Even so, every bit of cord is removed when breaking camp. A folding saw helps to cut the poles to length. Work on a stable sawhorse or a firm base and keep a distance from other people.

The quality of each single pole decides how safe the structure is. Bend each pole firmly before using it and look for cracks, soft spots and fungal decay. Rotten wood sometimes still looks good from outside but breaks without warning. If a pole creaks or feels spongy, leave it lying.

Lashings only hold if they are wrapped really tight and finished with frapping turns. Pull tight after each turn. After a few hours and again the next morning it is worth checking and tightening all lashings, because wood and cord settle. Without a diagonal brace the table wobbles and can fold sideways.

Test the finished frame step by step: first rock it, then press on it with your hands, then carefully add more weight. A bench is used only once it survives this testing without creaking. This entry gives no load ratings – every structure is different and must be checked yourself.

Do not build the table right next to the fire. Dry wood and natural twine catch fire easily, and one spark is enough. A stove goes on a table only if the surface is level and firm and nothing can wobble – a falling pot of hot water causes serious scalds.

When sawing and carving the poles, the normal tool rules apply: guide saw and knife away from the body, keep a distance from others, put tools down covered. Nobody stands on the table or bench to reach anything. Raised lashed structures for people are explicitly not part of this entry.

A camp table is worthwhile in base camps over several days, especially for groups. It gets cooking, washing up and tools off the ground, which is cleaner and easier on the back. It is also excellent practice for square and diagonal lashings. As a small variant, thin poles make a sloping rack on which washed dishes can drain.

For a single night the effort of one to two hours is not worth it. Where collecting wood is forbidden or there is hardly any deadwood, nothing is built. Lashed camp structures – known as pioneering – have long been part of scout training. Part of that tradition is removing all cord when breaking camp and scattering the wood naturally again.