Those of us who have experience providing a program of Scout Pioneering, and who are familiar with the edition of the Pioneering Merit Badge Pamphlet written by the legendary Adolph Peschke, will have no difficulty relating to why there are repeated references and allusions to the 1993, 1998 edition in this website, with its attention to detail, and when it comes to providing explanations that are helpful and comprehensive.
In the interest of accuracy, the recent 2006 edition has undergone many necessary revisions. There’s a website corresponding to the newest edition, and the post: What Pioneering Merit Badge SHOULD Be! is written from the author’s personal perspective.
In the interest of providing more and more Scouts with worthwhile pioneering experiences, and as an aid to those Scouters who are serious in making these experiences available to our youth, this website features specific text and drawings from Adolph Peschke’s edition.
What follows are links to posts containing the text and many of the drawings from the 1993, 1998 pamphlet:
ROPE FOR PIONEERING AND CAMP USE
ROUNDTURN WITH TWO HALF HITCHES
JAPANESE MARK II SQUARE LASHING
14′ DOUBLE LADDER SIGNAL TOWER
Note: This website’s purpose is to share the joys and benefits of Pioneering and is not intended to serve as a direct aid in earning the Pioneering Merit Badge. But, for those interested, here is a link to the current requirements and material for the badge.
SCOUT PIONEERING 
Adolph Peschke was one of the Ass’t Scoutmasters on the Woodbadge course it took in 1964 at Irondale Scout Reservation (no longer in existence) in the St. Louis Council. He was a fantastic builder of these projects and each patrol had to build one on Thursday of the 8 day course. It was a great accomplishment for each patrol to say the least. Adolph had been a full colonel in the US Army (engineers) and taken the Woodbadge staff training at Gilwell Park, after having taken his Woodbadge in Asia while stationed there. What a builder he was and his projects were fantastic. His impact went on for many years in St. Louis Council’s Woodbadge courses.
Thank you for this positive and informative comment!
Larry,
Hi from Bucks Country, PA. Enjoy reading your site, scoutpioneering.com, so thanks for your efforts to support that work!
I’m an Assistant Scoutmaster from Troop 230, an Eagle Scout (’66), and frankly a perplexed Pioneer Skill troop advisor. Here’s my question –
Two Spar Sheer Lashing
I learned to do Two Spar Sheer Lashings using a Wrap that went completely aroundthe two spars. I believe that’s consistent with Figure 120 from your web page here: https://scoutpioneering.com/2013/02/23/lashing-information/
It’s also consistent with every other site I looked at. The use of a “Figure of Eight” Lashing was reserved for three spars, and used in making things like tripods.
Our boys were taught at camp to use the “Figure of Eight” Lashing on two spars. They also point out to me that the Pioneering Merit Badge pamphlet (2008 edition), pages 62 & 66 appear to show using the Figure of Eight configuration for two spars.
What gives? Was there a change, and is there some technical reason why I should no longer teach the “old” way and adopt the “Figure of Eight” method for two spars?
Frankly, I tried it on a Monkey Bridge Trestle last weekend, and found it to be clearly inferior to the “traditional” way.
Thank you for your kind patience in reading through this. I just want to make sure I’m teaching the boys the right thing, especially since the change to me seems like a real mistake.
Yours in Scouting,
Tom Lorandeau
Assistant Scoutmaster
Yardley, PA
Hi Tom,
Thanks for contacting me.
For my euphemistically polite sentiments regarding the current Pioneering Merit Badge Pamphlet, refer to the top of this post.
I’ve long been disheartened that the current version is replete with misleading and out and out incorrect information! I also find it infuriating. Mainly because some of this stuff is being passed on to Scouts from those who don’t know better and are just referring to the pamphlet. It prompted me to approach the Chairman of the Merit Badge Maintenance Task Force and bring it to his attention. He apologized and agrees that it’s unfortunate and that sadly the next printing is pretty much a reprinting of the current version. This all WILL be rectified in the hopefully not to distant future. I promise!
Those who actually DO pioneering (instead of, for the most part, just write about it) NEVER make a shear lashing with a figure eight configuration. It’s awkward, Especially when it comes to taking the frapping turns between the spars, which are already so separated. Surely not that I know of. For a good A-frame, use the shear lashing with 8-10 plain turns as illustrated. Three square lashings also work great, tying the top one first, which puts a neat amount of strain on the lashing to make it good and tight.
For further clarification, the figure of eight approach to tying a Two Pole Shear Lashing is espoused by Gerald Findley in his superlative book Rope Works. Mr. Findley refers to this form of Shear Lashing as Shear Lashing with Racking Turns and states it’s stronger than one with plain turns. Maybe I’ve been too hasty in my judgement to dismiss its use in A-Frame constructions, but as of this writing, for simple Scout Pioneering usages, I still much prefer the way we’ve always been tying it: plain turns, no weaving the wraps in and out. Seems a whole lot more practical, easier, faster, and STILL appears to yield a better result.