Okay, the zompocalypse has hit and you're stranded in the hills with naught but the clothes on your back and two working hands; you manage to craft a crude wooden frame but it keeps collapsing, or you can't attack foliage to it to provide water/sun cover. What you need is some twine, but what you don't have is exactly that.
But don't panic, because you can craft your own.
The first step is to find a long, thin branch, grass or tree; something with thin, malleable bark that is conduscive to coming off in a long single piece.
In this demonstration I'm using Spearwood, a plant that fits the role perfectly but is only found in Australia.
Next, you need to start stripping long strands of bark from the donor plant.
After you've gotten all you can from it you need to pick a strand to start with and fold it horizontally, as depicted.
The next step is to clamp it firmly between two flat palms and then roll them back and forth like you would with a fire stick.
After a while you should notice the consistency of the bark start to change to long sinewy strands, you may note that these are a lot more flexible than before.
This is all a very labour intensive process, but it may be vital.
It took me roughly 5 minutes to produce the amount shown below, so it may end up taking 5 hours to create enough twine for your intended use.
When you get enough of it, simply arrange the "twine" into a column and rub it together just how you did to break it into the strands, but moving slowly up the column as you go.
This will not produce a rope you can hang from or support much weight from, but it may be all you have to secure your shelter and its weather protection.
This thread so far is not only a good way to create cordage but also an excellent argument for the carrying and use of gloves in survival kits or in your everyday carry.
"Merely having an open mind is nothing; the object of opening a mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid." G.K. Chesterton
If the bark you're using hurts your hands your hands are either using the wrong material (if it can hurt your hands it would probably make horrible twine) or your hands are REALLY soft.
Aye, slash is right and it applies to most 'twine-able' trees...
Though, gloves should be worn with manual job besides mechanics and electricains (they need to feel with finger tips in most jobs).
I learnt that some spinifex species (a type of grass) are great at platting together to a similar extent (once the seeds have been removed whi wearing gloves).
"Leo84: id love to spartan kick a kid" - ZPI CHAT
DUMB WORKERS