How to Make a Driftwood Raft
- 1). Collect the driftwood you will use for the raft. Driftwood, as the name implies, is pieces of wood that wash ashore. Gather driftwood from the surf or look around land. Ideally, the pieces should be long, sturdy and cylindrical in shape, but you'll have to work with what you can find. Use logs that are about a foot in diameter.
- 2). Position the logs so that they fit as close together as possible. Rearrange the pieces until you optimize the fit.
- 3). Use a saw to cut the ends of pieces so that they're of relatively uniform length.
- 4). Cut notches about 2 inches deep and about 6 inches from the end of each log, on both the top and bottom. In other words, in each log, you'll have four notches, two on each end. Make sure the notches align.
- 5). Tightly tie rope across the notches so that the logs are bound together. Secure the rope with tight knots. If you have enough rope, lash the raft diagonally as well, crisscrossing layers of rope and adding more structural integrity to make sure the raft doesn't fall apart.
