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Step 1
Assume for the purposes of demonstration that you are tying the chain hitch to a horizontal timber and that the standing end of the rope is on your left. Place a section of the standing end along the pole facing you.
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Step 2
Bend the rope directly upward so that it forms a right angle and wrap the working end over the top of the pole. Pull it back up from the bottom of the pole and push it under the horizontal section formed in Step 1.
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Step 3
Bring the working end over the standing end at the right angle made in Step 2 and dress the chain hitch by pulling the working end tight.
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Step 4
Lay out a length of rope against the timber with the working end and repeat Steps 2 and 3 to make a series of these knots. Note that the chain hitch is simply a series of half hitches.
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Step 5
Begin and end the chain hitch with a securing knot such as a constrictor knot. The advantage of the chain hitch when used to secure a rope to a timber is you can tighten all of the hitches with a single horizontal pull on the working end, if needed, although you should work each hitch individually, if possible.
