I saw some discussion in the past of rope-making machines but
none posted. Here are pictures of a simple rope-making machine
like one I remember from the boy scouts. It's mostly made from
wood (the machine, not the rope.)
http://www.rope-making.com/ideal.html
and couple more links:
http://www.schachtspindle.com/help_rope_machine.htm
http://www.rope-maker.com/index.html
http://www.northnet.org/ropeworks/text/r.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ropemaking/
http://www.makerope.com/
--
FF
PS, Kevlar yarn is not too expensive