A Fire-bow Demo with AskDaMice

Magnussen said:
Doc,
What I meant by the bow comment was that every TBj student I've come across makes the set the same way... thumb width spindle(hand span long) and thumb width fireboard thickness(approx two thumbs wide.) And the other teachers I've had do it a bit differently. Maybe it was a silly comment.:rolleyes: Rick
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Not at all. Sometimes, when we are intimately familiar with something, we assume everybody else is too. I do the same thing myself. Thanks for the clarification, though. :)

Doc
 
What wood do you prefer to use for the bow, spindle, and board? Do hardwoods, softwoods or a combo work best? The only time I tried this we were kids and ended up using a pinch of gunpowder to start it.
 
led4them said:
What wood do you prefer to use for the bow, spindle, and board? Do hardwoods, softwoods or a combo work best? The only time I tried this we were kids and ended up using a pinch of gunpowder to start it.
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You have to tell us where you live, so somebody with a knowledge of plants/trees in your area can help.

Doc
 
Just added it to my profile, I am in Missouri, south of the Mo river, northern ozarks, mostly oak/hickory forest, eastern red cedar, ash, hard maple, dogwood,sumac.
 
I have a love affair with cedar.(You can soak it in water for days take it out and have a fire lit within minutes) Scrape the outer bark and you have tinder that'll pass for napalm! Willow is also very good. My knowledge of wood types is very limited... the only thing I can tell you is that I've had much success with using like woods for the spindle and fireboard. I've heard of many combinations that work but most of my failures have come from combining wood types (maybe I've just made poor choices). I have come to realize through my own experiences and in speaking with others, that just about any type of wood will work for friction fire... green or dry... Recently a friend of mine used green oak for both spindle and fireboard with success... Now that's tough!

Rick
 
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