Bow & Drill : Chapter 1 "close but no cigar"

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SkunkWerX

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Jul 27, 2006
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Split my firewood today, it wasn't a big pile but wanted to get that chore done before our next rainstorm. (tonight).

Also on the agenda was the Bow & Drill. Rescue Mike and others (Doc) have inspired me to give it a whirl...errr....a twirl?

I allowed myself my Rat-7, my Wenger Mountaineer (in the accesory pouch), approx. 3 feet of 550 cord. That was it. Remember, in a survival situation, we don't have lots of "stuff" with us. Of Course, the purest folk would scoff that I didn't use a blade I first created from obsidian, and didn't make my own cordage.

At any rate, here is how I proceeded:

I looked for some dead wood, but not rotten. Was looking for species like Maple and poplar, since I had heard they were recommended choices.
Found a Maple (Box Elder, same family) branch, about 3 of 4 inches in diameter, that had fallen in some thicket, so it was off the ground, and hopefully not rotted.

I was in luck, it looked OK. Used the saw on the Mountaineer to harvest several pieces. For the bow, looked for a curved section, slightly larger than my thumb in diameter. For the spindle (drill) same diameter, but as straight as I could find. Made it about 10 inches long. Finally, I used the largest end of the branch to come up with a FireBoard.

Chuckle if you like, But after sawing the large end to about 12 inches or so, for the fireboard, I did actaully Baton the Rat-7 through the piece, in order to make it a flat board. Batonning allowed the necessary control to fashion a somewhat flat board. (Raise a toast to Cliff Stamp, Batonning has it's place). After splitting the two parallel slabs from each side, I trimmed it fairly flat with some wittling action.

Also, as far as wood working technique goes, I was using what I would call "field expediant" practices. Nothing fancy. I sawed most of the way through, but then snapped the piece. This conserves energy and makes the job go a little more quickly. so I did not have smooth end cuts, but, I was trying to reproduce the fact that one wouldn't have "all the time in the world" , nor want to sit and wittle for hours when the prime objective is to get fire and get warm.

One of the slab pieces I split off of the fireboard was saved and fashioned for the top hand piece that presses the spindle/drill into the fireboard. I decdied to use wood rather than stone, partly due to laziness, and partly due to our indigenous stone, which, just isn't the right texture. I could have walked down to the creek, perhaps, and fished for smooth stones in there, but, I didn't.

So, again, nothing pretty, I fashion the rudimentary pieces. Bow being the easiest, the others taking a little time to wittle and carve properly.
Also, I did all of this using an uprooted locust tree as a makeshift workbench. Having a nice solid work surface helps immensely.

I held the Fireboard piece to my cheek, and detected a wee bit of latent moisture, being that all woods have some moisture content. It was not bad, not like green wood, but, I surmised it may intefere with creating enough heat.
I layed the FireBoard and drill end in a sunny place, so that the sun and breeze could dry them a little. I split some more logs while I waited to see if it would dry out a little.

Later, it seemed that some of that moisture had left the Fireboard.
I strung the bow tightly (knowing the cordage would stretch a little), and "burned in" the drill and Fireboard. We've had a lot of rain, so I had no dry dirt or sand to use, so I just "sawwed" the bow a short time, until it appeared the two pieces (drill and board) were mating together nicely. Didn't use much pressure, They were pretty close anyway. :thumbup:

Note: I did contemplate rubbing two dry stones together to make some sandy grit for the "burn in", but I'll admit to a "what the heck" attitude, and I just proceeded without. Let's call it "expediancy" , sounds better than laziness. :D

I didn't cut the Vee notch. I know it should be cut before actually attemtping the entire process, but, at this point, I just wanted to see how close I had gotten.

I did use some fungus/mushroomy type of plant for lubrication on the spindle and hand hold. just smooshed it up into some goo and placed it on both pieces.

Ready set go. OK, the moment of truth.
I got everything ready, stepped on my fireboard, and began to build speed with the bow going back and forth. After about 30 seconds I applied a bit more pressure to the hand hold, until I felt it starting to slow my efforts, and tried to hold that correct amount of pressure. Enough to make good friction, but just before the place where it impedes decent speed.
After 60 more seconds I got the aroma of burning wood, well, not burning wood, but more like that pitchy smell you get off off a sawblade that has scorched some wood.
Another 60 seconds or so, I got visible smoke. Yes, I got visible SMOKE!!

I hadn't cut the Vee notch nor did I even have a tinder-bundle handy, as this was just a little first test, to see if I had "good wood" and good technique.

I got visible smoke in less than 3 mins!! The round cavity in the fireboard was a black circle and smelled of burnt wood. :) I'm happy!

I am calling this a good first attempt, and verification that the type of wood chosen and fabrication techniques are sound.

I'll post a pic of the items, once I go back outside with a camera.
They are not pretty, believe me.

My thoughts: For a survival situation, this is do-able as long as you have cordage and a decent knife. If you have just fallen into 32 degree river and emerged, it's going to be a real challenge to gather the proper wood, and get all the fabrication done in short order.

So far, I have learned, and other experiences have taught me, you can't wait until you see it's late afternoon to find a place to build shelter and fire. Even if you must concede those few extra hours you would normally be travelling, you MUST stop with plenty of time in order to set up.

Of course, once you have made the Bow -n- Drill device, then you have it, and you will not need that fabrication time, just the time to actually build shelter and make the fire.

Some may say, "but you didn't make fire?"
That's OK, I was right there. Next time, it's gonna be all-the-way. :thumbup:
 
Not a cotton picking thing.:thumbup:

What works - works. You will find that once the board is slightly charred, your start-to-smoke time goes down drasticly. I call this another most excellnt and successful first attempt. Well done!:thumbup:

Codger

PS- And a good narrative too which goes a long way in inciting other would-be pyros to give it a try!;)
 
Codger, thanks.
I spun it again, before bringing it inside for photos.
Yes, it took a few minutes for smoke, not 60 seconds, but, all things relative, still no herculian effort needed.

In scouts we drilled for a long time, must have been crappy wood we were using. We had sweat beads dripping off our noses, grunting, gasping, frsutration, and that was beforehand, while waiting our turn! ;)

I'm not even a novice at this point, but, from what I see, I think the wood selection is the key. The rest is construction and implementation.

Now, assuming everyone constructs their rudimentary Bow & Drill, and gets a coal, and warms themselves by the fire, THEN they can sit there, and wittle, carve, and perfect their fire tool.

ALSO: In the wilderness, while carving your bow and drill, if you can establish the location of where you fire will be, you can cut and carve wood into that area, and use the little cuttings as kindling, so you are in essence, making kindling as you construct the device.
 
Hey Skunk,

Excellent. I have no doubts the next time will be successful. If I may, a couple of comments (your quotes in italics):Of Course, the purest folk would scoff that I didn't use a blade I first created from obsidian, and didn't make my own cordage. One step at a time.

One of the slab pieces I split off of the fireboard was saved and fashioned for the top hand piece that presses the spindle/drill into the fireboard. I decided to use wood rather than stone, partly due to laziness, and partly due to our indigenous stone, which, just isn't the right texture. I could have walked down to the creek, perhaps, and fished for smooth stones in there, but, I didn't. Another thing you can use for the headpiece while learning the technique is a shot glass. But if you do, cover the outside in duct tape in case it breaks. And when you get the coal, you can turn it over and fill it with your favourite poison to toast your achievement.
Later, it seemed that some of that moisture had left the Fireboard.
I strung the bow tightly (knowing the cordage would stretch a little), and "burned in" the drill and Fireboard. We've had a lot of rain, so I had no dry dirt or sand to use, so I just "sawwed" the bow a short time, until it appeared the two pieces (drill and board) were mating together nicely. Didn't use much pressure, They were pretty close anyway. I usually fashion a bit of a shallow, sharp point on the bottom of the drill and make an indent in the hearth. I then 'bow' in the depression so I can see where to carve the notch.

Note: I did contemplate rubbing two dry stones together to make some sandy grit for the "burn in", but I'll admit to a "what the heck" attitude, and I just proceeded without. Let's call it "expediancy" , sounds better than laziness. I tried this a couple of times - didn't feel it offered any advantage and the drilling motion soon pushed the grit out to the side. A charred hearth and/or drill tip is a different matter.

Ready set go. OK, the moment of truth.
I got everything ready, stepped on my fireboard, and began to build speed with the bow going back and forth. After about 30 seconds I applied a bit more pressure to the hand hold, until I felt it starting to slow my efforts, and tried to hold that correct amount of pressure. Enough to make good friction, but just before the place where it impedes decent speed. Excellent.

My thoughts: For a survival situation, this is do-able as long as you have cordage and a decent knife you can make the cordage from natural materials or clothing and the knife can just be a sharp rock flake. For example, in making a hearth, you can abrade part way through a piece of wood and hit it against a rock, and it should break off with a 'hanger-on' flat piece, if you know what I mean.. If you have just fallen into 32 degree river and emerged, it's going to be a real challenge to gather the proper wood, and get all the fabrication done in short order.

So far, I have learned, and other experiences have taught me, you can't wait until you see it's late afternoon to find a place to build shelter and fire. Even if you must concede those few extra hours you would normally be travelling, you MUST stop with plenty of time in order to set up. Absolutely.


Some may say, "but you didn't make fire?"
That's OK, I was right there. Next time, it's gonna be all-the-way. I have no doubt.

One thing I noticed from your picture is that your depression in the hearth is awful close to the edge of the board. Of course, I know this was only for practice. If you make the depression too close to the edge you can sometimes experience a problem with the drill popping out of the depression, laterally.

Another thing, I don't know if you had any problem with string slippage, but if you did, you will find by reverse cording your string it will afford better traction with the drill.

Anyway, the foregoing is things that work for me and you may find some use for them.

DON'T STOP NOW! :D :D

Doc
 
These sets can be as crude as all get-out, or they can be crafted works of art. Wood selection can be field expedient like Fred, or beautifully figured exotics. The true beauty is in the function.

After as first experimentation, don't you feel like "Hey! I can do this!"?

Codger

F.R.E.D. = Fire Resource Expectation Determined
 
Doc thanks...all good stuff, I like the input. I did get a little cord slippage, but it was on the second try, before coming back in for photos.
I can definately fix that part, some nice notches in the bow at either end, some well thought out knots, etc.

I tried to keep to a fairly hasty field expediant piece, trying to do my best to simlulate the need to get a fire going and made sure not to dedicate inordinate amounts of time to fabrication.

Lessons learned:

1. a la Codger, "Hey I can do this!"

2. Pre-stretch the cordage between two small trees, or whatever is handy, while you construct the device.

3. Function is 99% , don't waste time in a survival situation trying to make something that will look pretty. ("Hey, look at the dead guy, man he had a beautiful Bow N Drill , looks like he almost got it finished")

4. The Rat-7 is my friend. Good knife :thumbup:

5. green grass, green pine needles, fungus, mushrooms, and such, can make a lubricant, so, why not? (it goes on the hand hold, not the Fireboard/Hearth)

6. Make the top portion of the spindle "pointier" than the fire-making end.
(Less contact area means less friction. You want the friction to happen down at the bottom).

7. Wood selection, wood selection, wood selection.
 
Nice work, Skunk, and a great description of how it's done. Now I gotta play catchup and try it ;)
 
I don't think I can add anything to what has already been said, other than "Nice work!"

This may NOT be a skill you use very often, but knowing how to do it adds another tool in your survival tool box! Keep it up!

One thing I that has worked for me..

I don't place the hole in my board quite so close to the edge. I have had better luck spacing it away from the edge. I have incleded some diagrams to so what I mean.

board1.jpg


board2.jpg


Like I said, this is what works for me.. Looks like you are doin fine, keep practicing, and figure out what works for you!
 
Mike, great graphics!!!!! That is super-helpful. Thanks! :thumbup:
One diameter away from edge, that is also a very easy way to remember it! :thumbup:

I just eyeballed it, based on memory of pictures I had seen, knowing the vee cut had to be near the edge.


Coldwood, with those fancy Moras you should be able to rub em together and get flame! :D Go for it, [bow n drill, I mean] this is not rocket science.

For anyone who hasn't "gotten around to it" as was my case, just take a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, go for a walk in the woods and select some wood that looks like it's dry, but not rotten. You all have more knives and tools than you know what to do with, so, start choppin and wittling.

This is "no biggie" , even a dummy like me can do it. :rolleyes:
It's not like climbing Everest.

Set the goal of getting visible smoke. I'm glad I did that, that is a decent goal, and serves to motivate to the next goal, which is a visible ember.
Then, lastly, is a full blown fire.

We are getting approx. 1 inch of rain in the next 24 hours (I may be building an ark soon) So dry tinder bundles won't be real easy to come by, but that gives me a day or two to get a glowing ember.
 
SkunkWerX said:
...dry tinder bundles won't be real easy to come by...
Click to expand...

Try your attic or the rafters of an outbuilding. Mice and sparrows love gathering tender bundles for you and stashing them where they will stay dry. This holds true for in the woods as well.

Codger
 
Codger true, but i just built my place, it's fairly new, so no mice yet.
Now, next door, they have an 80 year old storage building..I'm sure they got mice :)

Actually, my firewood pile is tarped, I'll bet I move some firewood around I'll find a couple of mouse nests. usually several in there.
 
OK guys, why is the Vee notch so important?

Why couldn't someone just turn the hearth over, and dump the ember into the tinder bundle??

What does the notch do?
 
Unless your spindle is hollow, without the v notch there is no place for the coal to form, it provides a place for the char powder to gather and eventually combust. Chris
 
Some spindles are hollow. This is particularly true with hand drills. A lot of plant stems when dried fire right up. Yucca and lambs quarters are two that come to mind. River cane is stout enough to use the bow, but unless you have a groove, you can starve the coal for oxygen.
 
Yeah I have seen a hollow spindle work just as you said, a hand drill but I have never done it myself. Chris
 
runningboar said:
Yeah I have seen a hollow spindle work just as you said, a hand drill but I have never done it myself. Chris
Click to expand...

Me too. Neither. I haven't done a fire thong also. Either. But that time I roped the cow and she took off lickety split, my gloves were smoking.:o
 
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