Bowdrill practice today! Pic heavy

L

lotoblades

Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
1,196
I decided to cut some fire boards a couple days ago, and today decided to see how they worked.

Poplar is easy to split and the quartermaster did a good job!

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Today I used a mora #1 to start the hole, and then settled the spindle.

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Then cut the notch out with my newest sak, a pioneer harvester.

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Less than a minute latter, I had a nice coal!

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One more shot of how I cut the notches

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I also made a short video of my second atempt of the day,

http://s183.photobucket.com/albums/x214/shavingedge/?action=view&current=DSCF3483.flv

This is the first time in about a year that I've done this, so I was pleased that I still had it! Hope everyone enjoys the pics:)
 
very cool...:thumbup: nice pics... bowdrills are a lot of fun... lately i have been practicing with the hand drill... man, that is tough... i've gotten it a few times though...:D
 
mtnfolk mike said:
very cool...:thumbup: nice pics... bowdrills are a lot of fun... lately i have been practicing with the hand drill... man, that is tough... i've gotten it a few times though...:D
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Thanks!

I've only got smoke with the hand drill, But then I haven't practiced it a lot either, Im lazy I figure if I have shoes I've got chord :D
 
I have to try it out one of these days. I have reading a lot about it and seems like a valuable skill. I think I have the theory learned but I need to practice...

You just said that you made the fireboards a few days before trying to get a coal in it... Does that mean that you need to dry the fireboards that much? I mean... I guess that in a survival situation sometimes you need to get things going fast. I can see the point of using a bowdrill in a long term survival where you don't want to touch your other firemaking supplys just in case things go really bad but... for short therm survival I think it is out of the question! (Unless everything is pretty dry already).

What is that in the second picture? A makesift wedge for splitting the logs?

Mikel
 
Were both the board and spindle Poplar?

And what knots do you find most effective for the tying the rope on the spindle?
 
Nice job, I have been telling my kids that we are going to start a fire in the back yard, just like Survivor Man, now I have some inspiration. Thanks.
 
Landi said:
Nice job, I have been telling my kids that we are going to start a fire in the back yard, just like Survivor Man, now I have some inspiration. Thanks.
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Wow! You should have tried it yourself without telling anyone and then when you have gained enough confidence... go out and show them all! I hope you don't have trouble getting a fire going with your kids arround. Otherwise they will keep on picking on you no matter what. Kids are evil! :D :D

Mikel
 
Mikel_24 said:
I have to try it out one of these days. I have reading a lot about it and seems like a valuable skill. I think I have the theory learned but I need to practice...

You just said that you made the fireboards a few days before trying to get a coal in it... Does that mean that you need to dry the fireboards that much? I mean... I guess that in a survival situation sometimes you need to get things going fast. I can see the point of using a bowdrill in a long term survival where you don't want to touch your other firemaking supplys just in case things go really bad but... for short therm survival I think it is out of the question! (Unless everything is pretty dry already).

What is that in the second picture? A makesift wedge for splitting the logs?

Mikel
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I was just lazy, the fireboards would have worked the day I cut them, even thought it had rained recently the wood was very dry, except maybe the first 1/8in or so. It is much harder (to me) to find good hardwood thats dry for the spindle, as it seems to be either green or rotten. And your right I wouldn't want to have to get a fire going in a REAL hurry by friction, I can't see anyone making a set from scratch and having a fire in 10 minutes, but it is a good and fun skill to have and practice.

And yes that was a wedge I made with the Ontario, takes alot of strain of the knife, worth the effort imo!
 
brians said:
Were both the board and spindle Poplar?

And what knots do you find most effective for the tying the rope on the spindle?
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No, I've never had a lot of luck with fireboards and spindles made of the same wood, though I know others have. For spindles I use maple, beech,hickory, pecan and in this case the spindle was a hedge, not sure what they are but they are all over our property, I'll try to get and id on it.

I tie the bow string on one end with a clinch or round turn and 2 half hitches. I usually just tie and overhand or figure of eight in the other end of the line and cut a notch in the bow to accept it, real easy to get the tension of the bow when your done.
 
That quartermaster is a cool knife. Looks like a good one for the BOB. I put a short bowdrill clip up on my youtube channel. I was testing woods out in the bush. Mac
 
Does the spindle need to be a hardwood? I live in the land of softwood (Alberta). We have spruce, pine, poplar, juniper, and willow. Nothing too hard. Is it possible to make a bow drill from any two of these?

BB
 
beeperboy said:
Does the spindle need to be a hardwood? I live in the land of softwood (Alberta). We have spruce, pine, poplar, juniper, and willow. Nothing too hard. Is it possible to make a bow drill from any two of these?

BB
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I have no experience with spruce, or willow thought I've read that they are good for fire by friction. I would try combinations of willow, poplar and spruce and see what works, I'm sure its possible, but I haven't tried it. Maybe someone else has?

Thanks for all the comments guys!!:)
 
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