Favorite Fire By Friction Combos

[paleojoe]

Hello everyone,
this thread is dedicated to your favorite fire by friction set combinations!


My favorite drill/hearthboard combos for hand drill as of late are:

Large set - Hearthboard of California Buckeye (Aesculus californica) and drill of Mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia). 1-2 passes with this combo. Also as hearthboard of equal ease, if not slightly easier, is CA. Box Elder (Acer negundo calif.) Nice medium density woods.

Small set - My favorite set thus far! Ideally small sets should be of lighter density woods, which translates to less downward pressure, and more speed. This works best for a short drill. Cattail a.k.a Bulrush (Typha spp.) drill and Yucca hearthboard. A good substitute for Yucca is Willow root (Salix spp.), although you want to make sure it is a light, fibrous root, and not a branch or runner shoot that has rooted.
2-3 light, quick passes with this combo.

Hand Drill is my preferred method for making fire by friction. It was the most utilized method by the native peoples on the Pacific Coast Region, Desert Regions and Mediterranean Regions throughout the world.

For bow drill combo, as of late I've been using Cottonwood (Populus spp.) spindle with Box Elder or Cedar (Cedrus spp.) hearthboard.


So what is your favorite combination for fire by friction in your area?

 

[coote]

Here in New Zealand I have used mahoe (Melicytus ramiflorus) as the base board and either kaikomako (Pennantia corymbosa) or kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum) as the drill.

I know I've tried other things, but I can't recall for sure which ones worked.

Kaikomako is relatively hard, and mahoe is a relatively soft, weak wood. So that fits the theory that the drill should be harder than the hearth board. But kawakawa is a relatively soft wood too.... so that doesn't fit the theory as well.

So what do you reckon about the drill having to be harder than the base (hearth)? I believe it probably doesn't always have to be that way. In fact I'm fairly sure some folk use the same wood for the drill and the hearth.

 

[paleojoe]

So what do you reckon about the drill having to be harder than the base (hearth)? I believe it probably doesn't always have to be that way. In fact I'm fairly sure some folk use the same wood for the drill and the hearth.

I think you about summed it up!
I have done same wood for both with certain combos, harder drill for some, and same relative density for some. Its not a bad ideal to go by though, overall it seems to yield the most positive results.

I think it has to do in part of the skill of the person, also what he considers effort, and the awareness of combining certain porosities, fibrous grains, and wood densities.

I think what is often overlooked is what combo is the easiest. There is a difference with doing and doing with ease. How much effort should be utilized, and how much work the hands should do before reaching the threshold.

Also to consider is how the wood was cured. Was it collected dead and dry off a tree? Or were the nascent water sprouts cut and dried? Was it slow seasoned? Fire hardened or straightened?

All I can say is, it depends. But it sure is fun experimenting!

 

[coote]

I agree that we should look for the 'easiest' combinations. Especially for hand drills. With a bow drill we can apply more pressure and can spin the drill fast. A hand drill is harder to use in my opinion.

Good thread thanks.

Any tips for operating a hand drill to make things easier?