Hey.. One more Bow Drill Thread, w/Pics

There's an old poem about that - "the boy stood on the burning deck ...." But could you do it in the recent Colorado blizzard ?
 
Great pictures and explanations, thanks, I'm starting to understand this. Now I just have to get up the nerve to go out in the woods and try it...starting with just a piece of paracord and using raw materials...right. ;)
 
Coldwood said:
Great pictures and explanations, thanks, I'm starting to understand this. Now I just have to get up the nerve to go out in the woods and try it...starting with just a piece of paracord and using raw materials...right. ;)
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Could I suggest practicing first.. Maybe on your wooden deck? (Also, the In-laws decks works well too!)
 
Rescue Mike-

Thanks for the pics. Excellent job!

I really need to try this. I've never done it before.
 
Rescue Mike said:
Love that Birch bark!! Nice set
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I wish I had a decent camera. I cannot get the bison rib bone bow in the picture, or the hand laced leather fire bag that holds it all. Birch does not grow this far South naturally (S.W.Tennessee). I'd have to make a midnight landscaping scavenging run in the ritzy part of Nashville to get bark around here. Think they'd miss it? The birchbark tender, like the rest of this kit, is courtesy of Mewolf who lives too far North for me to visit as a weekend woodsrunning buddy. I'm working on assembling a similar, smaller kit for local materials. Cedar is abundant here on the farm, and quite a few are cut and seasoned as culls out in the woods bordering the East pasture. It is too soft for a bow, but I have several species that will work if I don't use a deer bone. Hickory would be my first choice. Maybe even for the bearing if I don't use the spalted rock maple or ebony I've been saving for knife handles. Arnold has mentioned river cane and I have a substantial stand of that down on the creek. I might try an entire set from that material.

Codger
 
Rescue Mike said:
Why just practice over the summer?

The winter is usually wet, and materials are hard to come by.. Yet, this is truely the time to practice. Learn where you can find dry materials. What works for a base, and what doesn't? The coal even ACTS differently in a colder environment.

My suggestion would be to practice like mad NOW. If you can successfully use a bow drill in the winter, I dare say you can do it just about anywhere/time.

One caveat: I must have made 100 attempts before I started one fire. Be prepared for many failures. During this time, pay attention to your base, and how it's made. There in lies the key!

Here is an image I picked up somewhere along the way..

notch.jpg
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I agree with Rescue Mike. Don't wait for summer, do it now. It doesn't have to be outside, if that's a problem for some reason. I used to do hand drill (coals only) in my living room (maybe that's why I live on my own :confused: )

Actually, in some locales winter air is actually drier than the summer, so it can make it easier under those conditions.

And Mike, I know you didn't do this, and the picture is not yours, but the notch has to go into the depression, not just up to the edge as in the picture, and it shouldn't go quite to the centre, otherwise, you end up with an elongated point on your drill.

Doc
 
SkunkWerX said:
Whoooo HOOOOO!
That's the answer I want to hear.

I have maple right out my door (Box elder).
60 seconds, now we are talking. Heck, even 5 minutes is fine.

I'll try it.
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Skunk,

Box Elder/Manitoba Maple (Acer negundo) definitely works and not too badly either, but I think you have Basswood (Tilia americana) growing in Maryland. If so, try that first (easier than Box Elder, IMHO). IIRC, Tom Brown Jr., used to encourage people to use less easy materials to practise with, his reasoning being that once your techniques are good enough to work with less-than-ideal materials, better materials should be a cake walk. Humbly, I disagree.

I think one of the single biggest barricades to success is: a failure and then, the "Gee, I'll never get this". syndrome. Personally, I think everything possible should be done to ensure success the first time, because, then you know, that, yes, even you, can make fire by friction. After that, it's just a matter of practice and experimentation with different materials and tools.

Doc
 
Wow, just tried this last night.......what a workout!!!! This takes quite a bit of skill just to keep the spindle from moving around.....gotta really lock your wrist and brace it into your ankle while ya do it.
I got a really good coal going on my second try but was so anxious to try this that I had no tender ready!! :rolleyes:
I was just glad I got as far as I did for now.
My spindle is 3/4" oak and my board is pine, which seems to wear down real quick, probably due to the oak spindle. Oh well, it's all I had laying around the house.

IMG_7732.jpg
 
Try doubling the length of your spindle. Too short of a spindle cramps you up and makes the spindle hard to control because of the short distance between it's pivot points. Look at Rescue Mike's pictures again. If you got a coal first time out, using a hardwood spindle and softwood fireboard, you have most of the technique whooped! Keep it up and you can become a member of "Team North America 502"!! Dayum! We are growing by leaps and bounds!

And incidentally, building a fire with the coal achieved is not required in order to have succeded with the fire bow. Just making it to that stage is success enough this early in the game. Try different spindle materials as the opportunity allows. Eventually you will hit on a combo that cuts your time from setup to coal in half. Then in half again. It is possible to get a coal in less than 30 seconds. Remember, it take pressure as well as rotational friction to achieve the 800 degrees required for ignition. But there is an optimal balance between the two. Too much pressure increases the top friction and slows the rotation.Too little pressure reduces the top friction to near nil, but does not provide enough bottom friction.

Ohhh...I like it when a neew Pyro is born!:D

Codgerpyro
 
Cool, thanks!
Yeah, a longer spindle might help. I really think my board should be something other than pine. I will keep ya updated! :thumbup:
 
Hey Mike and the rest of you...just finished posting on the Traditional Firestarting post...check it out
Anyways...well done on the 60 seconds :)
Hard on soft wood is the best way, but it's possible with same type wood aswell of course. Good technic is to keep the cord as low as possible on the stick...keeps a better balance.
When you have dark smoke...give it 25 secs more...even if it's killing you....it's hard work..hehe...and most importently....breath...don't blow in the begining...the ember will fly away..

Next project...make yourself a dirtoven... :)

Chris
 
Very impressive, now you have me thinking about trying this bow drill thing. I have some nice 3/4 thick poplar for a fire board and some 3/4 hardwood dowel stock to use as a spindle. This is what I have on hand in the wood shop just to get the technique down. Would this work???
 
I am tempted to say yes, but instead, I'll say...you tell us?
Go for it! It isn't rocket science! Even a cave man could do it! :D



Codger
 
My spindle is 3/4" oak and my board is pine, which seems to wear down real quick, probably due to the oak spindle. Oh well, it's all I had laying around the house.

IMG_7732.jpg
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Spindle and board should always be the same wood...
 
DaggerBlade said:
Spindle and board should always be the same wood...
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Respectfully, DaggerBlade, I disagree. Using the same wood is fine, but it doesn't have to be.

In my experience, though, if you're using two different materials, the harder should be the drill, not the hearth.

Doc
 
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