Just thought I'd say that I have at last got an ember with a Bow drill. Been trying for quite a while. Makes you feel good when you succeed at last.
Using Bow Drill
- Thread starter woodpoet
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getting that first ember to smoulder on its own is the hardest part, it will get easier everytime now, congrats!
Well done Sir, it is quite an achievement. Only managed it myself once and to my shame thought (well done that will use flint and steel from now on!) Should really revisit it, you've shamed me into retrying it again soon.
Congratulations again,
GB.
Congratulations again,
GB.
Congratulations mate.
I finally nailed it on a regular basis earlier last month. Great feeling isnt it
I finally nailed it on a regular basis earlier last month. Great feeling isnt it
Well done.
If you made the drill set from scratch using natural materials, it's an epic achievement! I managed it a few months back and feel much more accomplished in Bushcraft. I am so glad I didn't go to pallet wood and broom spindle but did it the hard way. There are so many variables involved that it's a constant learning curve of improvement. It has me hooked because I find it so difficult to do. I normally exhaust myself before giving up but I have learned a huge amount.
Now to develop the skill further, I try to make a set most times I am out. I am normally in broadleaf woodland, but took a special trip to some pine woods to see if I could transfer the skill. Within a couple of hours I had a fire going. Being hooked, I am now looking at Hand-Drill fires and also using drills with bracket fungi.
Well done. Anyone who has done it knows that feeling is great!
If you made the drill set from scratch using natural materials, it's an epic achievement! I managed it a few months back and feel much more accomplished in Bushcraft. I am so glad I didn't go to pallet wood and broom spindle but did it the hard way. There are so many variables involved that it's a constant learning curve of improvement. It has me hooked because I find it so difficult to do. I normally exhaust myself before giving up but I have learned a huge amount.
Now to develop the skill further, I try to make a set most times I am out. I am normally in broadleaf woodland, but took a special trip to some pine woods to see if I could transfer the skill. Within a couple of hours I had a fire going. Being hooked, I am now looking at Hand-Drill fires and also using drills with bracket fungi.
Well done. Anyone who has done it knows that feeling is great!
Thank you all for your comments. I did use natural materials. I will now try different woods to see if I can improve.
Pretty much what everyone else said.......Well done, feels like a huge sense of achievement. I can still remember the day I first accomplished my first coal......happy days ahead
well done chief! its a great feeling, did my first one about 2 months ago and remember the rush.
Didnt really know what I was doing, trying for about 2 hours, sweaty and frustrated, then you get a good spin going the smoke comes and your excitement builds. Then the spindle flew out of the hole and thought it was all over, but wait....... the dust is still smoking!! get it into the tinder ball and start blowing. Then the elation when the ember bursts into flames. Brilliant feeling.
Something like this lol....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybhVvjsEhE
Didnt really know what I was doing, trying for about 2 hours, sweaty and frustrated, then you get a good spin going the smoke comes and your excitement builds. Then the spindle flew out of the hole and thought it was all over, but wait....... the dust is still smoking!! get it into the tinder ball and start blowing. Then the elation when the ember bursts into flames. Brilliant feeling.
Something like this lol....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybhVvjsEhE
I must admit when I showed my partner the ember, I had a big smile on my face knowing I had achieved something good.
The guys and gals above have pretty much said it all, but permit me to add my congratulations to theirs. Great feeling isn't it?
I remember the feeling well, congratulations, i love the bow drill, I had the very unique experience last week of helping someone make a kit and get their very first bow drill ember and turn it into fire, felt like a father watching his son score a goal for the national team in a world cup final
Thanks again to all. Have since tried various woods and apart from Bay Laurel in my garden have got embers with the others. Mixes of Sycamore, blackthorn, Honeysuckle and Ivy. Need take a trip to Epping forest to get more varieties.
Well done! I haven't used the bow drill in years and just picked it up again last weekend. I was surprised at how difficult I found it.... somehow I thought it would be like riding a bike but it most certainly wasn't.
So would you say it's better to use the same wood fo both drill and hearth? Or would you say softer drill with harder board or vice versa. Also what are the best woods? Is there an ideal combination?
i personally prefer the drillbit be slightly harder wood than the hearth, too hard a drill and too soft a hearth and you burn straight through, too soft a drillbit on too hard a hearth and it's like sticking a pencil in an electric sharpener, my favourite (easiest i can get to an ember) combo is willow drill and lime (linden/basswood)hearth
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