Cattail hand drill

[Lake]

Who did hand drill with cattail spindle? I'm having some difficulty with cattail (Typha, Reedmace).
Could someone post some info?
-- How do you gather and prepare the spindle?
-- What diameter works best?
-- Some tried and proven fire boards (woods) that work with these stalks?


Thanks

 

[bushcraftbob]

I'd be interested in replies to this aswell, have a few dry cat tail spindles in the shed ready to go!

 

[Lake]

I found this video on youtube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg83ymYwTrE
This man is using cattail spindle on poplar fireboard. It is quite difficult to get ember with cattail spindle. I'm doing something wrong...

 

[spamel]

I have tried and got real close by myself. With the help of a second (Scruff in my case) it is possible to get an ember on willow with cat tail. I cut the stems from dead standing cat tails, removed protrusions and loose bits from the outside and cut the bottom of the cat tail into a shallow point, almost flat. I think it was about a centimetre thick at its' thickest point, and maybe a foot and a half long.

I found it is best to go as fast as you can but without the heavy bearing down you would normally do with other hand drills. The cat tails are robust enough to a point, but they will break apart if you bear down too hard. I haven't tried it with poplar though, I have some so will give it a shot. Hand drill is the one thing that is eluding me from my fire skill set at the moment and it is quite frustrating!

 

[Lake]

spamel thank You for this valuable info!

I found it is best to go as fast as you can but without the heavy bearing down you would normally do with other hand drills

This seems to be the key to get an ember with cat tail. I will try.

Hand drill is the one thing that is eluding me from my fire skill set at the moment and it is quite frustrating!

Yes it is frustrating But hand drill is beautiful technique. I want to master it the hard way

 

[rich59]

I have had success once with cattail/ reedmace. Very tricky I found it. The board needs to be as soft a wood as you can get. The drill needs to be as wide a diameter (after removing outer leaves) as you can get. Speed as high as you can get and pressure minimal. Pre shaping the depression in the board to a shallow depression to match your tip of drill seemed essential as the reedmace seemed too weak to form it itself.

I guess if your technique is all speed and little pressure then it can be good for you.

 

[Lake]

At last! Success! I left the spindle all day on sun to dry and now in my garage i have my first ember with cat tail spindle Enjoy the pics: cat tail on poplar.

Speed as high as you can get and pressure minimal

This is exactly what i was doing wrong. I was pressing too hard.

spamel and Rich59, i thank you for your advice!

 

[TwoSticks]

Well done, thanks for the thread- I'm going to give this a go. Technique seems different to my usual elder drill.

 

[Ruvio]

can't wait to give this a go

 

[spamel]

spamel and Rich59, i thank you for your advice!

Good on you. Now, how did you do it?!

I just had a quick go, my first in a month or two actually so you have reignited rolleyes my want to succeed on the hand drill! I'm bloody knackered now! I didn't have a decent sized bit of cat tail, so I cut one of the teasel stems so that there was three or four inches after a node and pushed the cat tail into that piece. I now have a decent length piece that I can stick various tips into, but that still doesn't get me any where near getting an ember!

 

[Lake]

Good on you. Now, how did you do it?!

By pressing only little bit and spinning as fast as i can. Just like you said. And that cattail spindle must be bone dry. But now i have these new "friends" :

http://i34.tinypic.com/210x3zn.jpg

I didn't have a decent sized bit of cat tail

While healing my hands i was outside to gather some cat tails (green).
I'm adding some pics:

few stalks (straightening)

It looks like good diameter

And now they just need to dry. I will let you know, how they work

spamel, do you use teasel also for hand drill? (not just like extender) I've never tried teasel before.

 

[bushcraftbob]

Well done Lake! I have been failing miserably with cat tail. I have tried a lime base board, but only seem to get slight scorching before i get too knackered.

My hands are almost healed now so I will try the technique of max speed and little pressure.

Reckon Lime base board will be ok? I will try and get hold of some poplar.

 

[Lake]

Well done Lake! I have been failing miserably with cat tail. I have tried a lime base board, but only seem to get slight scorching before i get too knackered.

My hands are almost healed now so I will try the technique of max speed and little pressure.

Reckon Lime base board will be ok? I will try and get hold of some poplar.

Thank you bushcraftbob!
Lime wood makes excellent fire board.
i have tried cat tail on lime fire board while ago and it works! Be sure that your spindle is well prepared and dried.
Never give up mate!

Lake

 

[spamel]

Teasel and burdock stems are meant to work too, I was using the teasel to extend the length of the piece of cat tail I had left that was a decent diameter. For hearthboards, I've had near success with lime and willow, the poplar seems to be a little more work to be honest and my hands are now ruined! I'll give it a week with my kits on the radiators, it gets cold in this old house so we have to put them on in the morning or there is no chance of getting out of bed!

 

[rich59]

We used some teasel successfully at the summer bushmoot this year. You need to use as drill the part between the root and the lowest node. Anything above this is usually too thin and fragile.

 

[rich59]

Just a thought, but I wonder if a bracket fungus like artist's conk might act as a hearth board for cattail drill.

 

[Lake]

Just a thought, but I wonder if a bracket fungus like artist's conk might act as a hearth board for cattail drill.

it might be a good idea but unfortunately I can't find any artist's conk fungus. And how about horse's hoof ?

 

[Lake]

I have read on wildwoodsurvival website that cattail provides non notched spindle ember on softer and also harder base boards. I wanted to try it on Lime base board. And I was very surprised and shocked , when I've spotted that glowing spindle. It took me about minute of fast drilling (second attempt), and my hands are now on fire . But it was worth! Enjoy the pics:

 

[spamel]

Damn your eyes! You've become quite the expert now! Good on you, even if I am massively envious!

 

[Lake]

Damn your eyes! You've become quite the expert now! Good on you, even if I am massively envious!

No, I'm No expert. But thank you anyway. I just love fire by friction, especially the hand drill. I'm still learning, experimenting and practising.