I'm admitting defeat I threw my little set in the bin.
Lol, it looks bloody tricky mind, I'm bad with most little things- let alone mini bow drill sets!
Show us your bow drill sets!
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Lol, it looks bloody tricky mind, I'm bad with most little things- let alone mini bow drill sets!
Here's my fancy bow. It's a cow rib with a hardwood handled dowel-pinned on the end and wrapped with rawhide. The stitching is sinew and the string is half-tanned braintan (no softening, just the brains and some smoke)
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And my favorite spindle adapter. The rear lower leg bone of a whitetail deer, the ends reinforced with rawhide and hide glue. A permanent hardwood bearing tip that's smooth as glass. The squarish cross-section really grips the string, and it allows you to use even the shortest drills. I routinely make fires with a drill bit that's less than two inches long.
And my favorite spindle adapter. The rear lower leg bone of a whitetail deer, the ends reinforced with rawhide and hide glue. A permanent hardwood bearing tip that's smooth as glass. The squarish cross-section really grips the string, and it allows you to use even the shortest drills. I routinely make fires with a drill bit that's less than two inches long.
Here's my fancy bow. It's a cow rib with a hardwood handled dowel-pinned on the end and wrapped with rawhide. The stitching is sinew and the string is half-tanned braintan (no softening, just the brains and some smoke)
[/URL][/IMG]
And my favorite spindle adapter. The rear lower leg bone of a whitetail deer, the ends reinforced with rawhide and hide glue. A permanent hardwood bearing tip that's smooth as glass. The squarish cross-section really grips the string, and it allows you to use even the shortest drills. I routinely make fires with a drill bit that's less than two inches long.
That's one neat bow set bud.
Apologies for butting in but I use a limpet shell too and can offer my opinion
At the risk of this being modded for gratuitous innuendo, I find that it isn't the size that matters as much as the thickness.
As the top of the drill is cut to a near point it will fit nicely in any shell but if the shell is very thin it will actually wear through it (depends how prolific a bow driller you are!).
To sum up, a thicker shell of about 1 inch across will last you for ages.
21st century Pict
What he said
Apologies for butting in but I use a limpet shell too and can offer my opinion
No need to apologize ............................ except maybe for the innuendo
My old setup, working o. The new one(spindle/bow) gonna leave the bow as I like it(hazel).
currently using limpet as well for the bearing block, looking at this thread I think I'm gonna embed the limpet into some nice wooden handle as holding it straight in gloves is not that easy.
currently using limpet as well for the bearing block, looking at this thread I think I'm gonna embed the limpet into some nice wooden handle as holding it straight in gloves is not that easy.
This thread is a great read, I had a few goes at this a loooong time ago with various degrees of failure! But after reading I'm feeling another try coming on.... Would willow drill and hearth work ok? And do you think para cord will last on the bow?
Sent from somewhere?
Sent from somewhere?
Depends on the paracord, I've been using really cheap paracord-like cordage one from poundland and it lasts around 20 cycles, so it's not bad. Willow, hazel, elder, lime are the best trees I think, don't waist your time with birches, lot's of smoke and nothing more.
you could use the semi-dry wood and dry it with heat from the friction, but nothing beats the properly dried wood especially when you consider constant rain and high humidity - it all adds to the failure of this method.
The bow needs to be stiff. A springy bow robs energy from your stroke and breeds a lot of slippage between the string and spindle. The length of the string should be equal to the distance from the spindle (when you're in position to make a fire) to your hand when your arm is extended backwards. Short, straight bows might be easy to pack up, but they decrease the number of turns your spindle can make per stroke. This means you have to work harder. A crooked limb is usually easy to find in any forest, and a lot of them are just laying around on the forest floor. Don't get too caught up in having a bow with your bow-drill kit.
A bone spindle adapter is a great piece of kit because it makes it easy to find a very short, but straight, section of drill material. Usually not need for whittling something to make it work. But, the best thing is to wax the socket of the handpiece before getting started. This cuts down on friction tremendously and most guys will have oil handy in the form of natural body oils like the oily patches of skin on the sides of the nose, forehead and ears.
Oiling or waxing to reduce friction makes the hand piece polish glass-smooth. If you have a bone-drill adapter and hand piece that you carry as part of your kit, the two become perfectly mated and there's almost zero friction between the two. I haven't needed to replace either in almost 20 years of fairly regular fire-making.
Strings? Actually, I've found that flat laces work best, but you need to twist them up so that they go from flat to round like a barber's pole. For some reason, this really bites into the spindle. Flat or round laces don't perform nearly as well, in my experience.
A bone spindle adapter is a great piece of kit because it makes it easy to find a very short, but straight, section of drill material. Usually not need for whittling something to make it work. But, the best thing is to wax the socket of the handpiece before getting started. This cuts down on friction tremendously and most guys will have oil handy in the form of natural body oils like the oily patches of skin on the sides of the nose, forehead and ears.
Oiling or waxing to reduce friction makes the hand piece polish glass-smooth. If you have a bone-drill adapter and hand piece that you carry as part of your kit, the two become perfectly mated and there's almost zero friction between the two. I haven't needed to replace either in almost 20 years of fairly regular fire-making.
Strings? Actually, I've found that flat laces work best, but you need to twist them up so that they go from flat to round like a barber's pole. For some reason, this really bites into the spindle. Flat or round laces don't perform nearly as well, in my experience.
Here's the ones I've got running at the moment, from left to right they are;
Lime hearth not sure on the spindle anymore, Sycamore hearth (a fairly new hearth which has given me many fires so far) and a Hawthorn spindle (weird choice but it is one of my best spindles), Willow hearth and spindle, old Sycamore hearth (second hearth I ever made).
For a bearing block I've got a block of Sycamore, the divot has been lubricated with Beeswax. The other bearing block (for when I want an ember quickly) is the wheel from one of those micro scooter things. The little sliver of wood on the end is a small ember pan.
The bows are Hazel, as a side note I use chainsaw starter cord for the string, works a treat and it tough as old boots.
(Sorry for the poor lighting in the photo)
Lime hearth not sure on the spindle anymore, Sycamore hearth (a fairly new hearth which has given me many fires so far) and a Hawthorn spindle (weird choice but it is one of my best spindles), Willow hearth and spindle, old Sycamore hearth (second hearth I ever made).
For a bearing block I've got a block of Sycamore, the divot has been lubricated with Beeswax. The other bearing block (for when I want an ember quickly
) is the wheel from one of those micro scooter things. The little sliver of wood on the end is a small ember pan.The bows are Hazel, as a side note I use chainsaw starter cord for the string, works a treat and it tough as old boots.
(Sorry for the poor lighting in the photo
)
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This thread has inspired me to have a go with a fire bow. Made a set this evening and success! A good ember but tinder, honeysuckle bark, was a bit too damp and went out after the first flame. Still pleased though as I haven't lit a fire that way since I was a teenager and then only twice! Phone was flat so no pictures, sorry.
This is my first ever made kit, it used to just be a thick branch but turned into my first whittling project as i took up both pastimes together, when the bearing block started to wear through i installed a bearing cage from the front wheel of a 1982 Raleigh Grifter, it made the kit so effective i started making a raw kit just for fun and to keep the skills sharp with random wood combos when i am out enjoying the outdoors.
Sea Serpent from willow with willow heart, spindle and bearing block and the newest hearth is beech, i usually string it with 4mm hemp rope
the grifter in question for all you 70's and 80's kids out there
Sea Serpent from willow with willow heart, spindle and bearing block and the newest hearth is beech, i usually string it with 4mm hemp rope
the grifter in question for all you 70's and 80's kids out there
On the beginning of March of this year my son Nick and I ventured into the Florida scrub with the intent of producing an ember using material from the Florida state tree The Sabal palm. We watched a video of Gundog5 entitled "Bow Drill fire-All Sabal Palm Success". My son said "hey that looks easy I wanna try that" I looked at him and thought to myself "easy my a$$".
Now you see I have never been successful in making fire with the bow drill cause i never really persued it. It always seemed to me like a waste of energy and it was easier to use a Flint & steel, ferro rod, matches or my favorite a Bic lighter. Well, my attitude changed after seeing my son struggle with the bow drill that day. I felt that I needed to learn this after my son failed and became angry that it didn't work and that it was useless and a waste of time. I went back and researched the web at all the bow drill instructions and videos till I was practically blind lol. There's alot of good info out there BTW.
Well I went out and found some really dry Sabal palm fronds and some dried Brazilian Pepper tree limbs. My plan was to use the Brazilian pepper as a drill and Bow & sabal palm for the hearth and handhold. I found a piece of Brazilian pepper with a nice shallow bend and fashioned it using 550 paracord for the bow string. A straight piece of it became the spindle.
I made a handhold of dry Sabal palm boot and the hearth was a piece of really dry palm frond. My first attempt was a failure after numerous attempts. I took a breather (I was breathless and my old knees were cramped up).
After a 20 min respite I made another divot and notch and gave it a go. I cranked that bow till I almost collapsed and Viola there was a waft of smoke coming from that pile of dust. I almost passed out...I could'nt believe it! MY FIRST EMBER WITH A BOW DRILL!! ESTATIC isn't the word, Happy, Happy, Happy is more like it! At 61 years of age I felt like a youngster with his first real knife!
So far I've been successful at 3 attempts after that first intial success! I have some pix to share...sorry I was solo so I have no pix showing the actual work, only pix of the embers (3 different ones)... some are blurry as I had noodle arms after generating tremendous energy whew!
Fast forward to today... I am still able to fashion a bow drill fire using the natural materials found in my neck of the woods. I've tried different wood combinations such as white pine spindles, cedar hearth boards, but the old reliable combo of all Sabal Palm, and White Pine spindle and Sabal Palm frond hearth board gets 'er done.
My first ember.
My second ember.
My third ember.
My Drill set.
My Drill set.
Being able to get a coal in your backyard on a sunny day with a proven bow-drill set does not mean that you would be able to get a fire started in an actual survival situation. There are numerous variables that will make getting a coal exponentially more difficult. For example, you must be able to get a coal with a variety of woods, in a variety of conditions. The wood may be damp. You may not have a knife. You may not have any cordage. You may already be tired. For these reasons, it is good to practice dealing with each of these factors, first separately, and then bring them all together. The quest doesn't stop it keeps going and now you have more challenges to overcome...just make sure to carry alternative methods of fire starting.
For me success with the bow drill made me realize there are better and easier fire making methods and that I can make fire primitively if need be. It's a good skill to achieve, but not always reliable...
Thanx for looking!
DomC
Now you see I have never been successful in making fire with the bow drill cause i never really persued it. It always seemed to me like a waste of energy and it was easier to use a Flint & steel, ferro rod, matches or my favorite a Bic lighter. Well, my attitude changed after seeing my son struggle with the bow drill that day. I felt that I needed to learn this after my son failed and became angry that it didn't work and that it was useless and a waste of time. I went back and researched the web at all the bow drill instructions and videos till I was practically blind lol. There's alot of good info out there BTW.
Well I went out and found some really dry Sabal palm fronds and some dried Brazilian Pepper tree limbs. My plan was to use the Brazilian pepper as a drill and Bow & sabal palm for the hearth and handhold. I found a piece of Brazilian pepper with a nice shallow bend and fashioned it using 550 paracord for the bow string. A straight piece of it became the spindle.
I made a handhold of dry Sabal palm boot and the hearth was a piece of really dry palm frond. My first attempt was a failure after numerous attempts. I took a breather (I was breathless and my old knees were cramped up).
After a 20 min respite I made another divot and notch and gave it a go. I cranked that bow till I almost collapsed and Viola there was a waft of smoke coming from that pile of dust. I almost passed out...I could'nt believe it! MY FIRST EMBER WITH A BOW DRILL!! ESTATIC isn't the word, Happy, Happy, Happy is more like it! At 61 years of age I felt like a youngster with his first real knife!
So far I've been successful at 3 attempts after that first intial success! I have some pix to share...sorry I was solo so I have no pix showing the actual work, only pix of the embers (3 different ones)... some are blurry as I had noodle arms after generating tremendous energy whew!
Fast forward to today... I am still able to fashion a bow drill fire using the natural materials found in my neck of the woods. I've tried different wood combinations such as white pine spindles, cedar hearth boards, but the old reliable combo of all Sabal Palm, and White Pine spindle and Sabal Palm frond hearth board gets 'er done.
My first ember.
My second ember.
My third ember.
My Drill set.
My Drill set.Being able to get a coal in your backyard on a sunny day with a proven bow-drill set does not mean that you would be able to get a fire started in an actual survival situation. There are numerous variables that will make getting a coal exponentially more difficult. For example, you must be able to get a coal with a variety of woods, in a variety of conditions. The wood may be damp. You may not have a knife. You may not have any cordage. You may already be tired. For these reasons, it is good to practice dealing with each of these factors, first separately, and then bring them all together. The quest doesn't stop it keeps going and now you have more challenges to overcome...just make sure to carry alternative methods of fire starting.
For me success with the bow drill made me realize there are better and easier fire making methods and that I can make fire primitively if need be. It's a good skill to achieve, but not always reliable...
Thanx for looking!
DomC
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absolutely agree with you, here in Scotland, it's almost always raining, everything is damp and so etimes finding anything that's relatively semi-dey is almost impossible, it's a great skill to have but in our location it is almost 90% useless. Having said that I'm drying elder and rowan at the moment to try my lick again as I tried with birch only before and even tho I got a lot of smoke and coal, couldn't pass the ignition point. Will post some pics, videos soon.
Regards,
Simon
