Bow drill fire lighting
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hazel drill, willow board and buffed up dry grass works very well, also willow is good for the bow aslong as its dry and not bendy,green wood bearing block , ive also used ivy which as someone already said after your first fire from it sometimes need some grit to get it going and can be a drill eater but the notch lasts for ages unlike willow , elder works ,pine has , cant comment on any more as i havnt used them but know what they are , help? or did you mean that you cant actualy find the stuff you need?
I used hazel for drill and bow. I string made of nylon won't break. I don't know if it was willow I used for the hearth board, but it is the best guess I can give.
The things I had trouble with was getting an ember. If you're in doubt: the ember should be a little pile of black dust which must smoke. When it does that, blow very carefully until you see a glowing ember. When it begins to smoke, don't stop in your eager to see if there is an ember! What I did was to take it easy when I saw smoke. At least 20-30 long strokes with the bow and then you're there.
Also make sure that your drill is straight! My first one wasn't and that's one of the reasons it didn't go very well. But it has gone very well from now on. So far I've done it 5 times. :biggthump
If you make a big pile of dust, you won't have to hurry geting the ember into the tinder. It burns for minutes. (mine did).
Cheers :uu:
The things I had trouble with was getting an ember. If you're in doubt: the ember should be a little pile of black dust which must smoke. When it does that, blow very carefully until you see a glowing ember. When it begins to smoke, don't stop in your eager to see if there is an ember! What I did was to take it easy when I saw smoke. At least 20-30 long strokes with the bow and then you're there.
Also make sure that your drill is straight! My first one wasn't and that's one of the reasons it didn't go very well. But it has gone very well from now on. So far I've done it 5 times. :biggthump
If you make a big pile of dust, you won't have to hurry geting the ember into the tinder. It burns for minutes. (mine did).
Cheers :uu:
jack29g said:
Jack, there are lots of combinations, but if you have a large piece of Ivy that has seasoned that will make a good hearth and bearing block. A thinner peice can be used for bow and drill.
Hazel drill and limewood hearth are also good combinations. Hazel hearth and Ivy drill, Ash is a good one for drills as well.
Moss is very good for a nest, but you will have to ensure that it is very dry first as by its nature it retains water. One of the guys has also mentioned dry grass, cattail down is quite handy too.
5
5.10leader
Guest
I use sycamore mainly for drill and hearth largely, I suspect, through laziness as I have a ready supply of that wood. I have found that alder works well but have had limited success with ivy to date. A piece of oak makes a good bearing block.
I feel that it is important that the ember pan is dry as this seems to generate the ember better. Similarly dry ground seems to help as well.
As previously mentioned, catstail down is great for producing the initial flame but I have also found that well rubbed honeysuckle or clematis bark works well also. The most important factor, imo, is that the material is bone dry.
I feel that it is important that the ember pan is dry as this seems to generate the ember better. Similarly dry ground seems to help as well.
As previously mentioned, catstail down is great for producing the initial flame but I have also found that well rubbed honeysuckle or clematis bark works well also. The most important factor, imo, is that the material is bone dry.
I know its not te most orthodox combinations, but using hazel or elder for the spindle, and pine for the hearth (yep, just a bit of old palette works well!) is a combination that I regularly use, not least as its readily available. The only thing to look out for is that the pine mustn't be resinous,m or this just forms a gummy lump instead of an ember.
For a handhold, I either use a limpet shell (careful, it'll get hot!) or usually half a small tree branch, split lengthways, cutting a notch for the spindle in the flat side, and using the curved (bark-covered) side for the handhold. For a bow, any bit of curved, dry wood is fine (don't use green wood unless its very stiff, the tension will constantly change as it bends and you'll not get a good rhythm going!
For the string for the bow, I also usually use nylon thread - you want it to be at least 4-5mm thick, or else it will just fray and snap - make sure you don't use a 'plasticky' thread, as this will slip, or a very fibrous one, as this will fray.
Other useful tips:
Make sure the string on the bow is really tight - you want to have to use a bit of effort to get the spindle twisted in, so it grips well enough to prevent slippage (almost all string will stretch/give a bit as you start bowing).
Use the fingers on the hand gripping the bow to tighten the string a bit by pulling the string towards the bow wood, if the tension loosens.
Cut the notch in the board /after/ you've drilled in a nice hole - that way you're getting the ember to fall out at the right point.
Begin at a slowish speed with a lot of pressure - this will generate a lot of dust, and some heat. When you see the hole start to smoke, and the notch is fairly full of black dust you know that there is enough dust to begin to hold a heat - ease off the pressure a little bit, and speed up the strokes - do at least 60 strokes in this speed (in/out = 1 stroke) and you should have a lot of smoke and hopefully a nice ember.
Downward pressure is easiest to obtain if you do the following (if you're left-handed, reverse it):
Put your left foot on the hearth board, to the left of your hole, kneel on your right knee and turn your right foot outwards to balance youself (you should now look a bit like you're kneeling to be knighted!). Put the spindle in the bow, and put this in the hole/handhold. Holding the spindle in your left hand, hold your left elbow tight against your body and run your arm along your left thigh. Your left wrist should 'lock' in by turning your hand a bit to the right, and wedging it in the notch on your shin just below your left kneecap. You should now be able to adjust pressure on the spindle by leaning your whole body weight forwards and backwards, and your arm is fixed to your body, so the force is even and consistent.
At some point I'll try and get a page put up with clear, detailed pics, and maybe some video of the process, as it helps so much more to watch someone actually doing it - body position is key!
For a handhold, I either use a limpet shell (careful, it'll get hot!) or usually half a small tree branch, split lengthways, cutting a notch for the spindle in the flat side, and using the curved (bark-covered) side for the handhold. For a bow, any bit of curved, dry wood is fine (don't use green wood unless its very stiff, the tension will constantly change as it bends and you'll not get a good rhythm going!
For the string for the bow, I also usually use nylon thread - you want it to be at least 4-5mm thick, or else it will just fray and snap - make sure you don't use a 'plasticky' thread, as this will slip, or a very fibrous one, as this will fray.
Other useful tips:
Make sure the string on the bow is really tight - you want to have to use a bit of effort to get the spindle twisted in, so it grips well enough to prevent slippage (almost all string will stretch/give a bit as you start bowing).
Use the fingers on the hand gripping the bow to tighten the string a bit by pulling the string towards the bow wood, if the tension loosens.
Cut the notch in the board /after/ you've drilled in a nice hole - that way you're getting the ember to fall out at the right point.
Begin at a slowish speed with a lot of pressure - this will generate a lot of dust, and some heat. When you see the hole start to smoke, and the notch is fairly full of black dust you know that there is enough dust to begin to hold a heat - ease off the pressure a little bit, and speed up the strokes - do at least 60 strokes in this speed (in/out = 1 stroke) and you should have a lot of smoke and hopefully a nice ember.
Downward pressure is easiest to obtain if you do the following (if you're left-handed, reverse it):
Put your left foot on the hearth board, to the left of your hole, kneel on your right knee and turn your right foot outwards to balance youself (you should now look a bit like you're kneeling to be knighted!). Put the spindle in the bow, and put this in the hole/handhold. Holding the spindle in your left hand, hold your left elbow tight against your body and run your arm along your left thigh. Your left wrist should 'lock' in by turning your hand a bit to the right, and wedging it in the notch on your shin just below your left kneecap. You should now be able to adjust pressure on the spindle by leaning your whole body weight forwards and backwards, and your arm is fixed to your body, so the force is even and consistent.
At some point I'll try and get a page put up with clear, detailed pics, and maybe some video of the process, as it helps so much more to watch someone actually doing it - body position is key!
For an in depth guide to bowdrilling have a look at these, some good pictures are included,
http://trackertrail.com/survival/fire/bowdrill/pmoc/basicbowdrill.html
http://trackertrail.com/survival/fire/bowdrill/pmoc/advancedbowdrill.html
Happy bowing.
http://trackertrail.com/survival/fire/bowdrill/pmoc/basicbowdrill.html
http://trackertrail.com/survival/fire/bowdrill/pmoc/advancedbowdrill.html
Happy bowing.
As I have said before I find using sycamore for all parts,drill bow hearth etc to be fine and have no real problems.It is in abundance across the uk so you should have no probs at all.
Geoff
Geoff
It grips better than a round drill.I would have said ivy hearth and hazel drill was my favourite but my latest set made with poplar knocks the sock off any set Ive made before. I can knock one out in under 30 strokes from start to finish 
):
As mentioned before limpet shells are great they do get quite hot but I get around this by stacking two on top of each other. It's the only thing i use now.
The more you can reduce the friction where the drill meets the bearing block the easier it will be to get an ember. I didnt take much notice of that when I first started ,Id get a double smoker .it would make an ember but hell you worked for it.
Another tip is make more than one set. Try them all and you'll eventually get a cracker which works a treat.
): As mentioned before limpet shells are great they do get quite hot but I get around this by stacking two on top of each other. It's the only thing i use now.
The more you can reduce the friction where the drill meets the bearing block the easier it will be to get an ember. I didnt take much notice of that when I first started ,Id get a double smoker .it would make an ember but hell you worked for it.
Another tip is make more than one set. Try them all and you'll eventually get a cracker which works a treat.
D
Davy
Guest
I am doing a course on saturday on this very subject so i will get back to you and let you know what i was taught from a very experienced woodsman.
Paganwolf
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Good Tips Den, the one i made the other day was a Hazel spindle and a crack willow hearth, similar results to your poplar one ill have to try that bud :biggthumpden said:I would have said ivy hearth and hazel drill was my favourite but my latest set made with poplar knocks the sock off any set Ive made before. I can knock one out in under 30 strokes from start to finish
As mentioned before limpet shells are great they do get quite hot but I get around this by stacking two on top of each other. It's the only thing i use now.
The more you can reduce the friction where the drill meets the bearing block the easier it will be to get an ember. I didnt take much notice of that when I first started ,Id get a double smoker .it would make an ember but hell you worked for it.
Another tip is make more than one set. Try them all and you'll eventually get a cracker which works a treat.
Hi guys,
Just curious about sets using hazel - do you gather the relevant pieces green and then season them or just go for dead standing?
The reason I ask is that I haven't come across much dead standing hazel, certainly relative to the ease with which i've found woods such as elder, willow, poplar etc.
Just curious about sets using hazel - do you gather the relevant pieces green and then season them or just go for dead standing?
The reason I ask is that I haven't come across much dead standing hazel, certainly relative to the ease with which i've found woods such as elder, willow, poplar etc.
I tend to always try and use new shoots form coppiced hazel - these tend to be dead straight poles, that make very nice spindles with minimal effort.
find a coppiced hazel, with nice straight poles - and cut (saw) one from the crown. Then take this and leave it somewhere warm, but not too hot, to gradually season up. I find my airing cupboard works quite well, but I have previously found cut/broken poles in coppices that have seasoned themselves nicely outdoors.
You can then cut off spindles to the correct length, and keep a ready supply for when you need more...
Hazel Coppices
find a coppiced hazel, with nice straight poles - and cut (saw) one from the crown. Then take this and leave it somewhere warm, but not too hot, to gradually season up. I find my airing cupboard works quite well, but I have previously found cut/broken poles in coppices that have seasoned themselves nicely outdoors.
You can then cut off spindles to the correct length, and keep a ready supply for when you need more...
Hazel Coppices
D
damh_bard
Guest
Hi!
This is my first post here. Really glad I've found you all!
I find that dropping a few finely shredded birch bark pieces into the tinder bunder works a treat - the oils in the birch just fly into flame.
Peace
Damh
This is my first post here. Really glad I've found you all!
I find that dropping a few finely shredded birch bark pieces into the tinder bunder works a treat - the oils in the birch just fly into flame.
Peace
Damh
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