bow drill fire

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Odie

Member
Sep 23, 2004
12
0
Essex, UK
Hi all, first post and all that jazz.

From my recent RM bushcraft course the main UK woods good for bow drills are:

willow
alder
ivy
sycamore

though there are probably may more that are just as good.

For my course assessment I used an alder drill and hearth which worked splendidly.
 

hobbit

Full Member
May 7, 2004
12
0
29
guernsey
hi odie you were'nt paying atention on your course you forgot one( when did you do your course as i have done one resently too )
ivy
willow
alder :wink:
sycamore
lime
 

grumit

Settler
Nov 5, 2003
816
11
guernsey
hi odie i was on a fundamental course resently too you forgot one of the five that were given :wink:
alder
cycamore
ivy
lime
willow
 

Leon

Full Member
Sep 14, 2003
145
0
57
Lincolnshire
Elder is also great, both as spindle and hearth: produces wonderfully fine dust that easily binds up into a good coal. Works well for hand drill too.
 

match

Settler
Sep 29, 2004
707
8
Edinburgh
(Just found this forum, and am looking forward to learning form others and passing on things I know, so here goes...!)

I haven't tried using Elder due to the old superstitions about elderwood and fires, (although fallen elder would probably be ok :wink: ), but what I have used is Hazel for the spindle, and pine for the hearth, both to great effect. This is particularly useful as hearths can often be a pain to make, especially if you're dealing with old scraps, and pine is readily available (if not traditional) in DIY stores, old palettes etc.

The only woods I would recommend against are oak (very hard, and takes ages to get enough dust) and anything very resinous (pitch pine, cedars, firs, balsams etc) where the resins tend to glue the dust together stopping them heatig up properly.
 

den

Nomad
Jun 13, 2004
295
1
48
Bristol
I’ve just had a go on a western red cedar hearth with a hazel drill.

No ember, not even much smoke. The drill hardly dented the hearth. I think the drill was too soft.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a drill wood I can use with the cedar?



After I failed with the cedar/hazel I tried a new set I made from poplar, which
I made green from a wind fallen branch last week.
It has been sitting on the side all week drying
I wasn’t expecting to get an ember as I thought it would still be a bit wet but being impatient I just wanted to get her ready , wear her it in a bit and cut the wedge but she started smoking so quickly I thought I would go for it and got an ember in about a minute

One more for the list...
 
I've had pretty good luck using a split poplar limb as a hearth board also. After initial burn-in and cutting of the notch, you should be able to get a coal in 10 - 15 seconds.

My challenge for this weekend will be to make fire with a mullein hand drill but WITHOUT the use of a knife or other modern tool. I am pretty sure I can cut the notch adequately with a flint chip.
 

den

Nomad
Jun 13, 2004
295
1
48
Bristol
It was the first set I’ve made from green wood all my others has been from dead standing wood. I wasn’t really expecting it to work. It's a week old and I’ve not forced dried it.

Ever used reedmace for the hand drill? I've got some drying at the moment.
I have only ever used elder. Some good wood combo's would be nice.

Is there a world record for the quickest coal produced?
 

den

Nomad
Jun 13, 2004
295
1
48
Bristol
That poplar is sooooooooooooo good.

Today I’ve banned myself using any other form of making fire apart from the bow.

Being a smoker I’ve been on it ten times already.


Do you find different sets of the same wood or same combination of woods work well if slightly rotten, hard or green etc? and which prefer what?

I have been trying as many different woods as I can for a list of possible but it’s not as easy as I thought. Some woods which I have said no to before I have made again in different stages of decay or not decay and got different results.

What other things do I have to take into account when compiling my list to make it more accurate?

I've gone bow drill crazy. :eek:):

I can’t get that brown stain off my foot no matter how m
 

Paganwolf

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 26, 2004
2,330
2
53
Essex, Uk
www.WoodlifeTrails.com
made one today Hazel spindle and crack willow hearth
Picture1049.jpg

worked a treat :wink:
 

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