Bow drill tips and tricks

[bushcraftkid2001]

Hi
I'm gonna make my first bow drill attempt, having carved a sycamore hearth board and drill. Do you guys have any tips to make it easier?

 

[Clouston98]

I'm still only a beginner myself- but I've had more than about 25 odd embers from my set and I can make fire by friction now. Make sure when you do get an ember keep repeating- make new drills/ boards etc to try and master the skill. Something I've not done just yet. I'd say from personal experience have a long drill, about 5.5 to 6 inches. Have quality paracord or the like for the cord on the drill- cheap,stuff will break and fray much quicker. I've found willow to be the easiest, but I have used lime and ivy which also worked well. Some grass or leaves crushed and put in the top of the bearing block reduces friction up there. Apart from that just have a go mate- took me a lot of tries and some perseverance but I can do it now and I'm chuffed- but I still practice to help improve. Good luck mate .

 

[ocean1975]

If you find the cordage keeps snapping,as it did with me when I first started,I doubled the cordage around the drill and it didn't snap as easy.As you get better strokes going you will be able to go down to a single cordage.
Hope that is of some help,good luck and don't give up 😜

 

[John Fenna]

Set a limpet shell into you bearing block for an "Old Time" friction free bearing.

 

[MegaWoodsWalker]

If you're doing friction fire on the wild side and the ground is soft/muddy make try to make an underlay board. This one was pulled off a fallen Hemlock. The fireboard and coal catch were placed on top of the thin Hemlock DIY hemlock board.



Here I batoned a flat board for under the fireboard and one for the coal as was doing friction fire during a rainy weekend. Yes it's possible even with materials gathered in the mist of inclement weather.

 

[MegaWoodsWalker]

Hi
I'm gonna make my first bow drill attempt, having carved a sycamore hearth board and drill. Do you guys have any tips to make it easier?

You have chosen well for your first attempt. The only downside being Sycamore is often near water aka the wood might be damper and finding flat pieces for the fireboard and spindle can be harder so more time needs to be spent making sure the spindle is straight. Go easy at the start watching the dust fill up the V-groove then really give it your all at the end.

 

[Mesquite]

Don't make the drill perfectly round and smooth.

You'll get more grip of the cord if it's like an polygon with multiple sides

 

[MegaWoodsWalker]

Another tip that works for me. I cut material out of the bottom of the V-notch like so.



Fireboard top after burn-in.



Bottom showing material removed. Still needed to clean up the notch some.



Why? Because I think it allows more air flow to make contact with an ember. Some embers are created fast but then extinguished. I think this reduces that chance and cuts down on false embers. I could be wrong but it seems to work.