bow drill woes
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proabably Steve
been couple o years now so cant recall
i've a slightly different technique which involves a different position (oooh errr!) which seems much more comfortable so now i just need jake to stay asleep for a decent amount of time to try it out again
been couple o years now so cant recall
i've a slightly different technique which involves a different position (oooh errr!) which seems much more comfortable so now i just need jake to stay asleep for a decent amount of time to try it out again
I struggled with this when I was learning.
What nailed it was two things:
I threw away the wooden bearing block and used a couple of limpet shells. Once you've experienced the difference it will become soooooooo much easier.
If you can get some then use hazel on hazel; it is a fabulous combination. I don't get on so well with willow.
Keep at it!
What nailed it was two things:
I threw away the wooden bearing block and used a couple of limpet shells. Once you've experienced the difference it will become soooooooo much easier.
If you can get some then use hazel on hazel; it is a fabulous combination. I don't get on so well with willow.
Keep at it!
Limpet shells are fab... Here's one I glued into a rounded burl for comfort. Green fresh holly works really well too.
Keep the convex of the bearing block end quite steep, so you get a very strong but fine point to keep friction as low as possible. Keep at it
Keep the convex of the bearing block end quite steep, so you get a very strong but fine point to keep friction as low as possible. Keep at it
Craft skill methods can be defined by geography but not constrained by it.
Ideas travel; it just took longer in days gone by.
Don't forget, the notion of eating meat that had been in the fire didn't catch on overnight. The information that it tasted better still travelled from the original source though.
Sure, being able to produce a set from what is around you is still a great skill, but if you want to make the task easier there's nothing wrong with using more efficient components.
Ideas travel; it just took longer in days gone by.
Don't forget, the notion of eating meat that had been in the fire didn't catch on overnight. The information that it tasted better still travelled from the original source though.
Sure, being able to produce a set from what is around you is still a great skill, but if you want to make the task easier there's nothing wrong with using more efficient components.
Plus one to the hazel on hazel. That's what I'm consistent with and it's everywhere in the woods I frequent meaning I could make a set most places and know where I'm at with it.
so the way to succeed is to be by the coast or power drill some rocks
cant quite recall anyone actually saying that apart from you?.
What people have done is offered Sam, alternative low friction methods for the bearing block in an effort to help him out. Of course it goes without saying many things will serve the same purpose from a piece of green timber with grass, saliva or even a bogey in it, it all helps to reduce the friction on the top of the spindle, right through to using the bottom of a wine bottle or even as some people do, epoxy a roller bearing into a block of wood, it still serves the same purpose, it's called "improvise, adapt and overcome".
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Don't you thinks it would be better to succeed by the simplest method first before augmenting with easy fixes?
Does it matter?, way i see it, learn however you want to learn, you can always try other methods and materials once you have learnt the technique?, as per many things in Bushcraft, if it works for you, it's right, but it doesnt mean it's going to work for or suit everyone, so it's up to each individual to figure it out and modify and adapt the knowledge that has been shared, to suit their individual needs, by asking for help & information, Sam has been given a number of different avenues to follow from the combined knowledge of the members who have responded to him with valuable hints and tips to help him in the pursuit of that elusive first ember.
Sure using a lump of green wood for a bearing block is by far the simplest method of making a set and far less effort to make, well unless you call picking up two limpet shells hard work, you can guarantee the ancestors would have used the 'easy fix' method, especially if it was more time and energy efficient, i believe there is documented archeological evidence in the USA of native peoples using shells and antlers/rocks with dimples in them.
It's now up to Sam to decide which route he wants to follow, if he wants to discount a method as he doesnt like it or doesnt have access to the materials, then thats up to him, he can always, as above, revert to the simple way of an all wood set, once he has gained some experience and learnt the technique down pat.
Sure using a lump of green wood for a bearing block is by far the simplest method of making a set and far less effort to make, well unless you call picking up two limpet shells hard work
, you can guarantee the ancestors would have used the 'easy fix' method, especially if it was more time and energy efficient, i believe there is documented archeological evidence in the USA of native peoples using shells and antlers/rocks with dimples in them.It's now up to Sam to decide which route he wants to follow, if he wants to discount a method as he doesnt like it or doesnt have access to the materials, then thats up to him, he can always, as above, revert to the simple way of an all wood set, once he has gained some experience and learnt the technique down pat.
To me its like carving with a band saw first.
I think you should start with the simplest most basic means first and become proficient at those before being shown the easier ways, so that if you don't have your drilled rock/limpet shell or metal bearing and you need/want to use the simple method your practised and proficient in it.
I think you should start with the simplest most basic means first and become proficient at those before being shown the easier ways, so that if you don't have your drilled rock/limpet shell or metal bearing and you need/want to use the simple method your practised and proficient in it.
well TBH i learnt bow drill with an old broom handle, but now i can do it quite easily with whats in the woods....
well TBH i learnt bow drill with an old broom handle, but now i can do it quite easily with whats in the woods....
That's what I did with my pump drill; broom handles are very good.
none of us are born experts, dude...
You're dead right.
The very first time I got a bow drill ember on my own I was using someone else's set. I took the view that I wanted to try with a set that I knew worked, then go back from there to first principles and learn/make a set for myself.
It's the experimenting and learning from failure that makes the whole process worthwhile.
Don't use grass in the socket, the moisture, although it'll reduce the smoking, will actually increase the friction as it'll make the fibres in the spindle swell.
Try rubbing the socket end of the spindle in the oils on your face where the nose meets the cheek, that works quite well.
I've made a bearing block with a chip of slate in the base of the socket, instead of limpet shell.
Try rubbing the socket end of the spindle in the oils on your face where the nose meets the cheek, that works quite well.
I've made a bearing block with a chip of slate in the base of the socket, instead of limpet shell.
Going back to the original squeaking problem, which won't endear you to nearby neighbours, my experience is that its caused by the mating surfaces in the hearth becoming polished. As posted above pressure can solve it, but you might find a pinch of sand or something else slightly abrasive in the hearth socket will take the shine off and stop the squeak. Good luck!
Ok here's what I've learned but it was learned in Canada, your wood might differ. I use the same wood for hearthboard and spindle, doesn't matter which ones but don't use conifers/softwood as it has resin that heats up and "polishes" that causes squeeking and chirping. Poplar is good, cedar is really good (although a softwood) but kind of cheating The top of the spindle should be as small as practical to reduce friction. So make it "pointy" and about 1/4" at the top and the bottom needs to be 3/4"-1" in diameter and a blunt point to increase friction, although it should usually wear itself into a blunt point anyway it's easier to start like that. If it's chattering and squeeking stop and use different wood as it's not "grinding" the wood and making punk. Using saliva or anything water based causes the wood fibers to swell and bind, better to use the side of your nose or run it through your hair to pick up some oil, the best lubricant is powdered graphite from a pencil. Another reason to put a pencil in your survival kit!
Here's the biggest tip you'll ever get about this stuff so pay attention to the bow! Dont' use a bent stick for a bow, use an "L"shaped stick with the handle being the smaller part of the "L" This allows you to leave the thong a little bit looser and is much easier to wrap around the spindle. Then you squeeze the thong under your little and ring finger and apply/release pressure as it suits you. This allows way easier spinning and stops the spindle from popping out because of too high a tension on the thong popping it out. It seems with a bow you need to start with too high a tension because it loosens up, usually just before everything comes together-a most inopportune time the "L" shape is magic indeed!
The bearing block is best made of stone if you can but not necessary and cheating a bit if you're interested in doing it for survival purposes. My take is if you have to bring a stone bearing block to make it work then just take a Bic lighter, but for learning purposes they do indeed work better. Reread what I said about graphite it's the best.
Make the spindle the length to bring it up to just below your knee when you're in position. Your hand that holds the bearing bloc must be held firmly against your shin so it doesn't wobble about. If you want you can make the spindle kind of octagonal instead of round and the thong really works better. Also making the spindle thinner in the middle than the ends will help the thong to ride in the middle of the spindle. Both of the last points are kind of "guilding the lilly" and not really necessary but nice.
Once you've got your equipment all set up, start slowly and make sure it all works well together. There is no rush!! Get it spinning nicely and spin away for a while, then stop, Stopping does some good stuff, gives you a break, and allows the wood to dry out a bit because of the heat you've generated, and you can take a look and make sure you're generating nice punk. The punk should ideally feel a little gritty. Maybe chip a bit off the bottom of your spindle before you start again to ensure you're working with virgin wood that hasn't gotten polished up. Then get it going again , slowly at first until it's smoking well then a few more seconds to really heat things up then squeeze the thong harder and really start to stroke it like you mean it and keep going until the smoke is pouring out.
Slowly lift out the spindle without knocking the fireboard and see if you have an ember. If you do take your time getting it into the tinder bundle because it's going to burn for quite awhile before it runs out of punk to fuel it.
So there's way more info than you requested but it's what works for me, maybe it'll help someone out.
Here's the biggest tip you'll ever get about this stuff so pay attention to the bow! Dont' use a bent stick for a bow, use an "L"shaped stick with the handle being the smaller part of the "L" This allows you to leave the thong a little bit looser and is much easier to wrap around the spindle. Then you squeeze the thong under your little and ring finger and apply/release pressure as it suits you. This allows way easier spinning and stops the spindle from popping out because of too high a tension on the thong popping it out. It seems with a bow you need to start with too high a tension because it loosens up, usually just before everything comes together-a most inopportune time the "L" shape is magic indeed!
The bearing block is best made of stone if you can but not necessary and cheating a bit if you're interested in doing it for survival purposes. My take is if you have to bring a stone bearing block to make it work then just take a Bic lighter, but for learning purposes they do indeed work better. Reread what I said about graphite it's the best.
Make the spindle the length to bring it up to just below your knee when you're in position. Your hand that holds the bearing bloc must be held firmly against your shin so it doesn't wobble about. If you want you can make the spindle kind of octagonal instead of round and the thong really works better. Also making the spindle thinner in the middle than the ends will help the thong to ride in the middle of the spindle. Both of the last points are kind of "guilding the lilly" and not really necessary but nice.
Once you've got your equipment all set up, start slowly and make sure it all works well together. There is no rush!! Get it spinning nicely and spin away for a while, then stop, Stopping does some good stuff, gives you a break, and allows the wood to dry out a bit because of the heat you've generated, and you can take a look and make sure you're generating nice punk. The punk should ideally feel a little gritty. Maybe chip a bit off the bottom of your spindle before you start again to ensure you're working with virgin wood that hasn't gotten polished up. Then get it going again , slowly at first until it's smoking well then a few more seconds to really heat things up then squeeze the thong harder and really start to stroke it like you mean it and keep going until the smoke is pouring out.
Slowly lift out the spindle without knocking the fireboard and see if you have an ember. If you do take your time getting it into the tinder bundle because it's going to burn for quite awhile before it runs out of punk to fuel it.
So there's way more info than you requested but it's what works for me, maybe it'll help someone out.
