for ages me and my dad have been trying to do the bow drill technique, but we have stuggled to get the right wood. Now spring and summer arn't too far away i want to start thinking about hand drill techniques. What woods to use, different methods, any pictures of them in use would be great. Cheers.
fire drill method
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Jack I'm sure there'll be dozens of good links and posts to this query, but, it's a ''kiss" situation and lots of practice.
I worked at the Crannog in Loch Tay for a few seasons and we made fire for *every* tour.....by the end of the first week I was making it reliably nine times a day....and we weren't either hi-tech or terribly bushcrafty. A naturally bent stick is the bow, any kind of rope will work...leather is inclined to stretch a bit though...the hearth wood is best really dry and of a softer timber to the spindle (Heresay!! I can hear the shouts now,.... it works folks!) the spindle and the hearth need to be worked a bit first and something to stop the top of the spindle rubbing away at your hand, you need to press down very firmly. A limpet shell filled with tallow or some other heavy grease over the top of the spindle and cupped in your palm was the historical method. I showed my young sons how using a large hacksaw as the bow and a length of double over twine for the cord. A small trimmed branch of oak was my spindle and a bit of old pine skirting board for the hearth. A piece of leather or the like to build the hot coal on is a good idea too! The little 'volcano' cone (the coal) of hot fibres is just the start though, the tinder you use is crucially important too...and that's where the 'experimental archaeology' comes in
Kept my two occupied for days on end...brilliant.
Keep it simple and practice.
Best wishes,
Toddy
I worked at the Crannog in Loch Tay for a few seasons and we made fire for *every* tour.....by the end of the first week I was making it reliably nine times a day....and we weren't either hi-tech or terribly bushcrafty. A naturally bent stick is the bow, any kind of rope will work...leather is inclined to stretch a bit though...the hearth wood is best really dry and of a softer timber to the spindle (Heresay!! I can hear the shouts now,.... it works folks!) the spindle and the hearth need to be worked a bit first and something to stop the top of the spindle rubbing away at your hand, you need to press down very firmly. A limpet shell filled with tallow or some other heavy grease over the top of the spindle and cupped in your palm was the historical method. I showed my young sons how using a large hacksaw as the bow and a length of double over twine for the cord. A small trimmed branch of oak was my spindle and a bit of old pine skirting board for the hearth. A piece of leather or the like to build the hot coal on is a good idea too! The little 'volcano' cone (the coal) of hot fibres is just the start though, the tinder you use is crucially important too...and that's where the 'experimental archaeology' comes in
Kept my two occupied for days on end...brilliant.Keep it simple and practice.
Best wishes,
Toddy
I would advise you start with the bow drill and when you can do that consistently, move onto the harder hand drill.
There is quite a lot of good information available on the internet on the hand drill. A google search will turn up plenty of helpful reading information. Spindles and weedstems having a pith seem to perform very well. A good spindle and hearthboard combination will feel gritty and on a poor combination little resistance will be felt by twisting a the spindle back and forth a few times. If you can make smoke toward the end of the first pass down the shaft this is a sign that you have good set. While I have not matched the 4.5 seconds to coal reported by Alan Halcon, I can usually get a coal in about 15 seconds using a mullein spindle. I think this method is well worth the time spent to learn as it is one of the few ways to go into the wilderness with nothing and still make fire. Even the bow drill requires a cord and well lubricated socket to work reliably - and wild soap and leather thongs have gone the way of wild charcloth are not so abundant in the bush these days... 
http://www.wwmag.net/handrill.htm
http://www.wwmag.net/handrill.htm
I use either Willow, Sycamore, Alder or Poplar for the drill and hearth. I use Oak for the bearing block and green wood for the bow. It is often said that the hearth and drill should come from the same piece of wood, but i have never done this. I also experiment with different combinations....Willow and Poplar and Willow and Alder work well.
Jeff Wagner said:While I have not matched the 4.5 seconds to coal reported by Alan Halcon, I can usually get a coal in about 15 seconds using a mullein spindle. I think this method is well worth the time spent to learn as it is one of the few ways to go into the wilderness with nothing and still make fire. Even the bow drill requires a cord and well lubricated socket to work reliably - and wild soap and leather thongs have gone the way of wild charcloth are not so abundant in the bush these days...
http://www.wwmag.net/handrill.htm
There's a wee problem with this......mullien is rare in most of the uk, virtually non existant in Scotland, it seems .....according to the books.... I've only ever seen it growing as a pathetic specimen in a west coast garden, to prefer the continent & southern climes.
Cord making is the work of a few minutes. If there's need, chop out a piece of thick juicy bark and use that for the the lubrication under a bit of stone or a piece of timber to press down on the spindle.
I'm not trying to belittle the method, just point out that you can only use
what's available, and that Britain is an island with a limited post glacial flora.
Does anyone know of any indigenous pithy stems that are strong enough to work like mullien?
Toddy
Sooner or later it seems everything comes full circle...
Willow is recommended here with cattail.
http://www.bushcraftuk.net/community/archive/index.php/t-1147.html
Willow is recommended here with cattail.
http://www.bushcraftuk.net/community/archive/index.php/t-1147.html
you can only use what's available, and that Britain is an island with a limited post glacial flora.
Select materials are not always abundant. This is absolutely true on both sides of the pond and precisely the reason why the hand drill socket concept makes so much sense. A small plug of material that works well can be mated with any straight shaft - even the nock end of an arrow.
Select materials are not always abundant. This is absolutely true on both sides of the pond and precisely the reason why the hand drill socket concept makes so much sense. A small plug of material that works well can be mated with any straight shaft - even the nock end of an arrow.
jack29g said:
Speaking as a definite non-expert (I got my first 2 successful coals at the weekend but err, blew them out in the tinder) I would say standing, dead, dry elder is the way to go for both drill and hearth. I used ash for the block but beech, oak or other hard stuff should be fine.
Find a dead trunk/thick branch for the board, and cut it so as to avoid drilling into the soft pith. Elder usually has lots of straightish 20cm sections of branch around 15-20mm thick. They are your drills.
Technique, I wouldn't presume to advise on, but I just did what it said from Ray's book(s)
Good luck, it's a great feeling when it works. Be better when I've got a fire :?:
Jim.
I don't know if there's more than one crannog in Scotland, but if there isn't I visited it and had a go at the fire drill. Failed miserably of course, (but that was some years ago) and then the very nice lady assistant proceeded to show me how it should be done and made an ember in less than a minute. May even have been you Toddy!
For bow drill, I use sycamore for drill and hearth. I had a great bow for practising, it hardly bent and was just the right weight and length for me. Missus ditched it when we moved house thinking it was rubbish. Grrr.
I haven't tried natural fibre for the bow, but I remember having serious blisters on my hands after using paracord on my bow when I was learning the basics.
But the joy when it all came together and I lit my first friction fire was worth the blood sweat and (dare I say it) tears. Oh, and the telling offs by SWMBO because of an unnaturally high use of expletives!!!!
I haven't tried natural fibre for the bow, but I remember having serious blisters on my hands after using paracord on my bow when I was learning the basics.
But the joy when it all came together and I lit my first friction fire was worth the blood sweat and (dare I say it) tears. Oh, and the telling offs by SWMBO because of an unnaturally high use of expletives!!!!
khimbar said:
There's only one!
Me... late 30's, 5'3", long dark brown hair, green eyes...definitely 'cuddly'
, Scottish, 1997, 8, 9.....? I've got photos somewhere.....Toddy
Toddy we were there in 2001. I remember that cos we were visiting Edradrour distillery on 9th September.
The crannog was great though, such a cool place. I wanted to stop overnight in it...I wonder if SWMBO would fancy another trip to it?
The crannog was great though, such a cool place. I wanted to stop overnight in it...I wonder if SWMBO would fancy another trip to it?
Not me then, I only go and visit my friends now, occasional days. If you *do* go back up find out when there's an evening event on.....we light the fire, clarsach comes out, so does the storyteller and the food, etc....it's a wonderful building....totally different atmoshpere. Talked me into it now, must phone Barrie and Nick, I know I've got a Pictish outfit somewhere....
Toddy
Toddy
L
Lost_Patrol
Guest
Hi Guys - This is my first post so forgive any noobie mistakes.
I've been trying to use the bow drill technique using elder wood for the drill and hearth. I can get a hot smoking coal but can't do anything with it. What kind of tinder works with the coal ?
I've been trying to use the bow drill technique using elder wood for the drill and hearth. I can get a hot smoking coal but can't do anything with it. What kind of tinder works with the coal ?
Well that's got SWMBO convinced even if we have no idea what a clarsach is. I'm off to see if they have mailing list.
Lost_Patrol said:
Supposedly very dry grass, buffed (rubbed) 'til it's fluffy is good with bowdrill embers. As I said earlier, didn't work for me...
...yet :roll:
I'll stick at it and let you know how I do.
Jim.
