Hand drill - chapter 2

[rich59]

For anyone who is beginning to get success with hand drill then - fantastic!! If you want to try extending yourself by trying other woods here is a list of materials that seem possible to get a coal out of.

Mostly I use commercial pine hearth boards. Ivy, plane, hoarse chestnut, willow are a few alternatives, but most woods will work as a hearth. However, the harder the wood of the hearth the smaller the drill diameter needs to be. Hazel seems to kill the ember unless you separate the smoking dust from the board immediately you stop drilling. Sycamore can produce a hard glaze.

For drills (easier ones at the top)

Elder
Mullein
Buddliea
Philadelphus (mock orange)
Teasel
Black current
Climbing rose (not wild rose)
Poplar
Holly Hock
Sycamore
Ash
Forsythia
Phormium (New Zealand Flax) flower stem
Burdock
Reed Mace (Typha - sorry, I said tilia before)
Bramble (and some other Rubus species)

Each one has it's own quirks and you may need to adapt your technique.

 

[Shewie]

Thanks for that Rich

A couple more options to use are Cat`s-Tail and Clematis.

Also if you can`t find a piece of drill wood long enough, find a nice long straight stick then splice the end, taper off your drill piece to a square section and tap into the slot. Sometimes needs binding to give a tighter fit


Rich

 

[BobFromHolland]

Thanks a lot there. I sure fit the category!

Any comments about the best fit drill diameter for elder on a commercial pine hearth?

I was puzzled by the small size of the first drill I had succes with.

All of the materials I've seen have a slight taper to them (in nature things seem to grow thinner near the top). Do you all use the thickest side as the 'working side' and spin the thinnest side between the hands, or do you swap this in certain circumstances? I had one (lucky) attempt with the thick part between the palms and the pointy bit doing the friction.

 

[rich59]

Let's see....

Elder on pine, diameter:- I get most satisfactory results usually at about 1.2 to 1.6cm.

That first drill does sound pretty small. I haven't had a chance to try sotol. But, the smaller your drill diameter the easier it is to get smoke with most materials. It's just that with small drills you generally get a coarser dust and small amounts.

And.. thick end or thin end? Well, you should get a better grip with the thick end so theoretically having the thick end down is best. But, if it happens that your thinner end is the right diameter then it's best to use the thinner end with that drill.

 

[rich59]

Thanks for that Rich

A couple more options to use are Cat`s-Tail and Clematis.

Also if you can`t find a piece of drill wood long enough, find a nice long straight stick then splice the end, taper off your drill piece to a square section and tap into the slot. Sometimes needs binding to give a tighter fit


Rich

Is your "cat's tail" typha?

My reed mace attempt must have been the most tricky one I have succeeded with. It is so delicate. I needed to pre shape the depression in the hearth, and drill really fast with minimal pressure. Completely different animal from elder where pressure is crucial.

 

[match]

I've tried cat-tail with some success, although I suspect my problems were from the short spindle length than the material.

I used Typha Latifolia - also known as reed mace (the one with the large brown seed bits at the top...)

Will need to see if there are any stems left standing again near me for collection and try again with a longer piece...

 

[jon r]

Thankyou rich!

I got an ember once with an Aspen hearth board and cat tail drill. Thats the only ember ive ever had, never had one since. I didnt even get the ember to a flame because my tinder was damp! lesson learnt!