Hand drill hearth wood.

[Rabbit leg]

Hello,

I am after some ideas for hand drill hearth woods that can be used 'on the day/in the field'.

I have no problem (depending on location) with the drill. Burdock can be used almost immediately if it hasn't rained too much. And some pithy stalks can be split and dried if the sun is out.

I've dried a few hearth boards out in a couple of days. But that was with the help of my car dashboard and strong Spanish sun.

Any recommendations to look out for? Hearth woods that can be processed and used in one 'sunny' day?

Fastest way to dry wood?
Split it. Hold it open. Leave it on a hot rock in the sun.
Out of the breeze seems to work better - more heat.

I am working on two burdocks tied together, but no luck yet.

Thanks.

 

[Buckshot]

Lime works well as a hearth board i find
would need to be dead standing of course to be able to use within the day

 

[Rabbit leg]

Lime works well as a hearth board i find
would need to be dead standing of course to be able to use within the day

Sorry, missed the notification.
I've been keeping my eye out for some lime, but nothing around me at the moment.

I've found that dead standing - with a lot of trees I have tried - gets too hard for the hand drill. Green and quickly dried seems to work the best. But will work on it.

 

[Buckshot]

Interesting on the drying methods. i hadn't thought that would make a difference.
the pieces i have were all collected dead at the same time but i don't know how they dried. they might have been in a particular climate that works well for us and i was lucky to pick that piece rather than the piece next to it!?

Where abouts are you? UK?

 

[Rabbit leg]

Been using lime the last couple of weeks. Works well and most of the trees I've come across often have a dead branch still connected which works straight away. At least in the warm weather we have been having.

Lime on lime and ivy on lime. The ivy drill usually needs an extension as it's never straight.

 

[Jamie Vickery]

Hazel is great for the bow, being a flexible wood, and lime for the hearth works great. Depends what resources you can find and if you have time to hunt for these resources

 

[Rabbit leg]

Hazel is good for the bow but I find it an awkward wood for the hand drill. Yes it works but I find that the ember needs air quickly or it will go out. Usually I keep the notch very open and close to the edge of the hearth. I also move the hearth away from the dust pile every time it builds up. Or the the dust will compress and make it harder.

That's my experience in the field. Pre dried in the house is a lot easier.

 

[Rabbit leg]

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm giving advice. I was just pointing out my experiences. Still learning.