I still can't get bow-drill's to work

[dave k]

HI,

Was wondering if anyone could offer some advice! I've been trying over the last couple of weekend's to get my fire-making skills up to scratch - I've nearly got there with the bow drill, but I'm finding that all the cord I use is no good - it always melts before I get any amount of usefull embers(!)

I've got it to the point where it's smoking quite nicely, then I really go for it for 30 secs or so, but it's usually when the bow cord snaps, melts or comes off

 

[leon-b]

what cord are you using? i know that para cord works, if you are using paracord maybe its to tight and thats creating to much friction on the string ?? just a guess
leon

 

[andyn]

I've had paracord melt on me a couple of times before and it was for the exact reason Leon states above...the cord was a little too tight and too much pressure on the bearing block. The drill needs to be spinning freely. Too much pressure and the drill ends up stopping spinning and the cord then slides back and forth on the drill causing it to firstly glaze and wear and then end up snapping - leaving the white inner stands intact in my experiance. This is especially the case if the cord is too tight as it will be absorbing a lot of energy while spinning the drill.

 

[dave k]

Hmmm - I think it may be too much friction on the spindle then - it's melted as you described, sticking a few times and then the outer coating just dissapears and I'm left with the white inner's..

Thanks for the tips - I'll try again this weekend a bit looser

 

[warthog1981]

try using climbing accessory cord 4 mm its what I use and Ive had no problems

 

[kb31]

shave flat bits around the drill it will grip better
puting a good point on the top of the drill helps alot as well
it may wear down faster but you get more speed out the drill

 

[jon r]

I use the pull start cord for mowers and stuf like that. Its the strongest stuf i know! I have never had a string wear out...EVER! Really good stuff! Maybe a trip to a mower shop will help you out. Im sure you will never go back to para cord or anthing else. I bought 150m in total over time for bow drilling! I must be a bow drill adict!

 

[Longstrider]

If the cord is melting through and snapping it sounds to me like it must be slipping on the drill. This can only be happening if the cord is too loose or you are putting too much pressure on the bearing, therefore stopping the drill making the cord slip.
I generally use 4mm paracord for my bow-drilling set-up and I've been using the same bit now for ages. I always have the cord as tight as I can get it around the drill, often taking two or even three turns around the drill to increase the tension to stop it slipping.
One thing that prevented me from gaining any success with the bow-drill for ages and ages was the fact that I did not realise that the "bow" did NOT want to be like an archery bow. It needs to very stiff. A bow that flexes will do so on the "push" stroke of your drilling action and allow the cord tension to slacken off enough to make it slip on the drill. I'd recommend going for the stiffest bow that you can still get to flex a little in order to twist the drill into the cord.

 

[palmnut]

My usual reply for such dilemmas - use the Egyptian method - the cord doesn't have to be tight.

Articles (from the top menu) / Skills / 'The Egyptian Bow Drill'

Worked for me when I was having similar problems.

 

[BobFromHolland]

I agree with Palmnut.

I had a lot of cord breaking trouble at the beginning as well (nice when you'r just demonstrating your freshly learned technique to friends...). I then started with the egyptian method, which works perfect, but it's extra work getting the hole in the drill. Some guys here on the forum advised on using just a constrictors hitch to tie the cord to the drill, which works perfect too.
Nowadays I just run the cord a couple of times around the drill and that works perfect too. It even works with flat rods (or planks) as a bow, as long as the drill is at the 'outside ' of the cord (not between the cord and the bow).
getting more turns on reduces the wear on the cord and increases the friction on the drill. The only drawback is that you need a (slightly) longer cord.

Best of luck!
Bob