The ultimate firecraft challenge is to go into the wilderness with no tools, gather native materials, and put these together to start a fire. Note I am also barefoot as footware may be considered a tool in holding down the hearthboard. In my home area of Southern California such a fire from scratch is possible, I did it! I found all the materials needed, which are common here, along this one creek. Below is a description of my pictured bowdrill set. All plant material was taken from already dried dead plant parts.
*Bow is 18 inches (linear length end to end) of naturally bowed of Holly Leaf Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia). Sawed and notched using shale flagstone edge.
*2ply cord of hand twisted Stinging Nettle fiber (Urtica dioica ssp. holosericea).
*Stone socket of Monterey Shale. Naturally shaped beach pebble with dimple drilled by finger-held chert shard.
*Spindle and hearth sticks of Arroyo Willow (Salix lasiolepis). Spindle sawed using shale flagstone edge and carved to point using chert blade. Hearthboard stick was snapped over knee and had split in half down the center length. Sawed to size using shale flagstone edge. Notched using chert blade.
*Carving blade is an unretouched black chert shard.
*Bow is 18 inches (linear length end to end) of naturally bowed of Holly Leaf Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia). Sawed and notched using shale flagstone edge.
*2ply cord of hand twisted Stinging Nettle fiber (Urtica dioica ssp. holosericea).
*Stone socket of Monterey Shale. Naturally shaped beach pebble with dimple drilled by finger-held chert shard.
*Spindle and hearth sticks of Arroyo Willow (Salix lasiolepis). Spindle sawed using shale flagstone edge and carved to point using chert blade. Hearthboard stick was snapped over knee and had split in half down the center length. Sawed to size using shale flagstone edge. Notched using chert blade.
*Carving blade is an unretouched black chert shard.
