Traditional " My first bowdrill ember" post

[Glen]

Thanks to all of you who posted tips and tutorials on the forum.

Having noticed a nice spindle sized broken branch hanging in a willow tree last week during lunch, I decided that it was about time I gave the old fire fiddle a go.

Cut off about a foot, thumbsized tappering to finger sized, decided to leave it in my kitchen to dry for a day as it's been raining on and off for days.

Made a bearing out of a pine offcut, using a Mora I debarked the willow ( about a foot long ) cut into 7" and 5" bits split the smaller bit and shaved a flat bottom to make the hearth. Cut drill into one pointy bering end one shallow domed working end. Prepared the bearing and hearth and considere what to use as a bow.
Figuring it'd be nice to use something I'm liable to have on me out in the woods I used one of those pack into it's one tube bucksaws and a shoelace.

Figuring this may take some time and sweat I thought I'd have a cup of tea before I started, so I put the kettle on and figured I might as well start bedding the hearth in while it boiled.

Imagine my surprise when less than a minute later I had a healthy glowing coal :Wow:



I feel a lunchtime trip comming on tomorrow to see if my lucky tree has enough left to try a hand drill.

Thanks again for all you tips, collectively :You_Rock_

 

[John Fenna]

That first ember feels good yeah?!
Mine cost me a lot more sweat than yours - so a big "well done!" to you...you jammy swine!
The best combo I have found is a hazel spindle on an ivy base, but I will keep experimenting...and I have willow trees in my garden....
John

 

[Ed]

Well done mate ..... And good luck with the hand drill.....


Ed

 

[Glen]

That first ember feels good yeah?!

The best combo I have found is a hazel spindle on an ivy base, but I will keep experimenting...and I have willow trees in my garden....
John

It did indeed

I had a little inspiration and did a little experimenting when I got in just now.

This was an experiment for a bowless drill.
I used the same bearing block and cut another hole in the hearth, but this time deeper and cut a bigger ember collection slot. In practise I'd probably make 2 hearths.

Taking an old tent guy line I wraped it twice completely round the spindle. The hearth I tipped vertically, collection slot down, bearing block at other end.
Next I half stood and manouvered the spindle into a horizontal position and clamped it between hearth and bearing with my feet. pressing inwards and down at the same time. Staighten up with one end of cord in either hand and pull on the alternate ends. In no time and very little effort I had a coal at the hearth end( as I say I think this would work just as well or better with 2 hearths )

This was easier and quicker and didn't require a bow at all.

I like this method. Anyone heard of it used before?

 

[Shibari.surfer]

Congratulations. My son and i made our first ember last week -and a few since then. Not heard of your bowless method being used before -might give it a go over the weekend.

 

[BobFromHolland]

This bowless drill sounds pretty good!

I must say I'm finding it hard to believe you...
Ember after your first attempt on the bow drill and just for the fun of it invent a bowless technique for your second attempt.

I'm well impressed !! This sure is a humbling experience

Keep up the good work!

Bob

 

[jon r]

I used to do a lot of bow drilling, i used to light most of my fires with one. However i hadnt used one in a while and today i had to check that i still had the nack! And i got an ember first time Phiew!

 

[Glen]

Ember after your first attempt on the bow drill and just for the fun of it invent a bowless technique for your second attempt.

I'm well impressed !! This sure is a humbling experience

Well it's only thanks to many of the tips and turorials I've read on BCUK ( and maybe luck with that particular tree ) that I picked a good combination of wood, I learnt all the little bits that help, eg the collection cut, the shape of the spindle endings etc.

I doubt I've actually invented a new way here, possibly either indepentelty discovered or re-discovered another way though...

Keep up the good work!

I've had an idea for a long time that there could be another variation that few people have thought about, this has been in the back of my mind for many months, and I wanted to use the traditinal methods to help me understand the pricinples, like choosing a good wood, before making a serious attempt.


The basic idea is based on a toy I made for self amusment as a child and is another bowless idea.

Essentially it's based on a spinning disk and loop of thin cord.

<excuse me while I go off to to a seach engine to find something that'll show the basic principle better than I can describe >

http://www.things2make.com/Things2make_files/Instructions over 5/Spinning Disk.htm

To make the disk spin you prime it with a few turns then pull the loop taught, as it gets to it's maximum length you stop pulling and let the rotational momentum wide up the loop, if youve get the timing right winds it up with more loops than you started with. pull aprt slightly harder than the first time and it repeats. Once you've got the ryttym of it it's easy to maintain a spinning action with very little effort. It can spin at really quite fast speeds, the bigger the disk the faster the outside egde is moving.

Now for applying the idea for ember making
The heavier the disk the more momentum it has, wood should have enough to carry on spinning even when place against another object that's slowing it down. The plan is to bring it in contact with a groove in a good hearthwood. My theory being that as this can be done in the fire plough it should be easier with a spinning disk as it maintains the friction ( hence hot spot ) in one place.

Actually I also thought of using the same idea to make a spinning saw but I think the teath might dig in too much for it to be practicle.
.
Maybe a bit of wet sand and a spinning disk like this should make a very good primitive angle grinder for stone cutting.

 

[rich59]

It did indeed

I had a little inspiration and did a little experimenting when I got in just now.

This was an experiment for a bowless drill.
I used the same bearing block and cut another hole in the hearth, but this time deeper and cut a bigger ember collection slot. In practise I'd probably make 2 hearths.

Taking an old tent guy line I wraped it twice completely round the spindle. The hearth I tipped vertically, collection slot down, bearing block at other end.
Next I half stood and manouvered the spindle into a horizontal position and clamped it between hearth and bearing with my feet. pressing inwards and down at the same time. Staighten up with one end of cord in either hand and pull on the alternate ends. In no time and very little effort I had a coal at the hearth end( as I say I think this would work just as well or better with 2 hearths )

This was easier and quicker and didn't require a bow at all.

I like this method. Anyone heard of it used before?

Excellent idea.

 

[Glen]

Excellent idea.

It appears John above was right that I was rather jammy that it worked so easily the first times.

I've managed a few embers since but a lot of the times I've had the spindle fly up in the air way over head height. Not something that's too practicle in the field in that guise. I've taken to doing it sitting down, and keeping the cord low to the ground pulling parallel to it ( as opposed to the standing up perpendicular pull ) this way it doesn't seem to fly out so often and when it does it doesn't go in the direction of my eyes. Possibly why my original version never become a favoured method .