Bow Drill Tips?

[Gareth]

Just watched this video and thought I'd give a bow drill another try.  I've not tried in a long time, nor often, nor with any success.



While the suggested tips seem to make sense to me I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions?

[Syph007]

Ive been thinking about this again as summer approaches.  I have never ever succeeded in friction fire making but would love to give it another go.

We need a 'made a friction fire' badge and thread to post videos of success. 

[rishardh]

No tips to give but want to wish you two the best of luck. Let us know how it goes.

[Aloha]

I've got plenty of smoke and black dust from bow drill, plough, and bamboo attempts.  I know I'm close but for whatever reason the stupid ember isn't developing. 

[Gareth]

I've got plenty of smoke and black dust from bow drill, plough, and bamboo attempts.  I know I'm close but for whatever reason the stupid ember isn't developing.

I've given this a go over the last day or so and this is exactly as far as I've gotten as well.  Close, but no ember.

[zoidberg]

Collected a few bits of wood while walking the dog today. Will try when I get some free me time.

[Gareth]

Collected a few bits of wood while walking the dog today. Will try when I get some free me time.

[Etherealicer]

I recommend using something like this:

[ducttapetech]

I've got plenty of smoke and black dust from bow drill, plough, and bamboo attempts.  I know I'm close but for whatever reason the stupid ember isn't developing.

This is what happens to me. After a hour when my arms feel like they are ready to fall off I say smurf it and use flint  and steel. 5 minutes later, I have a fire.
Interesting to note, you can take the dust from a bow drill and hit it with a ferro rod and it will start to glow like a piece of charred punk wood.

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[Grant Lamontagne]

Ive been thinking about this again as summer approaches.  I have never ever succeeded in friction fire making but would love to give it another go.

We need a 'made a friction fire' badge and thread to post videos of success. 

Not a bad suggestion there!

Def

[WiseDuck]

I was actually successful the other day and got my second coal and first fire. Honestly, I expected this to take much longer for me. But the first time I made my own set, I got a coal but the tinder bundle was poorly made. The second time I attempted it, I ran out of time. Yesterday, I gave it my third attempt and finally did it.

I did use one clutch though... I used a small shot glass as my bearing block to eliminate all friction on that end. Next time I attempt this, I'll use natural materials only. But like the guy said in that video, for the first few times, just focus on function over form to get it down. I just followed the basic tips I've read in many guides, which are...

Use a soft wood. If you can leave a mark with a nail, it is soft enough. I used alder.

Bow should be approximately an arms length long. Use it with nylon string or paracord.
Hearthboard can be almost any length, but should not be thicker than 2-3 cm.
Spindle needs a fairly pointy end on the bearing block side, and a thicker end on the other side.
The width of my spindle was approx 2 cm at the thickest point.
The thicker end can be left a little pointy, as this will help center it over the pilot hole on the hearth.
Bearing block can be almost anything. A smooth rock with an indentation, a wood block made of the same type of wood etc. If you use the same type of wood, make sure the bearing side of the spindle is pointy to reduce friction, then add some crushed green leaves to the hole to reduce the friction further.

What else... The V notch that collects the dust needs to reach about 2/3rds into the center of the burned-in hole, before the first real drill attempt. The notch can be enlarged slightly on the underside of the hearth to let more oxygen in. When drilling the spindle needs to be on the outside of the bow, not outside.

For the rest, watch the video and other guides on the web.

[zoidberg]

When drilling the spindle needs to be on the outside of the bow, not outside.

What?

And congrats on the fire.      

[Gareth]

Nicely done wiseduck.

[Aloha]

Nicely done wiseduck.

Yes very nicely done. 

[Gareth]

Reading what WD has said I'm wondering if I need to make my notch bigger.

[WiseDuck]

I wish I could post a full video. But I was alone and did not bring my tripod. I'll film the next attempt and share it with you guys. For now this is all I have:

[Aloha]

Bravo   

[ducttapetech]

Bravo 

+100!
Nice!

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[Gareth]

Bravo 

+100!
Nice!

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[rishardh]

Bravo 

+100!
Nice!

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[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

I've had success with cedar on cedar and yucca stalk on cedar. If you use synthetic cordage with stretch, you want a bow that doesn't flex...with natural materials you want the bow to flex a bit. I prefer a straighter bow...think violin bow as opposed to archery bow. It's easier to drive back and forth without fighting the weight of the bow sticking out the side. If I were looking for a branch to make a bow, I'd look for more of a comma shape rather than a D shape.

The bows I made are pretty short, only about 18" long overall..I started out with longer, but these are working for me and easier to pack. The cords are adjustable longer for Egyptian style, but I prefer the single wind. There's enough paracord for a second stringing in case of breakage. The bearing block is oak with a bottle cap embedded into it. I've actually replaced it a couple times as a hole will eventually wear through. I smear it with a bit a beeswax and there is a reservoir hole drilled in the side of the block to store extra wax.

Spindles start out about 3/4" square...corners carved off into a rough hex. This gives the cord better grip initially. Eventually the pressure of the cord compresses and rounds out the spindle.

[ducttapetech]

Nice set man!

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[Aloha]

Nice set man!

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Yes very nice.  Great info as well.  I think I'll give the straight bow a try 

[Gareth]

Great stuff Dave.

[ducttapetech]

Nice set man!

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Yes very nice.  Great info as well.  I think I'll give the straight bow a try 

I am thinking the samething.

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[zoidberg]

Nice set man!

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Yes very nice.  Great info as well.  I think I'll give the straight bow a try 

I am thinking the samething.

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Great info, but too late, I cut a curved one already.   

[WiseDuck]

I wasn't happy with just posting a short video as my proof, so I gave it another shot today.

Here's the set I was successful with today. The wood used was grey alder, a soft wood found all over Sweden. (Next to my Silvertech Swisschamp, I used the saw to make two cuts towards the center of the hole, the cap lifter to pry off the piece of wood to complete the notch and the file to put the finishing touches on the spindle)

It took me 2½ hours to get a flame. Before that flame, I'd gotten 3 coals! But my tinder bundle wasn't good enough. Ughhhh. The winning combination was tightly packed super dry lichen in the middle, with thin strips of birch bark mixed into that, surrounded by grass. I had to make a new spindle and bearing block because I wore out the previous pieces. I managed to do this without cheating with the shot glass, so I'm pretty dang happy right now!

[Gareth]

"Yes! Smurfing finally."



Great job WiseDuck.

[Syph007]

Awesome!

I saw someone use  a big log to be the bearing block so it's weight did the work of the downward force.  I always wondered if it would acruelly work better or not.

[WiseDuck]

Maybe if the friction between the spindle and cordage is high enough. With this flimsy nylon cord (taken out of a Bear Grylls Basic Survival kit, which I then re-stocked with 550 paracord) I often pressed too hard with the bearing block and the cord slipped. So it was a bit of a balancing act at times. But it got the job done.