All good tips to collect and try.

Try to remember to keep the dust from previous efforts and put some in the socket and notch. Particularly the blackened dust can act like charcoal or charcoal cloth in tiny form to catch a spark easier.

Starting a fire using the bow drill method is an art form in itself and it takes a lot of practice to have a high success rate. I have successfully managed this only a few times under controlled conditions. I hope that I will never have to resort to this method in a survival situation where the conditions are not idea...and this why I always carry multiple methods of fire starting; wooden matches, BIC lighter, firesteel.

Thanks for all the help folks!! I went into the garage tonight and got an ember 3 times in a row and actually got a flame in a tinder bundle on the 3rd. Thanks again for the help.

Congratulations!

Excellent!

What seemed to do the trick?

Steady pressure and speed until I got good smoke, eased up on the pressure and gave it about 10 more full strokes, and there it was an ember! I also opened my notch up a bit.

SWEET! Great job.

Going to get some cattails now and try hand drill a bit. Any suggestions on what else may be a good drill other than cattails?

As a now successful bowdrill fire-starter, it becomes your right and duty to try darn near eveything around you and share with us what you discover!

Hand-drill is for most a much bigger challenge.

I have thus far got Red Cedar, Pine, and Poplar to the point of a good ember. I used a willow spindle on all three.

As for trying the Hand Drill I just want to mess around and see how it works.