Ya ya, I know... I should really title the thread "Firestarting with only a knife and 3' feet of paracord" <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> But the title I chose seems much cooler. Maybe "Firestarting with only a knife and shoelace" would be pretty accurate and still sound cool? <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

The hearth and spindle a are soft wood (Texas Cottonwood) from a very dead very dry piece of branch I stumbled across. The bow is a Willow branch and the palm piece (can never remember what to call it when you're not using a rock) is a piece of very hard wood (type unknown). I have only used it once so far. Basically I just used it once tonight right after I made it in order to be sure I could produce a nice big coal with it before I showed it off, since it would be worthless otherwise regardless of its rugged beauty. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> You may notice there is no burn-in on the palm piece. My secret is ear wax! Seriously!



Okay okay I really just wanted to show off my new bow drill set since I actually spent a little time making it look half decent, by actually removing the bark other than only in the spots where it is necessary. I created this with only the two tools shown below and as you can see I even spent time making my baton look pretty. For you knife nuts that are curious, the knife is a modified Benchmade Nimravus Cub (3.65" blade of ATS-34). Modified by removing the black BT2 coating and sanding the bevel edges a little to help it slice through stuff a little better.



I love making fire by friction. There is a certain amount of satisfaction and confidence that comes with knowing you can make fire with only your knife (and maybe some cordage). I have been practicing with hand drills for a long time as well but have yet to get a good coal with one. I keep practicing though. I think hand drills are the ultrimate! Then you truely do only need a knife (or even a flint with a nice sharp edge on it) to create fire. I know this isn't a primitive skills forum but this is certainly a valid subject for wilderness survival IMHO and I'm not active on any primitive skills forums so I have to share with someone... right?

Very nice...

My buddies and me have tried the "bow drill" method several times. Seems like we spend an hour looking for the proper length of wood, then the perpefect hand piece. Then spend another hour carving it out just right only to spend two hours of sweating trying to produce a spark. No fire yet, but like you say, it's the accomplishment that we are trying for.

How long did it take you to carve all that?

Sometimes we make a game of it and put in real world situations pretending that we have a limited time to build it. We will keep on trying.

I'm really glad you showed interest. This is something I really enjoy and it was extremely difficult for me to learn so prepare for a long reply. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I spent about three hours on this particular set, including making the baton. Most of that time was spent doing stuff that wasn't necessary though, like smooting out the back of the palm piece, removing all the bark and rounding/smoothing the ends of the baton, bow, hearth board and palm piece. None of that has any effect on the tool's firemaking ability. It's just makes it look better for when you know your going to be taking a picture to show to you buddy at work and your friends on the ETS forum. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I can make an ugly one that is just as effective in probably 20 minutes. I have never timed myself but this sounds like a fun project so I'll give it a shot and let ya know how long it actually takes. The key thing (for me anyway) that I figured out one day which enabled me to contruct a bow drill set much faster than I had previously was when I realized the full potential of batoning. Batoning ain't just for shelter poles... trust me. I baton everything. More batoning-less carving makes for a much faster progress and a lot less energy expenditure. Every piece of wood here was batoned. There was very little carving other than removing bark and "drilling" the depression in the palm piece. I baton out the spindle and hearth board and only do a little carving on them afterwards. I baton out the palm piece as well and baton all the knots off the bow also. The baton is my friend for sure. However, if I wasn't trying to make this pretty then the only piece I would probably baton would be the spindle. Rather than spending lots of time searching for a 9" straight piece of soft wood (which I used to do just like you) I now spend very little time locating a 9" piece of soft wood that is mayby not so straight but is thick enough that I can baton/split/carve out a straight piece from the middle of it. I do this with the hearth board too though it is not as necessary for the hearth. This serves two purposes. First, it makes it easier and faster for me to obtain a straight spindle. Second, it makes it easier to obtain dryer wood for the hearth and spindle, which makes a big difference in how hard or easy it is to get a coal.

The funny thing about learning the bow drill (for me anyway) is that you spend forever trying and failing repeatedly, then one day you get that beautiful coal that you desired for so long. Then after that it is easy to reliably get a nice coal almost every time. Of course then the fun is to challenge youself by using harder and/or damp wood and/or smaller bows to make things more difficult (and probably more realistic too from a survival perspective).

Throughout the my process of learning the bow drill these seem to be the turning points that got me significantly further along in the process toward ultimately being able to consitently get a nice red hot coal for fire starting. Hopefully some of this will help you and save you from all the pain I suffered along the way.

1st: Figuring out the right wood to use. In my area I prefer Cottonwood or Cedar, both of which are very abundant.
2nd: Realizing that long bows are a lot easier than short bows. I would suggest using a bow of 3' or longer until you can consitently get a coal.
3rd: Learning to keep the bow level while pumping it so the string doesn't constantly ride up and down the spindle and eventually force the spindle to fall off the hearth (or fly off like a projectile if your string is too tight).
4th: Realizing that if you cant find the perfect rock (and I never ever have) then you need to use the hardest wood you can possibley find for your palm piece.
5th: Figuring out just the right amount of tension to have on my bow string. Don't make it too tight. It should be nice and loose. Just tight enough to hold the spindle securely.
6th: Realizing that pointing the top tip of the spindle makes a huge difference by reducing friction between the spindle and the palm piece.
7th: Learning the right amount of pressure to apply to the palm piece.
8th: LEARNING TO MAKE A GOOD NOTCH!! If you're getting lots of smoke and black (or dark brown) powder but no coal, then odds are you need to try a different size/shape for your notch. I cant stress enough how essential this is and how long it took me to figure this out the hard way.
9th: Finding the best, natural, readily available lubricant for the top of my spindle (where it contants the palm piece). Yes I am talking about good ole ear wax! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It doesnt take much as all. So you dont have to neglect your personal hygene in order to make a good fire. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Spindle/palm piece lubricant isn't essential but it will get you a coal faster.

BTW: Dont wear yourself out pumping the bow back and forth. If you're in half decent physical condition and you're not getting a coal pretty quickly then you probably need to look at the 9 points mentioned above. I'm no Hercules and I get a coal in under a minute with dry, soft wood and the type of construction I decribed above.

Excellent advice. Next time I get out...maybe a while. Have a new 9 week old at the house...I will give it another try.

Maybe by the time my son is old enough to go with me and be impressed I will have it mastered.

Thanks again.

Excellent rundown and nice images too.

I have yet to give this a try.

For my first fire I used a 12" piece of 4x4 cedar and split it for the fireboard, spindle, and hand piece. It's easy to learn the process with dry, easy wood. Then you can apply it to "wild" wood when you know what the coal will look like and how it will act. I built a fire on my first try, although I did have someone standing there telling me what to do.

I have never tried using store-bought materials (other than the cordage) but I did practice in the beginning (as I know many others have also) by using a variable-speed power drill in place of a bow. This technique has been written up many times and is somewhat helpful both when youre first learning (and doubting whether it is really even possible) and when testing out different types of wood and different levels of dampness. One thing the power drill has taught me is that it is possible to get a coal with a ton of different types of wood and even with wet wood. It's just a heck of a lot harder with some woods than with others.

Oh and BTW... my buddy at the work no longer maintains that it is impossible to start a fire by "rubbing two sticks together" and that it only happens in the movies. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

As for me and my own learning... I am still trying to get a usable coal from a hand drill (with no cordage for thumb loops). No luck yet but I keep trying.........