Bow Drill Fire
This article covers how to make fire by friction in the wild with only a knife! - Kyle Thomson
I was in the far west desert of Utah with nothing more than my little quiver pack during mid January. The west desert is a high desert and during the winter it is bitter cold.
This year however there hadn't been much snow, but somehow the clouds coming in fast over the distant mountains told me my luck was about to run out, and soon there would be snow covering the sagebrush and juniper hills I called home for the week.
After getting my shelter set up I immediately went to work building a fire kit. The style of fire device I was making is called a bow drill and I knew this would be my best option for primitive fire. Earlier that day I came across a deer carcass in which I stripped a 12 inch by 12 inch piece of rawhide off. That rawhide would now be used for the string on my sagebrush and juniper root fire kit. It was almost dark. The little light I had left coming through my shelter was followed by an icy chill that seemed to tell me that a fire would be needed to stay warm for the pursuing snowflakes that would soon cover the ground… I twisted the sagebrush spindle into the bow string, got into a cramed postion in my little shelter, and began spinning the spindle in the hearth board. 8 seconds later the glow of a small ember appeared in the notch and I knew I would soon have fire…
Ancient Fire In The Wild
Let’s Go back in time..
Bow drills were used in Mehrgarh between the 4th and 5th millennium BC to drill holes. Similar drills were found in other parts of the Indus Valley and Iran one millennium later. Earliest archaeological evidence of friction fire approx 4000 BC in Triquet Island, BC, Canada (apparently.) Also methods used depend on the continent, climate and materials available.
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What Is A Bow Drill?
A bow drill is a simple hand-operated type of tool, consisting of the spindle that is set in rapid rotary motion by means of a cord wrapped around it. The cord is held taught by a bow which is pushed back and forth with one hand. This tool has been used both as a drill, to make holes on solid materials such as wood, stone, bone, and even teeth. Also as a fire drill to start a fire.
The spindle can be held in a fixed frame by a hand-held block (Socket) with a hole into which the top of the shaft is inserted. In the absence of a frame, the socket is shaped so that it can be held with the chin or mouth
In another variation called the Egyptian bow drill, the cord is wound around the spindle multiple times, or can be fixed to it by a knot or a hole.
The Components Of A Fire Kit
The bow drill consists of 4 components. The hearth board, spindle, socket, and the bow. Together they create friction that generates enough heat to take the small dust shavings (known as punk) and ignite those dust-like shavings into an ember.
Together these parts create speed and pressure. As the friction becomes more intense through the rotation of the spindle and the downward pressure you will notice a dust filling into the notch. The heat becomes so intense that it combusts the dark black dust filling the notch into an ember, much like the coal in a fire.
This coal is then placed into a nest and blown into flame.
The Spindle
Start by locating a recommended wood for a spindle from the materials list in the back of the book. Look for something straight, fairly knot free, about 6-8” long, & around thumb thickness in diameter. Use dead wood free of moisture. Green or wet wood will need to be dried in most cases.
Woods like sage brush can be used green and burn very well. Simply peel away the bark, and set in the sun while finishing the rest of the set. In about 5 minutes the wood will be dry enough to use.
I live in the mountainous region of Utah so my favorite combination is a sagebrush spindle and Juniper root hearth board.
To make the spindle, determine if your piece is wider than your thumb. If it’s the same size proceed to step 5. I prefer a spindle that is thumb sized in diameter, however thinner spindles can work but are not ideal.
Remove the bark down to the wood. This will keep the bark from wrapping up in the bow string & also keep premature string wear down to a minimum
A trick to sizing down a larger spindle blank and rounding it out is to carve the spindle blank into a larger than thumb sized square. Then carve the corners down until the spindle becomes round.
Now that we have a rounded spindle we need to carve the ends. Starting with the end going into the socket, carve it into a long narrow point. This reduces top end friction.
Next carve the other end that goes into your hearth board. This will look similar to a Crayola marker tip.
Lastly smooth the spindle so there are no rough spots. Any rough Surfaces will shred and wear your string faster. Rough surfaces will also make using the bow drill harder. Do this by carefully scraping your knife down the spindle. Smooth out any ridges, flat spots, and burs.
Your spindle should now be ready. A complete bow drill kit consists of 2 spindles. I highly recommend having 2-4 spindles on hand. You never know when your spindle may break, get lost, or in my case get thrown into the fire by a student. Haha, it’s best to always think ahead and prepare while you can.
Hearth Boards
Now many woods will work for both the spindle and hearth board. However, certain woods work better than others, and many of these are quite common I might add.
For example Sage brush makes an excellent hearth board and spindle, as does cottonwood, willow, Maple, and many more.
Try to avoid anything with resin. As resin heats up it becomes glossy and slick, so unless you're looking for a high pitched squeaky workout I’d avoid resinous woods.
My favorite hearth board has been juniper root. When combined with a sage brush spindle it burns very hot. I’ve busted out embers in as little as 6 seconds on this combo of wood. Definitely give it a try if you can.
Building A Hearth Board
Once you’ve decided on a wood type, start looking for something 8”-12” long and 3”-5” wide, and no more than 1” thick. A thick hearth board tends to bind up the spindle, so try to stick to around ¾ of an inch thick.
Remove any bark if needed and start carving the top and bottom of the board flat. You want this to sit flat on the ground without popping up. If your board has a squiggle to it, carve the top and bottom so the squiggle lays flat. Like a snake slithering on the ground.
Once you have a flat board. Begin to square out the sides. Square sides make it easy to carve the notches later on.
Try to avoid having large knots, splits, and cracks throughout the hearth board. I like to carve my board into a long rectangle that is 8 inches long, 2” wide, and ½” - ¾ inch thick. I’ve found this to be the best dimensions for most kits.
Next add a small hole into the fire board where the spindle will be placed for the burn in. This is where we will burn in the board prior to making an ember.
The small divot allows the point on the spindle to burn in straight and makes doing the burn in easier.
Fire Bows
The bow for the bow drill is used to give the spindle motion. When the spindle is wrapped into the bow the string creates tension and allows the user to spin the spindle quickly back and forth with ease. This mechanical advantage of the bow allows us to use a variety of woods to make fire, and even allows us to make fire in many less than ideal conditions.
Making The Bow
Look for a slight curved branch from fingertips to mid bicep in length & 1”-1 1/2” in diameter. Green wood works amazing because it will flex and give the bow better tension. Green wood also allows us to bend the bow when mounting the spindle so that we don't have much friction wearing out the string from twisting in the spindle. This will make more sense later on.
Carve a groove around the bow on the thicker end. Do this by making a series of small cuts around the stick (like flower petals) and then cut the petals out. This is where the string will go. Use a slipknot with a stop knot to tie the string onto the thicker end of the bow
Use the fork to attach the string to the top end of the bow. If no forked branch is available, carve a notch for the string to sit in on the back of the bow. Avoid cutting too deep as this can crack or break off under tension. Use a clove hitch to attach the string around the forked end.
The tension of the bow should be tight enough to pop the spindle in, but not so loose that the spindle slips in the string. You should feel a slight pop when twisting in the spindle. I like to have my string slightly loose since we can pinch the string when using the bow drill to add extra tension as needed. You should not be struggling to twist in the spindle. If this is the case, then your string is too tight and you will need to loosen it.
Making Rawhide Cordage
Though we can make string from plant fibers, I personally will strive for better cordage for a bow drill kit. Since the string takes quite the beating from both tension, heat, and the constant rubbing of the spindle, it’s in your best interest when possible to use the best cordage available.
Rawhide even from a squirrel skin is a great resource for strong cordage or bindings. The rawhide can be trimmed, spiraled out, and stretched. This provides an extremely long piece of string that can be used for bow drill kits, making pack frames, and much more!
Start with a piece of rawhide at least 6” x 6”. Cut the rawhide into a large oval trying to keep as much of the whole size as possible. Cut off any corners or places that arent smooth or could be potential weak spots.
Next hammer your knife into a log or stump. This needs to be stationary and firmly seated to the ground so you can cut your rawhide string. If you can't find a large log or stump you can hammer your knife into a branch and sit on top of it in order to keep it from moving.
To cut the rawhide into one long strip start by cutting into the circle of rawhide ¼” from the edge. Continue to spiral out the rawhide until you have around 2-3ft of rawhide lace.
Roll the rawhide so that it begins to make a tube. Every 3-4 inches give the rolled rawhide a good pull and stretch it out. This helps the string become smoother as it’s pulled tight into a tube.
Sockets
The socket provides the advantage of constant pressure. This part of our kit provides the downward force needed to generate enough heat to make fire. The socket also gives us something to hold and keep the spindle straight.
Building A Socket
Sockets can be made from many materials. The best materials are stone and bone, however wood can work just fine with a little help from green leaves or resin.
My favorite material is stone because it lasts quite a long time and isn’t too hard to make with a little know-how.
Bone can work well though and some bone pieces have perfect divots in them that work wonderfully.
When looking for a stone for a socket I keep an eye out for stones that can fit easily inside my palm, aren't too heavy, and have a natural hole or divot that can be easily enlarged. Test the stone by grinding another stone into it. If it grinds away easily then it will work, but avoid stones that grind too quickly like sandstone or soapstone.
To make a divet I use a pointed stone to carve into the socket. Carve until the divot reaches ¼ tsp in depth and diameter. Adding sand and water into the divet may help to grind out the hole easier.
A quick drill can be made to drill the socket divot out by selecting a long straight stick. Split the end of the stick and break a stone flake off of a nearby rock. Insert the flake into the split and wrap with sturdy cordage. I like to use rawhide, milkweed, dogbane, basswood, or yucca for a strong natural string.
The Burn In
To mount the spindle (if you're right handed) hold the bow with the string towards the sky, and the bow to the ground. Place the bow under your right armpit. With the spindle under the string at a 120 degree angle use your right pointer finger and left thumb to twist the spindle into the string. This may require a few minutes of practice.
How to kneel when using the bow drill is mostly user specific and what’s comfortable. There are however a few guidelines to follow. Kneel with your non-dominant leg up and your dominant side down and back. Similar to a pirate kneeling by a treasure chest.
Now we need to complete the burn in. The burn in is the initial burn to create the hole into the fire board and help the spindle connect so everything runs smoothly.
Place your fire board under the arch of your foot opposite to your dominant hand. Mount your spindle onto the bow and carefully place the wider end into the hole on the hearth board. The tall narrow end of the spindle will go to the socket.
Holding the mounted spindle, carefully place the socket on top. Using downward pressure on the socket to keep it in place, begin to rotate the spindle in a sawing motion keeping the bow level. To start the spin go no more than 1” both ways until you feel the spindle start to move more freely. Begin to use the full bow length until you have burned a roughly a ¼” inch hole into the board. If your board is starting to gloss or you notice it’s not burning check your down pressure and your string tension for slipping. If it glosses, drop sand into the hole to make the board and spindle coarse again.
Once the burn in is complete make a V notch from the edge of the board until almost halfway into the hole. At the point of the V make it more squared than V shaped. This allows better airflow and more dust to collect.
Making Fire
Cut the tip of your spindle flat and drill a hole into it. This helps create more friction and draw air into the bottom.
Using bark, grass, or other fibers, rub it between your hands until the fibers become fine. This is what we call surface area. A match won’t engulf a log and likewise our small ember won’t magically turn large sticks or wood into flame, so our nesting surface area must be small to help our ember burn and eventually become fire. Shape this nesting into a birds nest shape, with most of the fine material in the center.
Before making fire, start by first adjusting your string tension. It needs to be tight enough so that when the spindle is mounted it almost “pops” into place on the string.
To mount the spindle (if your right handed) hold the bow with the string towards the sky, and the bow to the ground. Place the bow under your right armpit. With the spindle under the string at a 120 degree angle use your right pointer finger and left thumb to twist the spindle into the string. This may require a few minutes of practice.
Now that we are ready to make fire get into that kneeling position and place the hearth board under the arch of the foot.
Use a leaf or bark under the notch to catch the hot dust that will become your ember.
Mount your spindle and place it into the hearth board. Place your socket onto the spindle and apply pressure.
Using a sawing motion begin with small 1”-2”” spins until the bow moves freely. Continue the Sawing motion and holding pressure until the punk fills the entire notch. Add a little more speed and pressure until you see the punk smoking on its own. The ignited punk smells like burnt popcorn sometimes. Stop the sawing motion but hold the spindle in the fire board for 3 seconds! This will help the heat build more.
After 3 seconds remove the spindle carefully. Tilt the board up and tap the coal away from the fire board with the spindle and onto the bark or leaf. Don’t rush! Let the coal grow bigger and take a breath! You’re almost there! Once the majority of the ember is red, transfer the it into the nest and with the wind to your back and the nest a minimum of 6” from your face. Blow carefully until a flame appears!
Bow Drill - Tips & Tricks
What to check if your not getting an Ember
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If your ember goes out fast then it may need more oxygen.
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If your punk is making long shavings instead of fine dust try a new spindle or hearth board.
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If you hear sqeaking apply more pressure
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If your set if glossing use sand to make it coarse again and use more pressure next time
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Add pine sap, green plant matter, or oil from the side of your nose into the socket as a lubricant.
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If your not stable check your body position and move until you wrist is anchored on your shin and you feel solid
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If your out of breath while doing the bow drill, breathe. Also take breaks for a few seconds and then resume. The heat will stay so long as you don’t lift your spindle out of the board.
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When you do get a coal, don’t rush. Let the ember grow and ALWAYS BRING YOUR NESTING TO YOUR COAL!
Wild Materials List
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Cottonwood
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Sagebrush
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Juniper root
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Maple
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Mullein
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Willow
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Cedar
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White Pine
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Rabbit Brush
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Sunflower Stalk
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Basswood
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Buckeye
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Yucca
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Beech
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Elm
