# Fire making with bow & drill



## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Cool website, thanks twohats.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

I am giving a Fire Making with Bow & Drill class at our chapters NWTF JAKES Event. I also teach Safety & Ethics at JAKES Events, Hunters-safety classes & at deer/turkey/coyote/small game hunting workshops. Kids usually like doing this allot, and it helps break up the monotony of some workshops.


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## YPSIFLY (Feb 13, 2001)

I have read parts of Tom Brown's Guide to City and Urban Survival. It is a good read and was ahead of its time since it was first published in '86. Things have changed a little since 9/11, but everyone who lives in an urban area should read it as the core of what he has to say is still largely applicable. 

Getting back OT, I did start a couple fires using the bow method back when I was in the Scouts, and it is a worthwhile skill to learn. Everyone should know it, IMHO.

At the same time, I always carry two means of fire starting on me when in the city, and three when in the woods. Bic lighters, a Zippo, waterproof matches, flint and steel, even vaseline soaked cotton in a waterproof container.

"One is none and two is one, three is better"


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

I still like to practice once in a while with bow & drill, and also with flint/steel/skatahgon (sp?) If you have birch or black Locust trees growing near you, then you probably have some very flammable species of fungi also growing nearby. A classic fire starting tinder of the northeast is the fungus that grows on Birch trees. Read more here: 
http://survival.outdoorlife.com/blogs/survivalist/2012/08/how-use-fungi-start-fire
This is a cool video also:




And a good Chaga (Skatahgon) indentifier:
http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/tinder/tinderfungus/true.html
And one more good read:
http://www.practicalsurvivor.com/tinder


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Chaga also makes for a fine, very nutritional, medicinal tea....


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

https://sites.google.com/site/trackernewsandlinks/links


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## twohats (Oct 1, 2004)

itchn2fish said:


> Chaga also makes for a fine, very nutritional, medicinal tea....




I drink it every day.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

I cannot believe how much people will pay for Chaga when it is free-for-the-taking. Keep your eyes open for it while afield. Some links:




http://www.chagatea.org/


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## knu2xs (Mar 29, 2014)

I know that this is an old thread, but it brought back a fond memory.....

Back in the spring of 1983 a friend & I took a week long class (Tracking, Nature Observation, Wilderness Survival) at Tom Brown Jr's place in New Jersey.

Late in the week Tom took all of us (12 in the class) across a field to the edge of a treeline and told us to pair up. After we did he said something like, "It's X degrees and you just tipped over in a canoe getting your matches wet. If you don't get a fire going in X minutes you're dead. Your time starts now."

Out of the six teams my friend & I came in first, but still "died," missing the deadline by about a minute.

Something happened during the last couple of minutes of our, bow drill test, time frame that made us all laugh and convinced me that Tom does have a unique relationship with nature.

About two minutes from the end, while we were working the bow drills, a Turkey Vulture came down to about 30-40 ft. over Tom's head and circled him. Tom looked up, then at his watch (might have been a stopwatch) and calmly said, "Two more minutes and they're all yours." When he said this the Turkey Vulture veered up into the sky as if it had only been down that low so it could hear what Tom might have to say.

That week spent at Tom's back in 1983 literally changed the way I lived my life.........

Edited later to add:
Even though it doesn't relate to the bow drill, here are a few images from back in the day.

The first two show Tom instructing us on "Pressure releases," a key factor in tracking.



















This last one shows Tom explaining the finer points of "track degradation" in one of the students "track boxes," which we all had.










During that week we would check our track boxes everyday and Tom would point things out to us. One morning, while checking mine, I noticed something ever so slightly "weird" going on and put my face right down near the dirt and took a "closer look." When I looked up I turned right to Tom and said, hey, someone's been messing in my box. He smiled and admitted he tweaked it a little to see if I would notice. 

I had a track box at home for a few years out at the edge of the backyard. I used old deer, or moose, feet to create tracks and watched them, over time, to see how they aged. Because I was running bloodhounds at the time I used to simply step in the "track box" and watch how my tracks degraded over time. That was one of my main reasons for taking this class. I wanted a better understanding on what my bloodhounds were doing while on track and this class did just that.


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## Grizzyaries (Jan 10, 2005)

I made my bow drill from some bamboo I cut down three years ago. I tried different woods for the notch board and I find that cedar and yellow pine works the best for me.






































Sent from my iPad using Ohub Campfire


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Grizzyaries said:


> I made my bow drill from some bamboo I cut down three years ago. I tried different woods for the notch board and I find that cedar and yellow pine works the best for me.


 Those do work real well, soft-wood is good for the board, hard for the pivot-stick/drill...


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Soft woods like cedar are also good to make shavings for your "birds-nest" tinder.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

To reduce friction between the spindle (pivot-stick) & the socket (wood or soap-stone) that we hold in our hand, grease the top of the spindle, where our socket will be placed, with any available oil such as hair oil, body oil, soap, etc.
Here is a pretty cool webpage that I came across...
http://wildernessarena.com/food-water-shelter/firecraft/lighting-a-fire


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

*Bowdrill*

*At Home In The Wilderness Part III: Fire*


by Tom Brown Jr.from Mother Earth News, Issue #73​_







_

In the first two articles in this series (see MOTHER NOS. 71 and 72), I dealt with ways to secure shelter and water . . . the two most important requirements for anyone facing a survival situation. On the other hand, one seldom _needs _a fire in order to stay alive. But because a good blaze can be used to cook food, sterilize water, create tools, andof coursekeep a survivalist warm and comfortable, I've placed firemaking third on my list of valuable wilderness skills. 
It's important to know how to ignite a fire _without _the aid of a cigarette lighterwhich is simply a modern form of the old flint-and-steel systemor matches. After all, you might unexpectedly find yourself thrust into a situation when you have no supply of purchased flame starters. Or if you're camping and your matches get wet or lost, you might be forced to end your trek early if you're unable to get a blaze going without artificial aids. What's more, no self-respecting outdoors purist would _want _to be dependent on a finite supply of matches.
Read more here:
http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/bowdrill/men73/index.html​


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Although most of this information is basic for bow drill fire making, there is a good deal of advanced fire making information as well, particularly related to all the materials, known as the bow drill kit. It is suggested that you spend a lot of time experimenting with fire making with a bow drill on your own before consulting this page.
http://www.natureskills.com/survival/creating-a-bow-drill/


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

How to make your bow drill kit:


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Here is a pretty good HOW TO BUILD AND USE A BOW DRILL . Ther is some great additional fire-making info on this link also. Do not expect to succeed in lighting a fire on the first attempt. You need a lot of practice and patience to be successful. Have fun!!!! http://www.funsci.com/fun3_en/fire/fire.htm#4


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

This is another real good, step-by-step video compilation. Enjoy & have fun!!!


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

...I really like the style in which he makes his "bow" in the above video.....If you are getting smoke, but still having a hard time in making a glowing ember get your "bird's nest" ignited, just keep @ it. Always remember, using your breath to blow will introduce moisture, so use your waving-hand, a hat, or a birds-wing for fanning, _always_! With a bit of fun practice, it will become easier & easier, even when your only option is damp materials....like the old saying goes, "Where there is smoke, there is fire." Don't get discouraged. Nothing good comes easy...


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)




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