All Primitive Bow-Drill Fire (Start to Finish-no modern materials)

This video demonstrates a no knife, totally primitive bow-drill friction fire made directly off the land, from scratch.
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After a few decades of being obsessed with collecting survival and primitive skills techniques, I am putting out these videos to demonstrate the skills and excursions found at my school, Wild Survival (wildsurvivalskills.com). Videos are focused on primitive skills, rewilding, nature awareness, living off the land, off grid living, indigenous skills, shelter building, primitive fire, water purification, trapping, hunting, bow making, flint knapping, primitive pottery, basketry, edible and medicinal plant preparation and numerous indigenous skills.
I began studying wilderness survival when I was 17 in order to have the ability to spend extensive periods of time in nature, seeking out empowerment and without the need for external sources. I began studying in 1993 under Tom Brown Jr eventually teaching for Tracker Inc. I sought-out every old Native American teacher I could and eventually traveled the world living in very remote indigenous villages in the Amazon, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Peru. My school teaches survival and primitive skills, nature awareness, how to live off the land, re-wilding, prepare for disasters. I strongly believe that experiencing survival living changes the way people approach their entire lives.

[@sirrealism]

One of my favorite aspects of your videos is that you don't assume we know every plant and tree species. You explain how to identify what we need without being a botanist. You're a gifted instructor.

[@JusBidniss]

I think what I like most about this video is that, if I were in a real survival situation and _needed_ to make a friction fire to stay alive, these techniques demonstrate what I could do with no tools and only using what was at hand. And throwing no shade on other KZbinrs, but it gets tiresome when one guy says pull out your 550 paracord, and another guy whips out a bearing block with a skateboard bearing embedded in it (nice guy, that one, but still....). I mean, if you're going to be able to bring all that modern stuff, why not just bring a Bic lighter? To me, bow drill (or any friction fire method) means you have nothing else on hand but what nature provides. So well done, Tom, for getting one so fast and *only* using what was lying around!

[@JBBazillion]

Totally agree. Tom’s videos are all amazing. I think friction fire building is an awesome skill to know, but I don’t see the point in bringing those material with me. I would much rather pack a ferro rod as my backup fire source than bow drill supplies ( like a special bearing block). I love that this video doesn’t require a knife or cord. Honestly, If I’m ever in a situation where I need to resort to a bow drill, I can pretty much guarantee that I won’t have a bushcraft knife with me.

[@rakehell404]

Ok, that was b.a. without a knife or cord! Great video. Very informative, methodical, and concise. Thanks so much for putting it together.

[@velveetaslingshot]

Finally! Someone actually does it from scratch!

[@dominiquedeveaux361]

Here's a summary 1. Find a type of tree that has a soft wood for spindle and fireboard 2. Make blade: rock that has high "ping" sound. Knock off flake 3. Strip off bark and round off ends of spindle with rock flake 4. Split larger piece of wood in half length wise 5. For cordage, look for a tree that has bark that's hard to pull apart. 6. Remove cambium layer from outer bark. The inner bark is where the strength of the cordage is. 7. Find a strong flexible stick, ~2 feet in length, and make a notch at each end. 8. Tie an overhand knot at one end of the bark. Insert the knot into notch. 9. twist the bark into a tube, insert the other end in the other end. 10. Find extremely dry tinder 11. Make fire 8:30

[@kalveend]

Thank you

[@miyadza]

Thank you for sharing! Could you give the link to the first video you have mentioned ( where you use modern materials)? Thank you.

[@ChickensAndGardening]

Thanks for this "pure primitive" lesson! Lots of bow drill tutorials start with "take a length of paracord or simply use your bootlace" as though that's a trivial detail. Then they pull out a $300 camping knife to whittle down their spindle and fire board to perfection! This is much more practical. If you have those tools on you, great! But otherwise, you are much better off knowing how to fabricate everything you need. Maybe in a future vid you can show more details of the fire board which as I understand it needs a notch to let the ember flow through.

[@mdouble100]

Extremely impressive demonstration.

[@wildsurvivalskills]

Marvin Double thank you Marvin, I appreciate the feedback!!

[@mdouble100]

Tom Mcelroy-Wild Survival Watching you start a genuinely primitive friction fire has inspired me to improve my skill level. I entirely agree that being able to start a fire under in any circumstance is critically important. I certainly hope I never find myself in a situation where I must start a fire using only such a knowledge of materials and a practiced skill set, and no modern tools. However knowing how would give me a lot more personal confidence in the backcountry or a city park. For me confidence is the foundation of all survival skills.

[@wildsurvivalskills]

Nicely said, I would add that confidence is also the result of good survival skills.

[@wildsurvivalskills]

Hey Gundog5, I used hickory bark for the cord, I could have used the basswood bark as it works great too. The handhold was just some random piece of wood and I didn't need to lubricate it as it was a hard wood and I was able to get away without. If it is an issue I normally put a small dab of pine sap in the handhold and that keeps it from smoking. I didnt need to preheat the set, the wood was pretty dry as is. It did go pretty seamlessly, ive been doing this stuff for a long time and have figured out most all of the kinks.

[@gundog5]

Thanks for your reply, Tom. I'll have to keep my eye out for some good bark cordage material. Something I haven't really worked with yet. I haven't worked too much with rocks either as they're not easily found in the woods of Florida.

[@lesapop]

😁

[@Lifesongadventuressurvivalcamp]

Great Job Tom. Tom is the real deal. Knows his stuff. Thanks for making the video.

[@ROBwithaB]

It's usually much quicker to simply abrade the ends. If you can find a biggish rock (like a boulder that's big enough that it won't move when you apply pressure, or a piece of exposed bedrock) just rub the tip of the stick against the rock as if it were a big piece of sandpaper. You can exert a lot of pressure, and you can vary the angle at which you hold the stick, you can shape it accurately and quickly. We have a lot of exposed granite here, and it is generally very rough. I've prepared bow drill and hand drill sets in a few minutes. Of course, in flat marshy areas, you're probably not going to find a lot of big rocks sticking out...

[@PotatoWhyKid]

I think your method would be less time and energy, but he also taught people how to make a cutting tool. So essentially it was an important step in the process because he used that tool throughout the entirety of the lesson afterwards. You’re probably like me though and have a drawer full of blades and never leave the house without (at least) a folder. 🔪🗡⚔️✂️😅

[@garyminick1050]

Your still the best

[@jordanashworth2747]

I love this guy and would 100 percent trust him with my life!

[@jerrytalley802]

Excellent video, you were explaining things perfectly. Did I miss you notching the fire board? Most bow drill videos, they do a burn in, cut the notch, then go back for the coal. If you did and I missed it, I apologize. It’s pretty rare to see a no knife, bow drill fire. I have all the tools and still haven’t been successful, lol. You also mentioned something else I’ve not noticed, telling us to use only soft woods. Makes perfect sense to me. When cool weather comes I’m going back to try, try again until I succeed. I’ve watched a few bow drill fires and many use different Oaks and pine, Thanks

[@fartonmybiccydardarplz801]

this is the type of video that will saves lifes!. Unlike the ones where people have knfies matches and flint like if your lost chances are you don't bring those with you awesome video thanks

[@dejavu2706]

You always show how to do things from scratch thank you very much!! The best channel here in youtube!

[@michaelbooher612]

That Never gets old.

[@johnmadden6656]

Really cool!. I have watched a couple of your videos now on making bow drill from scratch. Showing how to make cordage fast from bark for a bow drill is something I haven't seen before. In my opinion, know how to start a fire without modern support is a big deal. I've never been super impressed that someone could start a fire with a ferro rod (that's really all about making a good tinder bundle). More impressed by someone that can make a bow drill and fire with knife and cord. But, I am always kind of wondering why they are running around in a survival situation carrying a knife and cord but, didn't think to bring a lighter (or matches whatever). I know it can happen but, doesn't indicate very good planning. Being able to walk out into the woods with nothing but your bare hands and make fire, build shelter, and feed yourself is true survival.

[@RockHounder-jn8hs]

Very nice learned bark string thanks for sharing

[@JTM369]

Thank you, out of all the videos I've seen this one is the best. Others use things like a knife, or a machine to start off with.

[@lazysanter]

Cool. I've always been amazed by this way of making fire!

[@MobaCry]

🇫🇷 PLEASE DO MORE VIDEO LIKE THE DESERT SURVIVAL VIDEO. THAT'S EXTREMELY GOOD THERE IS NO OTHER CONTENT LIKE THAT ON KZbin. THE ONE ON THE ISLAND WAS GREAT TOO !! 💙💙🏆

[@robo-tricksdude6820]

You are a true survivalist

[@JBBazillion]

Thank you for another great video! Your an excellent teacher

[@graywolf1582]

we need you back Tom!

[@the430movie]

The best and most concise video of scratch bow drill I've ever seen! Excellent explanation regarding the materials! Simple, but informative enough that's to the point!

[@Serve_iam]

I didn't know that you don't need to carve a notch. Impressive!

[@wesg3084]

I didn't see you cut a notch in the fireboard. Did you cut a notch off-camera or did you not use one? Great video, by the way! i"m looking forward to trying this.

[@We_are_the_light]

Amazing. I'm trying this ASAP. Thanks brother. You're a great teacher.🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

[@snaponjohn100]

Great job man!! Totally awesome.

[@QuantumMechanic_88]

An excellent demonstration and my respect sent . Lefty Northern New Mexico

[@chrislrob]

This video is just excellent.

[@WayneTheSeine]

As good as it gets. Fantastic video.

[@IIrandhandleII]

Wearing modern materials..jk Truly amazing video and knowledge.

[@mudelicious83]

So I'm just going to wander around the woods in CT and find a beautiful big hunk of flint hidden under the leaves to get a sharp edge? Better just find some mullein :) Otherwise, really awesome that you put this video out there.

[@LordFatih88]

bow drill technique is my favorite skills . i will do same thing when my tool gone

[@eirui111111111111]

Thanks for your videos, Tom. Great work.

[@MyTube4Utoo]

This guy is *AMAZING!*

[@gdfggggg]

Outstanding stuff

[@m.a.t.a.s]

Very nicely done!

[@samthai818]

Great tutorial, but you skipped over the prepping of the fire board and what it should look like before actually starting the drilling part. Did you split the stick in half, seat the spindle, create a notch...etc? You made it look vastly simpler than other videos and without a knife! Great video btw!

[@pigfigjig]

Brilliant, excellent tutorial thankyou Tom 👍👍💥

[@greenyts5044]

This was awesome!!

[@19ghost73]

Outstanding - I'm speechless! ATB Gereon

[@user-fl7kp8ru4l]

Thank you for sharing your experience!🙏😊👍

[@deedeeramone7964]

Would love some more videos soon.

[@vilifiedgrey4804]

You are di best

[@tariqalijanpk]

I like the way u done with natural resources

[@mzeemrefu]

love your stuff

[@ButtercupCreations]

That is pretty cool!

[@BluJns]

Thank You! I love your vids!

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

It's so great to see a video on this that doesn't rely on paracord or other manufactured stuff. This is why I went to a hand drill, actually.

[@wildsurvivalskills]

John Riggs thanks John. I'm loving your paddle bows. great stuff.

[@steelwheels327]

In regards to the flat board . Is the hole where your drill fits all the way thru so the hot embers fall onto a piece of bark

[@WayneTheSeine]

Very nice.....it is an exhilarating feeling to get the ember even with a pre-made set....I can only imagine the thrill of doing it totally from scratch, no knife....nada.

[@kenyenmusic7548]

Dude I’ve watched this video so many times. So fucking good. One of the only people that shows how to make a knife from rocks.

[@chloedemeter5473]

NW Primate and Stay Primal are good too. They even have videos making friction fire from green and wet wood using heating and drying cycles from bowdrilling attempts to prep the wood for getting an ember. Far North Bushcraft and Survival and The David West Channel are also great.

[@bobdixon4454]

Wow! I'm not going to lie.... I am pretty god damn impressed!

[@wildwill3336]

Outstanding , that was amazing thanks for the vid I'm subed

[@renezozaya4294]

Pretty awesome

[@jawdatfares2831]

Thanks again that was awesome to see keep up the good work we love you and we love your videos keep survival

[@majorgunn]

Very impressive, you make it look so so easy, ..... difficult for most modern mortals to come even close....let alone actual success.

[@self-sufficiencydownunder7512]

Until this video I hadn't seen a westerner make a bow drill set without a knife at least and they usually use paracord for the bow string, really cool to see . I was going to make this my next video to make a challenge for myself. I'll still do it but I might try twisting the tree bark into a tube instead of wasting time making cordage, I'm from Aus so different wood and barks I'll see what I have to work with. :)

[@olenamcquagge7777]

What I can't find on YT...Is it possible to start a fire with a hardwood spindle into the divot of a rock? A rock with a small hole in it....friction between the rock and the hardwood will generate heat to ignite...small particles placed in the divot of the rock...Can this be accomplished as quickly? Have you ever tried using a rock for the board?

[@wildsurvivalskills]

no no. you need two pieces of wood. A rock wont create enough friction or heat

[@zacharyhansen9122]

Great job! I appreciate the legitimacy of this video. Many other people use cords they bring in, when in reality, that's not what survival is about. That was a big piece of chert you found! Was this in Missouri?

[@keithhardy4970]

Thanks Tom this is the one I've been looking for. Can reverse wrap but who's got time when you need a fire now. Thanks

[@sherrydurham6801]

That was freakin awesome! You tha man! Lol

[@philipvilsaint3303]

AMAZING

[@toastrecon]

Dude. Okay, I'm going to have to try this.

[@jbo753]

It would be nice to know where you are during theses episodes. I’ve learned enough from you that I might have a chance in a desperate situation. Thank you.

[@kalveend]

Thank you

[@mindgames3979]

finally, a simple video that does it without a knife unlike those other videos "to make a fire all you need is an 80$ knife and the toughest cord around" like wtf lol how is that natural fire making, thanks so much for the help, I have been trying fire sticks and been very unsuccessful. P.S. Nice video!

[@psycho-logical3756]

good tutorial gonna try this out soon

[@arboristo4407]

Awesome

[@galvera]

Nice job!! I don't want to go all primitive like this, but I don't like the idea of using not-natural cordage, just doesn't seems like a bow drill, and if you can make one with natural materials, you won't have any problem using your shoes lace as the cordage haha

[@regulatorsO311]

Love it

[@andrewlucas1595]

You can also rub the socket end of the spindle on each side of your nose as there is oil there.

[@chrisguacamole1015]

This may sound stupid but how are you supposed to wrap the stick in? Do you twist it?

[@overratedprogrammer]

I wish he would have focused on this a bit more too, but if you mess around with it when you try this you'll figure out how it goes

[@matthewzeits8909]

Haven't gone all the way to a fire, but I noticed I could grind a bearing block into a stone using another stone as a 'awl' and that I could grind/sand a point in a spindle against soft stone like sandstone which becomes an issue in the pine barrens where I can't find a hard piece of stone like chert.

[@gundog5]

Very impressive. Out of curiosity, what was the bowstring made of? Which kind of tree bark? I'm assuming you cut down a sapling with the rock blade to get the bark? What did you use for a bearing-block? Did you have to lubricate it in any way? Did you have to pre-heat the set beforehand to evaporate any moisture (ie multiple burn-ins)? Did all this really go as seamlessly as it looks?

[@wildsurvivalskills]

Hey. Thanks. I wrote a reply above but yeah it went smoothly. There are a lot of little intricacies to make it go well but yeah this is all natural.

[@ShapeShiftCeramics]

Amazing work, Tom. Wish I had your skills.I did once try and make fire like this in my London flat, but I think the wood was too hard and it just got hot but gave no embers :)

[@nektarchef]

Great demonstration! Many folks will not easily find a stone that fractures so easily to procure a sharp edge. I have no chert vein or other concoidally fracturing stones in my forest. I do have quartzite, but I rarely find a usable piece. What if you cannot procure an edge?

[@jackieeastom8758]

Shoes‽ first time I saw you wearing shoes

[@Improveng1]

Great instructional video Tom being totally realistic from start to finish. It's a big thumbs-up and sub from me.

[@sawse3289]

Did you use the same pieces of wood for the spindle and the board?

[@wildsurvivalskills]

yes, both Basswood I think...

[@Annytiek]

i came to see what you used to make the string with. great stuff and good job!

[@Annytiek]

had my first flame today... but with para cord

[@Jynx215]

Thanks for this video, looking to get back into bow-drilling for the fun and challenge of it. I've only busted like 5 embers in my whole life, but it always made me feel like that scene in castaway where Tom Hanks is pounding his chest 😅

[@mitchellwilliams5009]

ive started fire every way but fire plow so far with over 100 bow drill fires...the mistake i made when i began was to much presure its not the presure its speed speed is ya friend presure isn't! u can tell by looking at your punk build up if u are pushing to much i like to keep is dark brown like coffee grind til its a marble size pile then ill start the speed and once u see smoke atleast 40 strokes to make sure and u should keep the drill stick in the hole for 8-10 secs then slowly take it out! if its still smoking u got it! out of all the combo's ive try'd box elder with box elder is good here in kentucky! or box and maple has been the fastest also inidan sumac, burch,bass wood, willow, about any soft wood on soft wood is awsome, ive used pine ect it squeaks from the risin build up but works ...seems i have better luck useing same wood for spendle and harth weather its hard or soft woods! hope this helps (p.s. don't give up i got 2 coals from the first 35 try's) then after i noticed and kept in mind presure/speed =color color=dark brown if right! then u can make fire with any wood as long as its dry!!!

[@wildsurvivalskills]

Yep, i completely agree with everything you are saying here.

[@JBBazillion]

Thanks for the tips

[@edwordwretch3419]

Great instruction videos...what school did u say u went to when u were younger? R there any good ones u recommend still?

[@philippc]

great video and off topic, you are quite handsome. Subbed.

[@jacobparrish8519]

Savage!

[@carnagedogg4294]

Where does the ember come from,is it the bottom of the stick coming off?

[@tonijachenovic6020]

That was a good explanation! But I didnt catch what you used to put the pressure on at the top?

[@AlexT-md9df]

What did you use to hold the spindle on top when using the bow to turn it? Rock or tree?

[@wildsurvivalskills]

Alex TAKII-ZAMANI Hey Alex, the handhold was just a block of a tree branch. If you use a more dense piece of wood for the handhold than it wont smoke at the top and burn your fingers.. Thanks for watching!

[@the430movie]

Tom McElroy-Wild Survival excellent advice! The thicker the better!

[@beingaware8542]

Knocks a perfect rsptor talon knife in one hit. Lol. Yeah that rock is not in my town. But amazing video. A close up of the split on the bow drill would have been nice to see. I imagine my split running and ruining the bow!

[@annaleebliss4618]

Ya know i thought this guy was a little wierd on NAA. But he's not tom is very knowledgeable and is a good teacher and survivalist.

[@charmainegentz9543]

Didn't get to see your fire board ,up close.. Does that have to be soft wood also ?

[@ganstebyt4223]

Thank you for sharing your exprerience! Could you be so kind as to reffer me to the first video, which you mentined at the begining , where you used a knife etc.,?

[@dominiquedeveaux361]

Question: Did you use a bearing block? Thanks

[@froggyplayz1840]

Dominique Deveaux ur watching in 2020 to

[@vinc8ntl8r]

Can u use those high ping sound rocks for flint knapping?

[@chloedemeter5473]

Probably a lot of them, yeah. Check out The David West Channel videos on bipolar percussion for getting sharp pieces from a bigger rock. Good starting point for various tools.

[@EthanRodriguezTorrent]

So that cut in the video... from him looking at that tree he wants the cordage from, to him having a nice long strip of cordage-ready bark... I mean, look, I don't want to cast aspersions, but I tried this yesterday with a few friends, and this is the exact step we found to be totally impossible: getting a nice long strip of cordage from a sapling with just your hands and a rock knife. Is this even possible? We tried several different tree species, and either you get some kind of split-down-the-middle situation, or maybe six inches of bark max before it peels out. Plus it takes like an hour of hard work with a sharp rock to actually cut down/into a tree of the size he chose right before the cut. Interested in experiences from others who have actually tried this.

[@EthanRodriguezTorrent]

Also what's the deal with the bearing block (also not shown)? Seems important.

[@trackingom78]

is your tree cordage basswood as well?

[@wildsurvivalskills]

+Alex Britzius it definitely could have been but i think for this video I used hickory bark...they are both great though

[@salainen6850]

What if I live in an area without any flint? Should I use blunt rocks to grind the sticks?

[@chloedemeter5473]

Yes. Also can try to split any rock and hope to get a useable sharp piece. I recommend bipolar percussion for brittle rocks. Be careful about getting pieces in your eyes. David West Channel has bipolar percussion videos.

[@chloedemeter5473]

Stay Primal and NW Primate have natural tool bowdrilling videos too.

[@faisalwho]

Other videos on how to make a bow drill kit: “hey guys I brought this bow drill kit to show your how we’re going to start a fire” Your video on how to make a bow drill kit “THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE A BOW DRILL BITCHES!!!” 👍🏽 👍🏽 👍🏽