How To Find The BEST Woods For Bow Drill!

You've got mad Bow Drill Skills, enough to make great billows of smoke boil up out of your set, but... the ember NEVER comes. You're probably choosing the wrong woods.
1) How long has it been since it has rained? 5 days and longer can really dry out wood.
2) What's the humidity like today? and how has it been since it has stopped raining?
3) Are you familiar with this species? Used it before? Heard that it's good for Bow Drill?
4) Was the branch off the ground when you found it?
5) Has the bark fallen off?
6) Has it been exposed to the drying elements of sun and wind?
7) Is it well degraded from years of weathering since being broken off the living tree?
8) Is there a long enough and straight enough piece on the branch to make a spindle?
Please follow the LINKS below and SUBSCRIBE. Thank YOU!
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Choosing The Right Wood For Bow Drill, 8 Things To Consider
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[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

You've got mad Bow Drill Skills, enough to make great billows of smoke boil up out of your set, but... the ember NEVER comes. You're probably choosing the wrong woods. 1) How long has it been since it has rained? 5 days and longer can really dry out wood. 2) What's the humidity like today? and how has it been since it has stopped raining? 3) Are you familiar with this species? Used it before? Heard that it's good for Bow Drill? 4) Was the branch off the ground when you found it? 5) Has the bark fallen off? 6) Has it been exposed to the drying elements of sun and wind? 7) Is it well degraded from years of weathering since being broken off the living tree? 8) Is there a long enough and straight enough piece on the branch to make a spindle? Please follow the LINKS below and SUBSCRIBE. Thank YOU! Bow Drill Playlist kzbin.info/aero/PLkoXX8XsMW3kw-EXlvpLS68aJjR89P4ae Choosing The Right Wood For Bow Drill, 8 Things To Consider kzbin.info/www/bejne/qILLeaWHfdCcsJo

[@leecline2652]

I live in north west Georgia most of the trees are pine and sweet gum. I have made the spindle, fire board out of Poplar but I get the same results… no ember

[@warrenalwine392]

Dave Ive watched many so called survival instructors etc, yet they never taught the stuff you did. Waiting for the ember to grow, reading the color of the dust, drying cycles, etc., etc. You call yourself an hobbyist with these methods yet I learnt more from your channels and examples then all the others. Thank you so much. Dont be so humble, you are elite my friend. Enough said.

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

I'm just having fun practicing and experimenting with fire techniques. I'm glad so many people find these videos useful! TY!

[@jimbritt2874]

The suspense was killing me , didn't think you were ever going to put that coal in the bundle 🤗👍👍🇺🇸

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

Oh, I love the long coalescing process. It's a must to keep the ember from falling apart into a 1000 pieces when you put it in the tinder bundle.

[@muffessional]

You have such a trained eye, I’m getting better based on your advice but it takes me longer to find the one. 🙏🏻

[@BCJerbs]

Fabulous lesson Mr.David thanks a ton for sharing this bruv! I'm fixing to learn this style next! Cheers, Jerbs

[@michaelbrunner6654]

Your watching the master there.

[@Bardmusic66]

I learned the bow drill in Utah and we used exposed juniper roots (that you find on an embankment or hill) for fire board and used sage brush for spindles. For some reason I thought the spindle and fire board had to be different woods. I guess not! Also we used palm rocks or knuckle bones for the brace board, never thought to use wood. I have a well dried fire board and palm rock I carry in my pack and I just find spindles and bows when I need them. One time I used a walnut shell as a brace board and it sort of worked.

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

I'd like to try different environments like yours and others to see what I could come up with for fire making. I may do Florida this year.

[@udawg1964]

Thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge!

[@richardsolomon8076]

8 gr8 points of picking, something I should try more of. Thanks for another great video David.

[@michaelbrunner6654]

Great job as always.

[@clintonroushff7068]

Good old Loblolly pine! Way to go. GOD bless

[@kevinwilliamlowe3050]

Another great video. Superb example. I been trying but not there yet. I think I have an issue with species. Gonna harvest some new and try try try. Thanks again

[@alicarroll8236]

Oh happy day to you my dear friend and brother. Very good information. Thank you for sharing. Stay safe and God Bless

[@davidmcneil1452]

Great tips again. You know what they say about repetition. Still under a fire warning here, which means ideal conditions for bow drilling 😀. Just need to make sure there is no wind to be safe.

[@frankhope8021]

Thank you.

[@IndianHemlock]

Nice, yeah that looked way too easy for you David !!! Nice video

[@kenbellchambers4577]

I suspect, as a brother pyrologist, that you might like to try a Kikuyu compression fire cylinder - It was this African tribe that can take credit for the Diesel engine.

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

No, fire pistons have never interested me.

[@bobbyoshields1703]

Well I was wrong I purchased a picture app and it said the wood I found was Arizona Cyprus. I tried it out and got an ember yay I’m so happy my son had to block the wind for me but I was fixing to put it in my tender bundle and the wind took it just like that I failed again but that’s ok I got an ember 32 mile an hour gusts 49% humidity 69 degree dew point today is that good or bad I don’t know but I let the ember smoke for awhile as soon as I picked it up it was gone with the wind lol but it’s a first for me love your video you make it look so easy David you are my hero!!!

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

70 degree dewpoint and lower is good. An ember will not coalesce properly in the wind. It needs to just sit there and heat up slowly. In the wind go ahead and use the ember quickly as possible.

[@bobbyoshields1703]

@@DavidWestBgood2ppl ok thanks for the info my friend will do next time .

[@A_Meek_lake_Dweller]

Have you ever cut a vent on the underside of the hearth board from the tip of the v notch to the opposite side? There's another KZbinr that does this and I was wondering if you had any experience with that. Thanks for being a great teacher David!

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

NW Primate likes the venturi. I see that it works, but I don't agree that it's better.

[@A_Meek_lake_Dweller]

@@DavidWestBgood2ppl Thank you for your input. : )

[@mattdillon1735]

Do when it starts to squeal that's the top of the spindle shouldering out? And would you recommend hard woods or soft woods. I was told one time you need a hard wood and a soft wood, spindle/fire board?

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

Sometimes. You can usually avoid really bad squealing if you press down harder when you hear it starting. The vibration from very very bad squealing or chattering can cause your dust pile to vibrate right out of the notch, flatten out.

[@mikebuvoltzbushcraftandmar6384]

Thanks Dave. I'm successful with a stone bearing block, green wood bearing block, hard wood (jammed with greens), fatwood, etc....... but I cannot seem to get away with using a bearing block from the same material as the hearth and spindle. I shoulder out. Is it that your point at the top of the spindle is steeper?

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

I rarely use a bearing block made from the set wood itself because it doubles the physical exertion. When I do, I try to use the hardest part of the wood for my spindle's bearing block end and make sure there's a good hard knot in the bearing block to spin it in. I almost always just use a fatwood bearing block.

[@muffessional]

Mostly willow where I am.

[@leecline2652]

When creating an ember after the burn in, at what point do you stop and see if the ember is present. When I have a good bit of smoke (and about out of energy) I’ll stop and check but all I have is dust.. please advise. Thanks…

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

I can tell by how much smoke is being generated while I'm drilling, and how it's moving, usually.

[@johnhunley602]

Can you better describe what you are looking for in the wood degradation?

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

If the branch has broken off a tree, gotten hung up in it for years, gotten weathered from countless rains, dryings, freezings, thawings etc., it becomes much lighter in weight and it's composition/density is completely different from when it was green or when it first dried out... Prepunk. The thumbnail test will tell you if it's a worthy specimen.

[@nelsonfox8088]

Best wood for a man in Canada

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

IDK

[@countsmyth]

Are you concerned about the wood hardness?

[@DavidWestBgood2ppl]

Yes, that's the density that I talked about in the video.

[@countsmyth]

@@DavidWestBgood2ppl Thanks David. Love the videos!