Fire Making with the Fire Plow

[@williamjones6053]

Straight to the point ..no over explaining ..no endless chatter ..just informing and we'll made video ..please give lessons to other KZbinrs ..

[@MrZluvu4ever]

The best explaination of the fire plow I have ever seen. Thanks!

[@paleomanjim]

Glad you liked it, thanks!

[@QuantumMechanic_88]

Excellent video JIm . I first saw this method in Laos 1971 . Brings back a lot of memories . Thanks for this very well made demonstration . Lefty

[@paleomanjim]

Master Tracker My sons father in law is from Cambodia and was a farmer....in his sixties now. I demonstrated fire making methods for him and was surprised that he actually used the hand drill method to produce fire back in Cambodia. I sort of assumed that other methods were preferred in southern Asia but apparently they used several methods.....

[@QuantumMechanic_88]

paleomanjim Yes indeed - I watched a Nung ( Chinese mercenary) start a fire in Laos under a tarp in the rain . He used a bamboo saw method . Was in Cambodia for a period of time as well . Good and great people that have seen much hardship . My best wishes to you - your son and his father in law .

[@MikeLoweSurvival]

Another great demo and explanation. Thank you.

[@SirSly420]

I was in a 3 month survival program in Arizona called anisazi and yucca is my favorite for making fire . I used juniper for the bow and socket and yucca for the board and spindle . I was never able to get a good coal from the fire plow method despite hours of trying so good job man . Btw i really enjoy your videos . Peace

[@bobk5747]

I've been doing it wrong all along. Thank you for the tip on the cut of the Plow. I've been cutting too much of the softer layer off of the outside, and struggling. I think i would have a better chance now, great video!

[@giulianopietra]

Bravo Compliments are always a person who seeks to understand and experience firsthand the problems related to survival del'uomo on earth from the beginning, Thank you Giuliano - Italia

[@FrontierLegacy]

Great to see you back doing videos,Jim.

[@PrimeReal]

The is too badass for me. also , i don’t want to burn my hands. Props to you!

[@paleomanjim]

Its a challenge for sure, thanks

[@FlintSpall]

Glad to hear ya say that cedar will work,,while cedar is abundant here,and also some yucka,,but apparently a much different variety in the southeast,,its not that large.I doubt it would even have much wood qualities about the stalk,,its easily broken off in the fall to prepare them for spring growth,,,more hollow.I've never made fire,never attempted it,but always wanted to be able to.thanks for the demo,you made it look easy enough.

[@paleomanjim]

The Yucca in the video is from California around the San Gabriel Mountains, huge stuff, the biggest I have seen. However, I am sure most any Yucca will work so long as not too much downward pressure is used. We have a tree Yucca here in Nevada that produces very small stalks, although I think they should work ok. Might require some type of support on the end though to keep from bouncing around. I will be in the coastal regions of California next week, small Yucca there also, but I will try it out....I think it will be fine.

[@kullcraven]

Great video, i havent tried this method. I have cedar up here so, i'll have to try this out. thanks alot for the vid.

[@cjoemex]

do people say something if they see you from the back doing this 0:58 lol

[@bcsushi91]

they say put your hands in the air and you say but i'm almost there!

[@richardwiley5933]

@@bcsushi91 there's really no good way to answer that question that will satisfy everyone! 😏

[@jnavar06]

Thanks! Very informative!

[@drutgat2]

Great video. Thanks.

[@louisemissouri4410]

You mentioned hibiscus... I have plenty of that around here... will give it a try. :) Thanks for sharing this info. :)

[@paleomanjim]

I have a couple small Hibiscus plants in the yard here also.....but I am afraid my wife might notice is they suddenly are missing! Thanks and hope you have success with fire making......

[@louisemissouri4410]

Thanks, since it works so well with a fire plow it should work as a bow drill too.

[@HillbillysNdaBush]

Truly Abo.... bro. Great demo.

[@guloguloguy]

EXCELLENT Demo, AS USUAL!!!! = Thank You!!!! I'm wondering what you used for your 'tinder bundle' - finely shredded juniper bark?... I have seen (youtube demos) the hand drill method used using Yucca, and, also done using the alien weed species 'common Mullein" which grows across much of continental US, and into Southern Canada, too. I REALLY Love your excellent Demos! You ...ARE ..."THE MAN"!!!

[@paleomanjim]

Thanks! I used Mexican fan palm tinder from trees in my backyard. There is lots of fine shredded leaf matter under the leaves and it makes great tinder.....

[@tomkeegan3782]

Brilliant, thanks for that.

[@StyxiuSCruX]

Hah! fellow Nevadan. of course you know how to survive brother :D then again i got much pride in the battle born state. this is something i didnt know about. ive known bows and hand twirling. i'll have to give this a go. seems easier and more efficient than the other two

[@paleomanjim]

The Fire Plow takes a bit longer to master and is harder to master than the hand drill or bow method, but is very satisfying.....

[@StyxiuSCruX]

i guess it just looks easier. granted yep, once you master it, its probably easier. still, it seems much more convenient than trying to make a bow without some rope, or just twirling. i havent tried it yet tho. therefore my comment is probably pointless as a recommendation kinda thing. i just know bow was energy intensive, and so was twirling. this seems to be easier in a survival situation. hell, i just hope if something happens i have my magnifying glass. easiest method for fire in the world........ if you have sun that is :)

[@nunyabizniss6934]

You're the best, Jim. I used to live in San Clemente: 2005-20011. How's Nevada treating you?

[@robertsbushcraft]

Me and my dad are going to try this using cedar or white pine

[@zoltanvonsomogyi7272]

Actualy, Sotol is a type of Yucca. Also, the material you refer to as Yucca is actually Agave. I live in the mountains of Arizona and use several different types of Yucca for friction fires of all types, and Sotol is by far my favorite!

[@paleomanjim]

The Yucca in the video is not Agave. Agave (sometimes called century plant) produces a single stock after 10 or more years and then dies. The Yucca in the video as well as Sotol produce a new stalk almost yearly. Agave stalks are actually quite different and Sotol or Yucca are much preferred for fire making. There are dozens of varieties of both Yucca and Agave.

[@zoltanvonsomogyi7272]

paleomanjim I just assumed Agave from the size. Also, you can split that Sotol with a knife, straight as an arrow! No need for a saw. Give it a try! 😊

[@tomiobrovac3929]

and the coolest part is you can carry this fire board as a walking stick

[@DG123z]

Thank you. That helps a lot :)

[@JoeZelensky]

None of those plants are anywhere near the east coast. What would be the best wood to use in say the Carolinas?

[@rodrigotunica42]

Hi paleomanjim, great video! I´m trying this method using "erythrina crista galli" (soft wood) as board, and "luma apiculata" (a hard wood known as the fire tree by natives) as the stick. I´m getting lots of smoke and dust but no ember. Most of the smoke comes out from the stick. What do you think i should do? Any tips? Thanks!

[@paleomanjim]

Try a dry soft wood for the stick. Too determine how soft any wood is test it with your fingernail by pressing into the wood. Soft woods will yield a bit and should be worth trying. Stick with it and you will succeed! Good luck.

[@rodrigotunica42]

Thanks, i will continue trying!

[@Bowtie41]

One other trick is to take your knife and put a small furrow in the bottom of the trough,and pack it with pocket lint,cotton fibers,or threads from whatever(your socks,lol).A lot of times,it will catch before the plow shavings :)

[@paleomanjim]

Bowtie41 Thanks for sharing.....

[@MrVibeless]

Is it better to have a thin hearth board. I'm really struggling to get an ember with this method and the hearth thickness is the only thing I can think of that I'm doing wrong.

[@paleomanjim]

Don't feel bad, the fire plow requires the most effort of all the different techniques. The thickness of the hearth does not matter, but be sure the groove does not get too narrow or the plow will bind up a bit. Main focus is to start slow with a longer stroke, BUT apply a fair amount of force for the first 15 seconds or so. Then as you GO FOR IT decrease stroke to about half and really bear down hard. Watch the end of your stroke and take great care to have the end of each stroke stop at the same point. Be sure to use soft woods (sotol, yucca, cedar, cottonwood being some of the best).....good luck

[@MrVibeless]

I'm from the UK so these woods are not so readily available, I have been using only pine. From what you've just said I think it is definitely technique, I tend to just go at it full on from the start. Thanks for the reply, I'm gonna sleep on it now and try again tomorrow when my shoulders don't ache so much!

[@tehanu3]

I live where there is a lot of pine. Would that work?

[@romancohort8502]

+tehanu3 Yes, Pine is one of the best and easiest wood to work with. If i can remember, pine has a flammable oil in the wood

[@tehanu3]

sweet! thanks! I am going to try it sometime then. :)

[@thecuriousnomad4712]

+tehanu3 Be sure to work with a soft pine. Some pine woods can actually be quite hard/ Press your fingernail into the wood to check its hardness and choose the softest piece you can find. The softer the wood the more friction is will generate and quicker it will heat up.....

[@tehanu3]

sweet! I'll do that! Thanks!

[@Anomalous-Plant]

+tehanu3 Hey! Not sure about Fire Plow, but pine is a really bad material for firedrills. It's because of the pitch that actually polishes the surface and reduces friction. You will get a lot of noise, a lot of smoke but no fire. I think the same applies on fire plow, the groove will get polished and wont produce a lot of powder needed for the fire. Same with spruce, but fallen spruces stump can work, since after the rain has wet it and it has dried multiple times, the pitch of the wood is gone.

[@nerfultimatehackhd9737]

0:58 looks familiar (•-•)

[@dumashernandez5125]

Nerfultimatehack HD stfu 😂😂😂😂

[@straubdavid9]

Cool vid. Could you spell out the other wood (I understood the Yucca wood). I have a problem sometimes hearing certain things. No matter how high I turn the volume up, I still can not make out the pronunciation. Anyway, thanks in advance. Dave S.

[@paleomanjim]

Sorry, I am not sure how to pronounce it either, but the spelling is SOTOL .....really a cool plant, thanks

[@straubdavid9]

Tnx, this is what I found - (commonly known as Desert Spoon or, in Spanish, sotol)

[@ethanjamesgarcia3914]

I just tried it with yucca but the plow went right through it

[@paleomanjim]

Some Yuccas are better than others, the ones growing in the San Gabriel Mtns are pretty good

[@zachhowe98]

I don't have any softwood around my home so this is really hard to practice

[@paleomanjim]

Try a cedar board. You can pick one up at home depot or lows cheap, they are used for fences. Guarantee cedar will work!

[@Xguy890]

thee samoan guy said that it wont matter what type of wood you use as long it came from thee SSAMMEE wood... and you people jus saw this guy DID start a fire fast.....you have to do it right...NNO0 worries guysh you guys will get...it takes alot practice....

[@scoopersketchy]

I’m playing a vr survival game having some trouble

[@paleomanjim]

Learn your skills well, they could become useful soon enough!

[@ethanjamesgarcia3914]

The fire plow is hard to do. But it’s the easiest to make

[@paleomanjim]

Yeah, the hardest physically of all the fire making methods

[@Xguy890]

thee WOOD have to be dry it cant get wet...if thee wwood gets wet it take you for days just to start a fire....

[@scarz1951]

I know the fire plow was used in Canada.

[@petepeterson4540]

rose wild

[@Xguy890]

the dryer the wood the faster you make fire....

[@carlparsons8649]

Please shave away from your hand!