Ultimate Bowdrill Tips & Tricks (Part 2)

[@MidwestWoodcraft]

Congratulations to my lovely wife on her first friction fire on Sunday, she has tried so hard to get a coal and she finally did it with a basswood bow drill set I made. The look on her face was one of such pride. I love seeing my family taking part of these activities. Thanks for the great vids and ideas for projects. Do you guys plan on making more videos?

[@kevinm7063]

Great job explaining the process. I like that you stated "don't be in a hurry" or something to that effect. I might add if I may... After they've made the hot coal, don't blow on the coal in the tinder too hard at first. People tend to BLOW OUT the coal at first. A good rule of thumb is "Little smoke, little air.... more smoke, more air". Thanks again for a GREAT VIDEO : )

[@ericletts4072]

This is the best video on starting fires with a bow drill I have ever seen, You make it very easy to understand ! Thank You so much ! Eric

[@Flashahol]

I've seen pretty much all of these in other videos, but this is the only one I can say groups it all.

[@ferdinandthebull1322]

I just started my first fire with a firebow 20 minutes ago! I tried it 2 years ago and got no fire. Studied your two videos again this evening. The wood was probably too hard for my spindle and board. Struggled with them and was about to give up when I raised a cloud of smoke. Morale restored, I pressed on. Got a good ember, but my tinder bundle had the wrong materials. Then I took dry grass, broke it up finely and used that. Tried it again and this time it worked. Alternating speed/pressure, more attention to the location and shape of the hole, and a better socket for the handhold helped. Thanks

[@BushcraftOnFire]

CONGRATULATIONS Ferdinand!! Way to stick with it. Glad the tips helped.

[@joeproctor2216]

+Ferdinand the bull That's awesome! Sounds silly, but congrats! I know what that triumph feels like.

[@mrsillywalk]

This is the definitive explanation for the bow drill. Clear and concise.

[@shannonsmitification]

I've looked at your teaching on the bow drill and everybody else's. I have to say, I consider you an authority on the bow drill.

[@MidwestWoodcraft]

Thank you for the kind words, and for helping to introduce me to this fascinating and fulfilling world. Your family, along with Dave Canterbury got me absolutely hooked on bushcraft. In fact you guys have also inspired me to start my own channel on you tube. My first vids will hopefully be up within a few weeks or so, hope you have time to check em out, Im sure Ill need plenty of constructive criticism. lol

[@Dilligara]

The best fire by bow and spindle I have ever viewed. You put a lot of very good info in this two video segment.

[@GodschildinNC]

Thank you for posting this video. I now have a video reference for the best way to get started and the way the spindle needs to be. There are plenty of videos on bowdrill fires, but nobody gives you how to make the hearth, spindle and bow, as well as the technique for spinning the spindle and pressures on it. Thanks again

[@okracoke1978]

Thanks so much for the great video. I watch a lot of videos (as I am a visual person) and so many lose me because they ramble on about non-related things. You were to the point and moved along at the right speed to educate and hold my attention. This was a tremendous help! I will go out this weekend and give it a shot. At 53 it is not to late to learn!

[@MidwestWoodcraft]

Just wanted to thank you, I watched a ton of videos on the bow drill and yours were for sure some of the most helpful. I so far have had success with pine on pine (storebought 1x4) and just yesterday was able to get a coal out of a silver maple spindle and hearth. Making fire from an all natural set was awesome.. Thanks again

[@weaselteat]

Great video! Now I know why my grandfather would rub the end of the spindle, that goes on the handhold, in his hair; to get the natural body oils onto the spindle for lubrication. Thank you so much! The alternating speed/pressure helped me a lot.

[@BushcraftOnFire]

Oak and other hard woods are VERY difficult (although possible) to make fire with. You might try a medium hardwood like Cottonwood, Poplar, Willow, etc

[@CharlieCheapshot]

Great pair of videos, covering the don'ts makes understanding the right way easier.

[@phennexion]

Awesome tips!! I've been working on getting a bowdrill fire going... have like 30 tries in over 3 days of trying... we got really close today but after watching this video i realized my shavings were too light color or too dark.. and when I did get a coal i was blowing too hard too early... thanks for the awesome video!

[@heathenbushcraft2981]

I have used a shot glass! I have also used a 12 gauge hull also. I really like the idea of the spoon set into the knife handle. great video!

[@summittaedae2323]

Brilliant tutorial. Thanks from a Scotsman struggling with the coal. Seems I’m going at it to hard. I look forward to trying it a little softer 👍🏻

[@bluesideup007]

Excellent demonstration and clear instruction. Nice points on problem solving. For Scout outings, I have brought a bag of raw materials (cedar board, boot lace, and if very cold or damp, some dry tinder) and demonstrate as you have. Then challenged the boys to get a fire going. You sometimes have to bribe them, so the the fist one to get fire wins a chocolate bar now and free meal at Subway on the way home. Works every time. Thanks, Dave.

[@unknwnshooter]

Great video Dave most people don't understand the proper technique to fire starting with a drill........but they do now !!!!.........keep'em coming !

[@susandarcy5514]

This was great! It was easy to watch, concise, and I loved that you showed the process before you started talking about it! Thank you!

[@AutoCrete]

Great instructions that include not only the 'how' but the why as well. Understanding the principal/process behind what you are trying to accomplish makes it easier to figure out what is 'wrong' when you are not getting the desired outcome. I'm going to play around a bit with different materials. Lilac for bows (tough as nails), cottonwood spindles (a soft hardwood) and spruce boards (for easy coals). You Sir are a great instructor. Now I want to become a match free pyromaniac! LOL

[@BIGMUDDYDOG]

By far the best video I've seen on the subject. I've been using a bow and drill for awhile now but I still learned a lot from this video.

[@dellickson1]

This has been extremely helpful. You touched on a lot of things that no other videos have that I suspected I was doing wrong. Thank you!

[@Wouter6431]

Thanks, this video helped a lot, there are a lot of videos out there where they tell you the basics that most people already know, but not these little details and tricks, good video

[@davidhuckaby832]

Eskamos, I've seen have an ember catcher carved into a little flat eagle with his head looking left or right. A string goes through the eye and worn around the neck. This little eagle lays under fire board and it's belly has a concave divit to catch the sawdust. They also use a mouth piece socket at top of spindle and draw side to side the string around spindle. But I really like the eagle ember catcher as a neckless with a leather shoe string. This eskamo dug into snow pulling up a Poplar branch and carved spindle and fire board hearth. This was impressive as in no time in cold snow, this guy got a bright red glowing ember, gently placed it in his tinder bundle and blew it into flames. Wow! He dug it out of the snow. Blue Dave. Thanx for intricate tips!

[@notwrkn2mch]

I watched many videos on bow drills and learned plenty but yours was the best for me. I especially like the "V" notch out of the hearth to cut back on breakage and better build up. Great Presentation. Thanks

[@bylkun1]

Great video! Best explanation of how to do things, why you're doing them and pointing out common mistakes! Thank you.

[@ginaleefarber2422]

Thank you for a video I totally understand and looking forward to learning this technique and teaching it to my 15 yr. Old nephew. As a new prepped this video will be a staple. I took loads of notes and your presentation is the best I found. Also loved the use of tarps and trash bags! Thank you again and be blessed.

[@linjubar]

This is the best instruction I’ve seen so far. Thank you.

[@miskokinoo]

Definitely helpful! I really like the handhold on the knife handle; always there when you need it, and one less thing to carry.

[@bizzarrogeorge]

Most informative video on friction fire I've seen yet. Thanks for the instruction and advice, Dave. Have a good one..

[@maddaveuk]

Great video Dave. You covered just about all the common mistakes people make when trying fire by friction. Great stuff !!

[@sraike]

Great series on bow drills David. I hope to be able to make it back to your Winter Camp to hone up on my skills. Thanks!

[@tonyloughran8696]

Great video love the way you highlight the right and the wrong way to use the bowdrill i have never tried friction fire this tuition has improved my chances for sucess in achieving my first friction fire hopefully this year, thanx Tony

[@BakerBushcraft]

Great explanation! I think this is the very best video that I've seen on the bowdrill, (and i've watched literally hundreds of them) Thank you for the time and effort that you put into these vids.

[@kewldudesweet]

AWESOME VID! ive been looking everywhere for more detail on the bowdrill method, ive done it in controlled conditions with a 2x4 but could never really pull it off in the wild and i think this vid might of given me the missing info i needed thanks! keep it up!

[@ChrisAnderson----Web-Designs]

Great tutorial! I've watched about a dozen so far and yours is the best and most informative! Thanks!!

[@davidschmidt270]

That was really in depth....I'm barely starting out and I really needed these little tidbits... Thank kindly Sir 👏👏👏👏

[@BushcraftOnFire]

You are very welcome

[@paulandrulis4672]

+BushcraftOnFire The bearing block (handhold) can be any wood that is much harder than the drill (spindle) or out of a highly resinous wood. A good place to find a good bearing block is to use a knot in a piece of hardwood such as oak, black walnut, ironwood, osage orange, or hickory.

[@joeproctor2216]

+Paul Andrulis A knot in the wood...this makes tons of sense. Thanks!

[@BushcraftOnFire]

Awesome job! Congratulations to your wife... and to you for being a great role model. Yes.. we will be making more videos... Thanks for your support!

[@ghost0441]

Thanks for the upload. This is one of the few (and important) bushcraft skills I am yet to do well. I'll try your advice and see if it helps me.

[@BardofCornwall]

All good tips. Wish I would have seen this back when I was starting out. Another good tip, is to be careful a gust of wind doesn't suddenly blow your coal off the collecting piece of bark or leaf. That's heartbreaking.

[@lusl1094]

Thank you for the video. I wish that when I was learning the bow drill I could have had this video. My favorite handhold is to use a brass candle-holder unscrewed from its base. It is very smooth and can hold a lot of heat.

[@thraexxx]

Firstly, as a wilderness instructor I thought this an excellent and really valuable piece of knowledge and well presented instruction. Some of the tips you showed I will certainly steal/share, I definitely learned things I did not know and hadn't thought of. I will of course credit the source but I think you meant for this information to be shared and it will be,....if that's OK. If I have one critique it comes from my experience as a self defense trainer and that is this: if you say anything you must demonstrate it EXACTLY because students will do all to exactly do what you show. So if you say "I'll show you this but I'd do it differently for real" the student is lost, (including me). That happened once in this vid. Just a thought.

[@wyatt1153]

This is one of the most well presented videos on KZbin. It looks like the weather outside is cold in this video. What is the lowest outside temperature that fire by friction will work?

[@BushcraftOnFire]

@corey1961 Hey Corey.. Thanks for your support and comments.. We appreciate you. I began working skills in about 1991.. so 22 years or so now. I did minor stuff before that.. but that's when I really got into it

[@richardmatlock9593]

Thank you for showing how to use a bow for starting a fireYou have made the procedure clear

[@uwohilaawina]

This is one of the more informative videos I've seen on the bow drill. Very well taught. 6 days ago, after much research and failures, I finally accomplished this feat, but I haven't been able to repeat the success. Your video has shown me a couple of areas I've been wrong. I'm confident now thanks to your video that I can correct those mistakes and again find success. I have a question. I have heard not to use pine, but I've seen videos with people finding success with pine. My problem with cypress and willow is that their limbs don't really fall. They have to be harvested. In a survival situation it is not ideal to wait for a harvested limb to dry. So, what is your take on pine? Thanks again for this excellent video.

[@BennyMetzgar]

Awesome video, Thanks so much for breaking this down for us. I spent 3 hours yesterday and now realize that my key notch was completely wrong, thanks again!

[@usmc2511]

Excellent video, this is the first time I actually understood the process, thanks!

[@smollie007]

The best example I have seen for this type of fire lighting Thanks

[@yahushuaisking3162]

Great video. Your techniques really helped. I just had my second try and first success with using only cottonwood/poplar for everything. I used a flattened tin can to hold the drill so it would be smoother and less friction. And just piled up the smallest wood shavings in a pile and blew on them through a straw made out of an empty pen. It seems to help keep your face away from the smoke and concentrate the oxygen blown into the embers so it catches fire faster.

[@jerrybettenhausen5738]

This is the most informative videos I have seen. Thank you.

[@danielguadian5676]

Such a great video, outstanding !! Watched others, you explained your reasons then put them to work and they worked so quickly. Will watch this over & over to really get it down. Thanks, you're the Man !

[@joeproctor2216]

This is what I needed...thank you so much for this vid! I had the basics down but not the details that would make this process much more efficient. Thanks again.

[@SurvivalLore]

Great vids Dave... thanks for sharing some of the finer points to watch out for. I truly appreciate the effort you put in to helping people.

[@chalemi]

Love this video! Excellent job with your demonstration. Very detailed explaination for the beginer. May try this with my son and daughter.

[@BrujoHN]

Thanks for the very detailed and in-depth demonstration. I learned today. Thanks.

[@Upgrade-je9dj]

Best explanation of the technique I've seen! Thanks for the videos!

[@DW01]

Awesome video, thank you. I'm totally clueless when it comes to survival type stuff but looking to learn as much as i can at this late stage in my life.

[@freemanjoel]

literally hundreds? After 200 videos on bowdrills I can't imagine wanting to watch another!

Excellent information. You've bridged the gaps that others gloss over. Thanks.

[@merlehanna3837]

I watch alot of how to videos and seldom comment. But these two videos are awesome and just wanted to let you know that. thank you!

[@flamefinger1989]

@BushcraftOnFire its the best way to do it it takes 1 second to make it tighter and it looks nice aswell i would recmend this to everyone

[@BushcraftOnFire]

@bubbaducks Fine question! First, let me say that Willow is VERY abundant just about everywhere. Pine won't work (too much resin) EXCEPT White Pine which has less resin and works very well. (It's what I learned on). Yucca is one of the best! As is Basswood. I would try Birch.. and I have heard (but never used) Hemlock (the tree, NOT the poisonous plant). Try different woods and see what works in your area!

[@wildreliance]

Great video lots of good info, glad you took the time to slow down and explain everything.

[@roninsurvivor4640]

I'm gonna give this a try soon great job. best explanation I've seen of the whole process!

[@clinte9897]

Thank you very much for sharing you knowledge with us! Very much appreciated!

[@NeillWylie]

Absolutely awesome couple of videos jam packed full of useful information. Thanks again.

[@mrfurball]

that measuring spoon modification you did on ur knife is quite a good idea also you can use it to signal and the more fires you start the more polished the steal will become, great tip thx. ps. i personally would not insert the spoon mod into my knife handle but i will incorporate that mod into my kit

[@johngunasekara]

I personally came to a good conclusion watching this, where as may be you forgot to mention.. you made it look so easy and in no time the fire was there in both your tries.. for that I couldnt stop noticing the strength of the bow you use.. it is perfectly in place with a slight bend on it and that peace of wood looked so strong to me and it help the drill do its job..now what most people do is, the drill gets hold of the work..in this case the bow is taking charge of the work because of its shear strength..so i come to a conclusion, saying when the bow is not strong it goes all over the place.. this is a super video..well done boss..

[@davidwendell6471]

Thanks.. and you're correct.. many people worry about the drill and just grab any piece of wood for the bow.. but I have found if the bow is too short specifically.. it will increase your work exponentially! Take time (about 10 minutes or so in reality) to make a good bow folks!

[@johngunasekara]

David Wendell Very true David..Take your time and it ll be much easier..

[@dave4854]

Great instruction videos--#1 and #2, I couldn't have done it better myself, in fact, I couldn't have done it at all til I watched the videos a few times.

[@andydragonfisher6900]

Great couple of videos that have really helped with my understanding. Thanks so much for posting.

[@Darignobullseye]

Thank you so much. I have always wanted to know how to start fire by friction but could not understand all the different components. Thank you much.

[@BushcraftOnFire]

Drying out new boards and spindles BEFORE you need them is Proper PRIOR Planning. THis mentality will take you a long way my Brother.

[@Mechman0925]

Instruction is just about the best way to learn, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@jaythompson9510]

thanks for this video it really has been more in depth than most of the bow drill vids i have seen...made me want to go outside and try it for myself lol.

[@MsNailgun]

Awesome video. Answered all my questions. I can't wait to try it. Thank you.

[@hav2fsh1]

GREAT VIDEO ..!! Very Detailed one if not the best I've seen ..!!

[@BushcraftOnFire]

Thank you so much

[@woodstrider5]

Thank you for your time and expertise in making these videos. I thought that they were well done and the technique well explained and demonstrated. About a year ago on a trip I had a lighter failure and the back-up lighter failed as well. I managed, but having a back-up that won't fail is always good :-D. Will try this out on my next trip.

[@alunthomas697]

Outstanding video mate, you're a jolly good teacher.

[@colbicolbiWTF]

@TheDylanMetz I had that problem, knotching the spindle helped almost 80%, The next 20% was the string was to loose, Going up on your bow tightens the string if you dont want to retie your bow

[@BushcraftOnFire]

@wolferic I personally use #550. But with the technique I show.. you can use most anything.. as long as the string isn't too tight

[@NygaardBushcraft]

Hi Mogges1. I would like to share a little tip regarding lubrication of the handhold : when I fish I use slices of snail as bait, and I usually take a little piece of snail flesh and put in the handhold.. its very slippery and works really well. I have never had a snail complain to me so I am sure they agree ;) Dave : Awesome channel, keep the videos coming.

[@Rick9814]

I really enjoyed the video! Great tips and a very well made and clear video. Keep up the good work.

[@donaldbarber5770]

great video, very informative! I really appreciate the extra time to show technique!

[@HKPSG1Shooter]

Good video! Another reason people chew up the string excessively is because they are wrapping it on the wrong side, and it crosses itself. String should always cross toward the bow, not the outside.

[@BushcraftOnFire]

@Aqualiteking In my experience.. light brown means not enough pressure.. Black striated is when there is a LOT of pressure.. and usually not enough speed

[@semperfortis]

You will NEVER see it taught better folks!!!! OUTSTANDING

[@ivo-aceto]

Very useful tips, and very well presented. thanks a lot.

[@batmaing]

From what I can tell, my material is no good for friction fires. Seems like I'm applying enough pressure and speed (lots of smoke and darker ashes) but the wood can't seem to hold a coal. I found that roughing up the middle part of the spindle so the string would catch better helped too. Thanks again for the help.

[@corey1961]

Dave, how long have you been practicing bushcraft skills? I have watched and enjoyed many of your videos. Thanks for sharing your skills with the rest of the bush world!

[@batmaing]

@BushcraftOnFire I live in Southern California so my material options are few. I bought a piece of wood from Home Depot and it seemed okay...but it may be the problem after all. I'll try your suggestions and report back. Thanks for the response!

[@zentune100]

My favorite handhold (which i some times leave at home) is a round, palm-sized piece of cedar with a 1.5" round x .75" thick piece of soapstone inset into the center of the cedar (make it flush with the cedar, then smooth & sand everything) The soapstone is then bored or drilled about 3/8" deep by 3/8" diameter and the hole is then polished with fine grit sand paper. I pack it with leaves for lube & leave the top of my spindle smaller (slightly) than 3/8" but blunt, smooth and round.

[@MBochnia1]

Wood handholds work wonderfully. Just lubricate it. Limits the friction. Using oils, waxes, green pine needles all work wonderfully. I use mostly wood handholds, just make sure the wood of the handhold is as hard or harder than your spindle. Keep up the good work!

[@LeeHill66]

The best info on a bow drill I've seen.

[@Vaeliente]

I recently got fire from friction twice (for the first time). At a recent event several examples were shared of various drill materials. I paid particular attention to materials. What I notice from proven drills is that they have an open end grain. I have not yet carried through with experiments to prove this as theory, but it is a good working hypothesis. It would be great if those having success would report about their drill's ed grain.

[@PrepperAction]

Great info, just built my bow-drill and trying it out, this helped out very much! Thanks.

[@dghmusic]

Really nicely presented...not too much and not too little