For Your First Bow Drill Ember CHEAT, Then Improve Your Skills
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- Yesterday we used a 2x4 to make a Bow Drill Set, got a branch from the woods for the Bow, and used my bearing block with a metal bearing in it to make a friction fire. Today, let's go to Lowe's and pick out a "White Wood" 2x2. I used it for a bow, bearing block lubed with WD40, spindle, and fire board.
I don't know any expert in Bow Drill or Hand Drill that didn't make their first ember with some form of cheat or cheats. As they/we practiced more, over time, we chose how far we wanted to go with it... h... how much we wanted to improve our skills. If you've struggle with Bow Drill repeatedly or if you're wanting to try it for the first time, use all the cheats you need to get that first ember. Future embers will come much easier... Please SUBSCRIBE at the end of the video. Thanks!
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY BOW DRILL PLAYLIST:
• Bow Drill Playlist
I cut a big divot in a piece of wood, and put a metal 1/4tsp measuring spoon in the hole and tied it to the piece of wood. That was my first bearing block that got me success!!
Christopher Daniels I've heard of that... but mounted in a knife handle. Thanks!
Good video. Years ago, pre-internet, I wanted to try out drill fire starting..after alot of work, and with little success, I was getting frustrated...so I went with this cheats idea and it really helped...I did the ultimate cheat and used a drill press...on the bench where I could experiment with various materials and test out many different spindles, beds, speeds and pressure combos...provided a huge leap forward in developing different solid working systems to then master in-field...worked for baseline and was fun :-)
My first "bow drill" ember was by way of a cordless drill. LOL!
@@DavidWestBgood2ppl It helps your sanity...to know the process works first 🙂
I just started practicing friction fires with with a bow drill and hand drill. First ember was also with an electric drill 😂 lol.. now made 14 fires by friction, two by hand drill and 10 by bow drill. Trying different woods in my area the easiest by far is Trumpet Creeper vine. I like your video and thank you for being a motivation for me learning more about fire starting.
I already wrote the Description to a video which will be coming out after my next Baby Blue Mora Video. It describes starting out like you just mentioned. Here's the copy and paste of it:
For your first ever Bow Drill ember and success you could do like I did and use an electric drill. You could do like many others have done and buy a set online. You could use my advice from a previous video (LINK below) and make a set out of a 2x4. This video gives you another option...
Once I figured out how to Bow Drill, and with the greatest of exuberance, I set out to try every species I could get my hands on. I quickly racked up 25 different species. The thing about it is, most of those sets did not not come from dead standing wood. They came from long, straight, knot-free branches that I cut from living trees and dried in the house. LOL!!! in the Winter time I could dry a set on my heater's floor vent in just 2 days... Yes, someday you'll want to develop the more advanced skills of finding that perfect dead standing, in the right state of decay, no bark on it, that gets most of the day's Sun and breezes, that's long enough, thick enough, dry, straight, clear of knots, from a non resinous species, etc.... But, because it's so much easier, I recommend that you find many of these desirable qualities from a living tree... then whittle out the set, leave it in the back glass of your car for a week, use WD 40 on the bearing block, and pine needles for a tinder bundle. After achieving your first successes, you can then decide how much you want to refine your skills...100% survival or somewhere in between.
***AS FOR YOUR QUESTION... I don't try vines and roots because I stick with easy to whittle straight grained woods. I'm sure it would work though. Any dry, woody, plant subjected to enough friction will create an ember.
Thanks so much! You are one of my favorite teachers 🤗 So great how you cover all the bases and your attitude is addictive.
Thank you for a good informative video! Your "white wood" looks to me to be spruce or pine so you're probably getting an ember with less effort if the wood is nice and dry than what I have tried, but I still was able to get an ember using a spruce drill with white birch hearth. Spruce or pine or even poplar or aspen if dry make powder easier. I used ironwood for the bearing block which works well, and my "cheat" being soap in the block as lubricant. I also worked beeswax into the bow string which is an unknown synthetic fine braided line. My bow is ironwood because a convenient limb presented itself..White birch is a bit hard as a hearth and is difficult to find dry enough work, but mine came out of the firewood pile and was very dry.
Frank Reeves When the tag says White Wood, it can be any of a variety of 10 species from around the word. I stopped keeping track of how many different species I've bow drilled at 25. Seems like, pretty much, any woody material sufficiently dry subjected to enough friction will ember.
Great teaching advice
It gets easier after the first success.
AWESOME Mr. West, thank you so much for sharing... I will take your advice and start with the cotton/ash rolling and progress as you suggested.
Thanks friend!
I think we discussed that before, I got my first ember with my electric drill too:)
Really enjoyed the setup David You are a good teacher
Thank you, a master! All these years still awesome, actually even more so!
It's been, and still is, fun. TY!
Good advice. Key to more success is always more practice. If that's what it takes to get started on the practice... So be it.
Edie Boudreau If you love it practice is fun.
David West---+ truth!!!
Nice cheat with the actual ball bearing, I commonly use a shot glass for a bearing block they can be found in thrift stores for cheap and do come in different sizes , they have worked well for me .
I like them too. Thank you!
I think I have to get myself a bearing for bearing block Sir! I Struggle too much without it!
I would guess, many would not know where to begin?
Great way to encourage people to give it try!.
You don't have to be a "bushcrafter" to have some fun and learn a skill.
Good Stuff. Thanks.
Yes, the best bush crafters that ever lived started bow drill with cheats.
Excellent video as always brother! I love and learn so much stuff from you! Hope your having a good easter weekend brother! Very best wishes friend! 👍🏽👍🏽😎🍻🔥🔥
Mad Dog Survival I had a Great Easter. Thanks friend!
Good! Glad to hear it mate! Very best wishes friend 👍🏽👍🏽
Just curious, why cut the notch after the burn in, why not before. It just seems like you’d want to keep all the dust to help build the ember. I’ve not tried this yet but look forward to it soon.
The burn in will usually drift away from the notch.
That video was a lot of work for you. Thank you. I will go to lowes within a few days and give it a try. I tried one today using branches I found in the woods but didn't even get smoke.
Watch many how to bow drill videos... good luck.
Thank you. I will do that.
A great podcast👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Haaaaa, after an expedition to Lowes in search of straight wood, that deserves an ice cold glass of sweet tea, if you partake that is. I know I’d enjoy one. Here’s something to ponder. I have two store bought knees and can no longer kneel. How would you approach fire making with artificial knees and not able to kneel as you do? Might be a topic for one of your vids. Keep them coming I do enjoy them.
Search my channel for standing bow drill.
Yesterday we used a 2x4 to make a Bow Drill Set, got a branch from the woods for the Bow, and used my bearing block with a metal bearing in it to make a friction fire. Today, let's go to Lowe's and pick out a "White Wood" 2x2. I used it for a bow, bearing block lubed with WD40, spindle, and fire board.
I don't know any expert in Bow Drill or Hand Drill that didn't make their first ember with some form of cheat or cheats. As they/we practiced more, over time, we chose how far we wanted to go with it... h... how much we wanted to improve our skills. If you've struggle with Bow Drill repeatedly or if you're wanting to try it for the first time, use all the cheats you need to get that first ember. Future embers will come much easier... Please SUBSCRIBE at the end of the video. Thanks!
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY BOW DRILL PLAYLIST:
ua-cam.com/play/PLkoXX8XsMW3kw-EXlvpLS68aJjR89P4ae.html
@Patrick Waser That warms my heart. Thanks for telling me!
What an excellent video! I didn't realize all parts of the set could be made from the same species of wood. I'll definitely give this a try! Cheers - Luther
Thanks V come back often.
I've read somewhere that using the same species of wood is best because both drill and plate wear at the same rate
This video maked it work for me.
Today i made my first fire 😅🤗🤗🤗 Thnx for showing me how to make 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I love that! TY!
I haven't even watched this yet (will shortly) but what a Great idea!
Made my first friction fire yesterday! Cheated my BUTT off! Haha Skateboard bearing I set in a chunk of wood. Spindle battoned and whittled from a split 1x4, and fire board from same 1x4. Bow was bow saw frame with #36 bankline. Dryer lint was underwelming but worked.. lol Your videos pushed me to it. THANKS! lol
It's a start now you can decide how primitive you want to get with it over time.
Yeah I gave up a long time ago. Tried and tried. May try again after watching. Thanks
Chicas
Thanks for the encouragement. Very nice video. I noticed there were 999 likes, happy to make it 1K. Subscribing too.
Thank you Henry!
Really enjoying your videos.
Thanks again Dave.
Good information David
I got my first bow drill ember on my first attempt today.
I attribute my success to your videos and other bush crafters I have watched as well as play old luck.
It took a little while but no cheats.
I made the board, bow and the spindle from branches that had dropped off the only tree in my back yard.
Just used the inside piece of a cheap lanyard that came with knife I bought as a bowstring.
For the block I used a piece of fat wood I had.
My first two attempts the board branch was too thin and soft and I drilled straight through it.
Got a good ember with a thinker board I made.
Honestly I was just keen to try after watching your videos.
It had rained a little the night before so I wasn’t expecting success. When I saw smoke though I knew I could do it.
It took me about a month to get my first ember but that was also about 100 tries. Thanks!
David West if only you had the David West you tube channel as a resource when you started out :)
It’s winter hear in Australia so everything is really dry. Very low humidity, any light rain or dew is dried off by midday.
I think in the humid summer months it will be more difficult.
Can’t wait to get out in the bush and try with other materials.
Is using #36 bank line a cheat? If not, then I didn't cheat for my first ember. Found a small cottonwood branch in the woods, cut a bearing block from a live cottonwood tree branch. Processed the dried branch down to a hearth and a spindle, set the spindle, cut the notch, and in 2 minutes I was transferring the ember to the tinder pile, blowing on it and POOF. Fire.
It's not that hard. Watch NW Primate to see how it's done.
No, bank line is not a cheat.
@@DavidWestBgood2ppl it was not my first try but it was my first ember. Tried about 10 times in the last week. I feel pretty lucky. So exciting to make fire!
Fantastic video!!!
Does it have to be a hard wood? Or can it be pine?
The softest white wood 2x4 they have.
Or something soft from the woods.
Wow thank you🔥😊
I'm thinking it's not cheating if it helps you to make a fire faster when you need it the most.
Think of it like learning to ride a bike with training wheels. Noone would look at training wheels and call it cheating. Yet they're useful to learn
Good stuff. Thanks
Couldn't the Bearing Block be a piece of stone with an indent in it?
I've seen it on UA-cam a lot, never tried it, never really found any stones with a divot, seems it would grind away the tip too fast.
Makes sense, I guess it would depend on how grainy the stone was. I think one would have to make one, the way the Native Americans did, with a stick with a stone on the end of it, used as a drill. Would take a LOOONG time.
Fatwood makes a good bearing block. Check out my Bow Drill Playlist.
I know it took me months of working, periodically, at the bow drill till I was successful.
Me too. Consistent bow drill success feels great and is soothing for me.
LOL we have S.P.F. Spruce, Pine, or Fur
Now I can try out for naked and afraid I'll be naked everyone else will be afraid lol
Oh man! LOL!!!
try using a real ball rearing in a peace of wood.