Bow Drill, What The Experts Hide (Read Description)
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- Bow Drill Magic… or is it? Our beloved experts often make it seem as if they’re pulling off the impossible! They find materials fresh from nature, seemingly never before seen… But let’s be real, they’ve likely scouted these materials in advance. They’re aware of their location, dryness, the presence of dead standing, tinder, cordage material, and rocks for cutting tools. They’re in tune with the state of decay, the time since the last rainfall, and the day’s humidity. Is it fair to give the impression that one can simply stroll into any UNKNOWN forest, locate the perfect tools and materials, and effortlessly create a friction fire? In this video, I delve into the importance of transparency. Imagine how disheartening it can be for a novice when friction fire is portrayed as far simpler than it truly is. Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE at the end of the video. Thank you! YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE VIDEOS:
The Bundled Spindle Technique... Using 4 Old Horseweed Spindles
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Using a Paperback Book for a Bow Drill Fire Board
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You are so honest about the technique. I'd like to know where in the woods you found the bearing you used in your left hand.
That's exactly what I'm talking about! Would you have known about the metal bearing in my bearing block if I had edited out all those scenes? Would you have known if I sprayed the tip of the spindle and bearing block divot with WD-40? How would you know if I predried the materials then placed them back in the spot where I "discovered" them on camera? Many "experts" are deceiving us in a dozen different ways.
I like your channel but I disagree. A big part of the journey is to start easy and make it harder on yourself as you get better. Learn to identify trees and which ones work and don’t work. Which ones you can cut green in the morning and dry in the sun by night. Learn where to find dry wood and tinder after rain. I have made 1000’s of friction fires in all conditions. The only way to really learn is by doing it yourself.
You are very correct. That's one of the many reasons I tell my students not to get a false sense of security from survival t.v. shows. Another thing that gets neglected is the sheer amount of time it can take to gather all the items for you fire kit and tinder bundle (especially if you are in a strange environment). Then you have to make the kit on top of that. I like your honesty. Thank you.
It's very educational, even eye-opening, to see the difficulty actually involved in some bushcraft skills.
Thanks for being real and genuine!
The value of this video and especially your perspective is huge!
I've taught the bow drill I tell my students that in real life carry a lighter because in the wild friction fire is never a sure thing no matter how good you are.
i EDC a wallet fresnel lens, keychain ferro rod, and BIC. Friction fire's completely unreliable.
I'm glad u said that, i learned the bow drill about a month ago and have had success w different woods I carved out in the wild, cedar, poplar, sycamore, maple, sourwood etc. And 80% of the time id have success, not always on the first try however, the first time I had success w poplar, I spent almost a hr bf I finally got a ember, other times I got it the first try no problem but I usually have much more success if I let the set I just carved dry out a few days even though its from a standing dead piece
Ive watched a lot of these videos and ive been disappointed in myself bc I dont always have success when carving out a set from scratch and trying it right than. And in these videos its like they just go out into the woods, pick the perfect woods and get it the first try every time. I realize now that's just not realistic
I always think that I’d like to kind of make a funny comment whenever I see people with their big fire kits. They’ll have a kit with a flint and steel, as well as a ferro rod along with a lighter and two or three other ways to get a fire going such as a magnifying glass or even glycerin and potassium permanganate. And when you think of the sheer volume of stuff and how much you can fit in a pouch or kit I often think it might just be better to have 15 or 20 Bic lighters. I bet you could light more fires with 20 lighters and then you never have to worry about the primitive stuff. It’s kind of fun to put a kit together with all kinds of ways to make fire anyway so I’m not knocking it but you could get thousands of fires going and possibly even more with lighters than you would with primitive means.
“I could have stopped at 40 but I thought I’d go to 80 strokes…just to make sure.” That’s what I have been doing wrong!
I agree, David. When I teach this stuff, I always tell my students that it took me a long time to get it right and I would get so upset with myself and feel so defeated but I never gave up. In fact, I started a journal and I used it to better my skills. I have seen special forces soldiers get so angry with it and that actually made me feel better - lol. They are elite at what they do, so it was nice to know I had struggled along with them, too - lol. Good video!
It discourages a lot of beginners, many just quit trying, because so many experts make it look like you should be able to just walk through any woods, gather all the natural materials, and make fire. Most of these experts are deceiving people because THEY NEVER ADMIT TO, what they've secretly done to overcome moisture... as I talk about in the description.
Another school of thought - When I teach friction fire, I use the easiest materials for my students for two reasons - First, I want them to perfect their technique (body position and such), Second, I want them to be successful as I feel they will be more encouraged to go forward with more challenging woods/ conditions if they know they can actually do it. I am very clear that most conditions will be more challenging than the beginning combination of wood they are starting with. I supply then with more difficult sets as they progress. I have seen people that get so discouraged, using a tough set at first, and not getting an ember that they have no desire to go on. --- I have not tried your "drying cycle" technique but am now encouraged to give it a try. Great videos - Thanks for making them!
backwoodstrails You'te very kind. Drying cycles are repeated burn ins till you get black dust. Thank You.
I don't think any of my favorite survivalist UA-camrs that I follow have made it look easy? I have always struggled to make fire on my primitive challenges and have shown my own shortcomings. That's part of the challenge. These are great videos David. Please keep them coming.
I agree. I guess I was talking about 10 years ago when people would go into the woods with nothing find and use chert for blades, natural fibers for cordage and bird's nests, etc. They always allowed us to think they were in unfamiliar woods and were just happening to run up on everything they needed to make bow drill kit and fire. Hard to explain without writing a few paragraphs.
I found this old video and low and behold it’s about my old nemesis the bow drill ! I guess this a sign I need to master this technique once and for all ! Thank you David !
Today's video is going to be about bow drill also. It'll be up in a couple of hours.
Thanks for your honesty and helping us new to all of this!
I want to Thank You so much, I have watched those experts and I have tried it off and on for two years now and never got anything very little smoke, and a lot of getting mad at myself, but never any ember, or fire, I have learned a lot here. Thank You again. You are very honest.
I love your honesty..you are without a doubt the fire whisperer. I have never heard of privot wood but I'm going to find out a little more about it now.
,,, thank you David ,,i like a person that will tell the truth, its not as easy as we are lead to believe,, thanks for sharing the truth,
Thanks James.
Hello David I did make a bow drill set up all was very dry 2 hours to get an ember as I got one cool thing is I tried again twenty minutes went by an ember! Thanks for your help.
I agree, sometimes it is, other times you'll wear your arm out trying to get it and have no success. Usually I keep trying till I get it though
I agree, Thank you David! .... Now I'm gonna try it too and tonight, hopefully we eating a cooked meal, for the first time ever, lol
Thanks for sharing. Primitive man cared for and carried their fire kits. They didn't rely on luck or good weather. People who don't carry multiple items in their fire kits haven't relied on fire to live.
Good one. EDC 4 fire makers. There's no reason not to.
I agree. I made my first bow drill fire with old cedar fence posts in the backyard. Making one in the woods was a lot harder. It was tough to fine a straight piece for the drill. The wind has also caused me grief, blowing my ember across the patio and forest floor. I still want to experiment with different combos of woods like sage, aspen and cottonwood.
I love to practice. Thanks!
Thnx Dave...I always felt most teachers of these skills want others to feel they are particularly gifted..skills + experience = proficiency.. 👍
Agreed. Thanks friend!
@@DavidWestBgood2ppl YW
Hi Mr. West. The scout troop we belong to, 478, made expo on primitive fire making techniques. One percent can do this. It takes patience. It was at centennial event of BSA north America at Avondale site. Seven of our scouts and leaders had ton of fun teaching and the expression on the faces of the successful scouts made our day!!
Love it!!!
in ancient times people would have an EDC, an everyday carry. inluding fire starter. if you had bow drill kit you would carry it with you or flint along with material for catching fire.
Well said David.
I'm in Australia and have tried many combinations of timbers here, an failed more times than succeded.
My go too is grasstree flower spike and palm frond.
Thanks for being you.
Interesting. Thanks Mat!
Thanks David. It was my only New Years resolutions in 2020 . I failed. 2021 is the year 👍 . Weekend warriors!
That is a good life lesson that everyone should learn
Good video, good skills and great point. I've seen firsthand the dangerous, hands-off mindset that "experts" create in people when those people sit at home and watch "survival shows" on TV, but never actually practice the skills or try it themselves.
I was practicing hand drill the other day when my in-laws came by and started watching me. After I had tweaked my hearthboard and spindle for several minutes, produced a coal, and blew it into a flame using prepared cattail down and dry grasses/branches around me, my mother-in-law said something that made me both laugh to myself and shake my head at her mindset. Without asking anything about what materials I used, how to practice, what is good vs. bad technique, etc, she said "thanks for showing us! Now we know how, in case we ever have to make a fire like that."
It totally took my off-guard how confident she was that she was fully capable of producing a flame using fire by friction in a less-than-ideal survival situation, even though she's never even tried it. I just thought it was funny that I was out there sweating and practicing to do it and still struggling sometimes, and she figured she could just knock it out on her first try. :D Hopefully she'll never have to.
People make the exact same comments here. I don't even bother to burst their bubble.
Thank you Mr. West for the great video of interest and information. I have never experienced the Bow Drill activity but I think I will give it a try or two, three or whatever it takes. I am a retired carpenter and know if you don't try you never will know-
Good luck. Thanks!
Hand Drill, Bow Drill... It's dishonest for some of our favorite experts to let us think that they are JUST THAT GOOD! That they are really finding "on the spot"/ "freshly found materials "/ "straight from nature" that they've never seen before... No, I think they already know where all the materials that they're going to use are at and how dry they are...They know where all the dead standing is located, and where all the tinder, cordage material, and rocks that they're going to use are at beforehand. They also know their state of decay, how long it's been since it has rained, and how favorable the humidity is supposed to be that particular day.
Is it right to make people think you can just walk out into any woods in any weather conditions and be able to just whip up a friction fire?
In today's video, I explain how forthcoming we all should be. Think of how discouraging it must be for a beginner!
Please SUBSCRIBE at the end of the video. Thanks!
OTHER VIDEOS YOU WILL ENJOY:
The Bundled Spindle Technique... Using 4 Old Horseweed Spindles
ua-cam.com/video/0aRSlLVWAkc/v-deo.html
Using a Paperback Book for a Bow Drill Fire Board
ua-cam.com/video/SMWVJvLQnjs/v-deo.html
That's about as honest as it gets. I have never started a fire from the hand drill on the first try. It takes me awhile sometimes and other times conditions make it impossible. Great video on it.
@@TheGrayManOG Seems like some years I have great materials and great humidity levels... other years? not so much.
Aborignal people in Britain used to take their climatis vine boards around with them. Ray Mears suggested doing the same. A few of these boards have been found with dozens of holes. They were used in the kit for years as they moved around!
Years ago I astounded my instructors at the US Air Force survival school by making fire with a bow drill. They had only seen it in training films. THAT SAID, I used a tried and true fire kit that I brought with me from home. I don't know that I could have done it using local materials (Spokane Washington area).
Interesting, ty
Thanks for the information. That's a neat way to start a fire without fuel or matches.
Great video! Firstly, it's great that you identified that tree which I always found and cut down as a kid: privet! It's incredibly common, but I never knew what to call it and no-one seems to talk about it. Secondly, I've tried friction fires on many occasions; all smoke, no ember! I was getting rather discouraged. I guess there's something to be said for "crawling before you walk" -- I'll try stacking the odds more in my favor until I get good at it, before thinking that I can just make do with whatever I happen to find.
Please check out my playlists. Thank You!
Well done, well said and thanks...
Hi Ian here from UK,,, with your help I have created fire via bow drill and fire roll ,,, first success was June 2022 with Ivy wood ,,, its great to know i could do this in the wild if i ever needed to 👍 I've subbed btw 👍
I know how you feel. I remember well my first success 10 years ago. Thanks for the Sub!
Thanks so very much for taking the time to reply !!! This is the link to my fire roll 1st of 2024 😀👍 ua-cam.com/video/6vi41HOzJQ8/v-deo.html
Awsome! I had a guy teach me this and I made it happen my first try but my arms were jello for awhile🙂 people dont comprehend how hard this is to do.
Lmao, I tried it yesterday and my arms were jello too
Thanks for helping me out with this! This cleared up a lot of mud for me!
Wow Mr. West! Your skills and technique are impressive to see, thanks for sharing this knowledge with us, fun to watch as well!
Awesome man,ur right u don't know how many times I was quite discouraged over the hand drill,I watch videos where ppl could get an ember in like a few seconds so that's what I expected,until I watched ur videos,they helped me a lot now all I do is experiment with different types cause I know what to expect,if it wasn't for the help of u and Lonnie I would have given up,thanks again and ur awesome
Nathanial's Adventures Me too... I would have given up without ever making a single ember but Gundog5 saw my fails video, encouraged me to continue, and ended up mentoring me for years.
Very honest and informative. Thanks for posting, could be a lifesaver in the right (wrong?) conditions. I think I will try this a couple of times just to have it in my "toolkit".
Right next to the pack of Bic lighters🎉
I have now made bow drill fires in multiple conditions using different types of woods and bow strings. I'm still looking for a video that explains how to stop the bow string from climbing up the drill and hitting the hand block. This is by far more difficult than finding materials and shaping them properly.
If the entire spindle is tapered or if your not bowing level that will happen. Do not deviate from the way I show in my tutorials in my bow drill playlist.
Agree 110% . Its not easy . I make sets to dry and carry them with me (as indigenous people did) for that reason . There's a reason your sets are already made at some of these survival schools. Thank you for your honesty sir. That's why I don't subscribe to most of these "big" channels. They're only promoting themselves and the free products that they get.
I don't understand why that offends so many people. As you stated primitive people had favorite species. If it didn't produce for on the spot friction fire, you know they dried it out and then kept it that way for future use.
David West Exactly ! BTW : Great job explaining and demonstrating .
Either it will or it won’t. Poetic.
Love ur channel.
This is fantastic I've never seen a detailed video on this.
EVERY ONE of my favorite UA-cam survivalists exuded tremendous difficulty in pretty much all fires they created. NONE of them made it look easy.
After much trial and error, here are some things that I have learnt about finally making a bow drill fire.
1) the handle should be slightly bent and the string slack enough to wrap around the spindle at least once
2) the spindle width should be no bigger than your thumb and ideally a roughly textured cylinder shape for the string to grip onto
3) the spindle length should be at least about 8 inches long
4) slightly thinner cordage than paracord seems to work better than paracord. Paracord falls apart after repeated use.
I like a stiff no bend bow and paracord. I hope you’ll check out my bow drill playlist.
@@DavidWestBgood2ppl You make it look so easy! :)
Camping on the Platt river our scout leader taught us to use flint and steel to light the big camp fire, early in the day he and I went and got kerosene and soaked select portions of the evening fire. Later with all the scouts gather waiting to see flint and steel start a fire. The scout leader produced his zippo lighter, flint and steal.
In lighters they call them flint, but they are actually mini ferrocerium rods... ferro rods.
Thanks David. Great video.
Thank you for the details that encourage me to try to work through the complete process myself, some lazy, dry summer day.
Got myfirst friction fire going in a non sterile environment the other day. But only after getting to know that piece of land for a few weeks was I able to get the right materials and conditions. Even then it was still tricky. But man what a great feeling
I remember that feeling.
Thanks for the video Dave. I must say that I am no expert in making a bow drill fire. When I first started learning how to make a bow drill fire, on my own, I had only observed a guy make a bow drill fire using sage wood, and he struggled at it. I know absolutely that back then, I would have agreed with you. I attempted to make a bow drill fire 5-10, maybe even 15, times before I actually made my first fire. I did get lots of smoke in those first attempts. My arms were exhausted and I was sweating profusely...but no fire. However, I kept watching a variety of video's on UA-cam (Thank you UA-cam and all the contributors). There is a definite science to the bow drill fire. Giving gratitude for the fire in advance worked for me, which is when I actually made my first fire. Several years later now, I know that I can go out into the woods and build a fire from scratch...because I have done it several times over a span of about 5 years, summer and winter, rain and shine. I've also failed a whole lot of times in the process. That's how I learned what worked, and what didn't. Finding dry wood and tinder, even after the rain, is possible. You're right...humidity and rain DEFINITELY complicate things, but not impossible. What I look for now is cedar and/or cottonwood. I find thick, dry cedar branches, even attached to the base of the tree, to make my hearth board, and carve down the sides to the center wood. And similarly, find straight branches from the same tree. Or, I've sometimes found cottonwood in some areas close by for the spindle. Cedar has worked the most constantly, for me anyway. For dry tinder in wet conditions, I've used thin, inner shavings from the larger branch, and the tree sap from spruce or pine. Bark from the cedars, when dry, works very well. I learned from my Navajo brother-in-law, the natives call the cedar bark by a word I can maybe translate pronounced agii, or ah-jeh. I have no clue how they actually spell the word, but the bark works. Many factors, like the shape...width...& depth of the V cut, the right amount of pressure to make brown dust instead of black dust, or no dust. Start slow and steady to allow the wood and friction to do all the hard work of creating enough heat, so I don't exhaust myself. Full strokes of the length of the bow. Many minute factors go into it, but can make a huge difference in my results. That said...I have gone into the woods with a machete and a length of 550 paracord, gathered my raw materials, and made fire using the bow drill...several times over a span of several years now...just to see if I could do it. I do now carry in my pack, those materials, like you say the experts do. Maybe I am an expert, but I don't claim to be, because I still learn new things from time to time to improve. Thanks again Dave. All the best!
Alan Kidd Sounds like you enjoy Bow Drill as much as I do. Thanks!
Thank you, David! You're the first person that I've learned how to make the fire roll from cotton balls and ashes. I saw that on another video you did. Going to do that soon too. The first time I made a fire with the bow drill, I was so excited. When I was able to repeat that, even better! My annoyed wife didn't share my enthusiasm, haha. She kept wondering why I just don't go use matches. That just wouldn't be as much fun, LOL
I grew up camping,Backpacking and hiking. I would make my own bow fire starter when I would go camping and start fires right out in nature. As long as you know how to do it and what you're looking for it can be done.
Best video on this by far
These are hard earned skills and it was discouraging no matter what videos I watched. Still is. I’ve failed in my few attempts to do an on the spot fire video but have produced several off camera. It’s so rewarding to go out with just a knife or even nothing and end up with a fire. Practice is perfect. Knowing materials, conditions, and having confidence (tho I made an ember today in the rain and have failed on bone dry days...shrug). Your videos helped me a lot on my journey. Good stuff.
Thanks Chris!
Hooray.!! the voice of reason.
Thanks for cluing me in on the moisture factor. I know not to try the friction technique in humid conditions and wasting time and precious energy in a survival situation.
The funny thing about it is i'm a fine wood worker. Countertops. If not sealed properley will warp with changes in humidity
Appreciate your honesty and wisdom.
Your honestsy is refreshing and you learn me new skills . Best Wishes from Lars-Erik from Stockholm Sweden.
Like most any skill, it takes some time to master it. And so if success doesn't come just keep at it. Those who get experienced can make it look easy without half trying.
Perfect and on point my friend 👍👍👍👍
Thanks 👍
100%, I did a video last week where I show me trying to do something simple like feather sticks for first time as a complete beginner to that technique and I failed. Its harder than it looks on UA-cam, you have to practice these skills.
Thanks dog Dad!
Btw I loved your down to earth approach and the good vid you made
Glad I caught it tho so I never miss new videos
that privet is awesome stuff, I've known it to work right after a big rain, still dripping wet.
It's got to be one of the best bow drill materials around!
I agree that many people inadvertently or on purpose leave information out, for example videos showing how to use the fire piston leave a very important step out that I have not run across in a video yet. When using a fire piston it is very effective to purge the oxygen-depleted air out of the piston before the next compression, if you simply take a dowel that Loosely fits into the piston and slided in and back out a couple of times you will have fresh oxygen rich air in the Piston again which dramatically increases the success of ignition during the subsequent compressions.
IDK. Are you not creating a vacuum when you start removing the piston? What fills that vacuum?
Each compression that successfully creates a combustion, burns the oxygen. There might be a slight vacuum when U-Pull the Piston out past three quarters of the way or so, but that is not enough to replace the current space in the cylinder with fresh air and oxygen. If you have a fire piston give it a try you will actually see the smoke from the combustion Purge out of the cylinder when you slide something like a dowel into the cylinder, then as the dowel is pulled out it draws new fresh air and oxygen into the cylinder. Another way to think about it is for the same reason an engine diesel or gas has intake and exhaust valves, oxygen is a key component to any combustion.
I see the point you're making. I have no FP because they do not interest me. I wonder how you can say that all the usable oxygen is used up? and why the vacuum created and filled doesn't have sufficient oxygen for next plunge? I guess your experiments with the FP indicate that. There's plenty of FP videos and channels out there. Wonder what they think?
Thank for you hard work making these videos have learnt a lot from watching them
Excellent information and demonstration! Thank you sir!
Thanks Kevin.
That technique works and the military seem to work just fine as I was taught while in the Air Force. It was so long since I had that training until I forgot and now I know and will be trying it again.
thanks for that i have learnt another peice of the puzzle maybe now i will be succesful with a bowdrill
Your success will come a lot quicker if you checkout all the "How To" videos in my Bow Drill playlist.
Good job...now I want to try it
Thanks David, was a pleasure to watch, and very informative.
Thanks!!!
Very cool, ty
excellent tip
Thank you!
@@DavidWestBgood2ppl - I do agree that a lot of others do not actually tell you the best tips - whether intentional or not. I know the banks are involved in most of them in one way or another... (corporate sponsors...)
Thank you so much Dave I've learned so much from your videos and when I tried what I've seen in other folks videos it never quite worked out for me but every single thing I've tried from your videos has absolutely worked like a charm ❤❤❤ please by absolutely all means never stop making these extremely helpful and legit working videos for us
LOL! LOVE! this stuff!
Awesome, thanks for the tips!
Not sure what I'm doing wrong... I live in an arid climate and it's the end of summer. Moisture and humidity clearly not an issue. I have tried three or four types of spindle material and they are usually harder wood than I'd like coming from shrubbery and tree branches, but softwood spindle material seems unavailable. Hearthwood has been very soft to the point where my pressure is breaking it, and I've also tried lumber scraps that have been dry for a really long time. Fencposts material split down, too.
I've also put the hearthwood on my workbench and used a power drill on the spindle. I've cut notches a few different ways, and I've pre-drilled the spindle seat into the hearthwood a few different depths. The spindle diameters are about 1/2 inch.
No matter what... I've only polished the wood pieces. Only once did I get a whiff of smoke, then my spindle broke because I applied too much pressure.
What the heck am I missing here? It never gets hot enough to hurt by touch, and I can never seem to build up any dust. All I get is worn out hands and polished spindle tip and a hearthwood that is vaguely turning brown.
What do I need to reconsider in my process?
Find a stalk type weed from your area. Search UA-cam for Hand drill videos using that stalk... and you should have better results from your soft dry fire boards!
I've also been unsuccessful. I wish the experts would go a little further and say outright that unless conditions and materials are almost ideal we are wasting our time even trying. Suppose it rained last night? Or maybe it been foggy, and threatening rain?
Excellent instruction...thank you.
Thank you Dan!
Another great demo. Thanks! I know what you mean about knowing what works in your area. I have bushes/trees in my yard that make great bow drills, though I have no idea what kind of bush/tree it is. I cut several limbs off of it and take the bark off, then let them dry a few days. Once dry they work great. Cedar is another wood I like and I know what it is. Thanks again.
Thanks david ..for your tips and trick im from indonesia
I'm glad you watched and then said hello! Thank you!
David, The more you know and practice - the easier it is.
True.Thanks!
I learned some things from you. The square point notch - mine was narrower. The wave technique - I was just blowing. The narrow spindle and privet on privet. It is strange though. I got a coal in the rain - then failed on a seemingly dryer day. More humid possibly? I am using a simple stone bearing and waxing the top of the spindle to reduce friction. I am using a twisted cord but I notice you are not. To be honest I run out of energy pretty soon. So after 4 or 5 attempts I'm done. Seems like timber dryness is everything in this game.
Privet on Privet are the easiest bow drill materials you can use in SC. I’ve made them produce while still green. It took 25 minutes of bowing.
Well Done
The truth is always the best way
Thanks
Yours Frank
David thanks for the video. I agree all the factors you mentioned attribute to a better chance of creating friction fire. The thing is people need to go out and try for themseveles in a safe setting or recreated situation. Knowledge may be gained from reading or watching videos but unless practiced it cannot turn into experience. Morale and perseverance mixed with experience and preparation gives you a good chance of living though a true survival situation.
Greater skills in primitive fire-making reveals its unreliability. Always carry a Bic, ferro rod, and wallet fresnel lens.
glad you're doing a reality check. I think most youtube instructors are not thinking so much about people getting false ideas about how "easy" it is to start a fire...but rather just showing how. I agree a serious problem with that is many many people take it literally. It doesn't occur to them, even when TOLD that they need to practice a LOT, much more than they may want or have time for. Some people, probably more urban aren't used to any kind of fire, including woodstove heating and don't realize the importance of dry and fine tinder etc and the perfect conditions used for a demonstration vs the reality of needing a survival fire under adverse conditions. Thanks for bringing it up and hopefully people won't be so likely to go unprepared thinking they can just whip up a fire because they remember how "the guy" did it. When I was in a hospital a while back, I watched that show "Naked and Afraid" for the first time. A repeating theme was failure to make a fire after several days. Green and wet wood, inexperience. They had 6 weeks of "study" and apparently didn't study the corresponding fire methods for the area they were placed in..... imagine if there was no TV crew to rescue them.
Survival Shows... Don't get me started... I guess I shouldn't say anything because I only practice off a table in my backyard under ideal conditions but... How can a contestant that is a survival instructor only know hand drill but not bow drill? The first thing he does is severely blister his hands with the Hand Drill and need to bow drill? How are so many people FINALLY getting fire but not using that as an opportunity to dry out and keep dried out tinder, char, ashed tinder, etc. for when the rains come and put their fires out? I watched a behind the scenes clip of the Show's survival guy showing the contestants how to bow drill. The lady didn't even have her wrist anchored to her shin, it was stuck out about 10", unsupported, YET, he was encouraging her to "keep bowing you almost have it." With all the great ferro rod tutorials on UA-cam, why do contestants so consistently struggle with the technique?... I don't understand.
You made me laugh so hard I almost peed my pants. You said everything I was thinking but much nicer. The other thing is they always have such nice tools with them. Let some one drop them off in an area they don't know with nothing but the clothes on their back and survive . That might impress me.
Thank you for sharing it.
I usually am able to collect some good pine needles by the side of the road when cars run them over and smash it.
Yes! I like and use preprocessed Pine Needles too.
Well done for being straight up, nice to see :-)
Thank you!
best fireboards I've used were dried driftwood, kinda punky and you could easily dig into it with a fingernail.
Stambo In the wild I agree. That amount of decay makes great hand and bow drill fire boards. Thanks!
same tecnique as Ray Mears hes honest about it also
I learned from Ray some 29 years ago.
Can still get out there and do it. Both parts dead sycamore wood.
Thank you sir. It's appreciative to hear these things., I have been watching your videos a long time. I really enjoy them, you have to be the friction fire king! I still can't get a cotton
ball fire going
Check out the tutorials in my fire roll playlist.
Love the pocket knife ( I got one after seeing your video on it ) it make for an excellent budget carving knife too. As for the bow drill friction fire I am going to be attempting my first this weekend and have started putting the pieces together, I am certain I will fail to begin with so I will use the library of knowledge on your channel to help me put the odds back in my favour. Kind regards.
Good luck.
Are you going to use a bearing in the knob piece as well?
Fantastic job as usual David, thanks mate for all the great tips!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good video. I just made a video of failed attempts at bow drill fire in the Everglades. I wanted to get an ember, but just couldn't....wet material, wet everything. With experience it is easy with great material and optimal conditions.....but that won't always be the circumstances we are in when needing to make fire.
Maybe I should have brought some dried material from home like some other channels! :-)
EDC a BIC, wallet fresnel lens, and keychain ferro rod. You can't depend on even the artificially dry materials like I use in most of my videos to make fire. You wouldn't believe how much that bit of advice offends people.
Good advice offends many people! Especially if it doesn't fall into their narrow view of how it should be.
I appreciated your hard work sir, and for sharing with us the real deal, I have an mc2 compass and tried for an hour straight , and was seeing a white dot for a day lol ... sunglasses next time, after seeing your other video.. and patience and hard work . Great videos , really helps a green horn like myself.. thank you for all your time
Thanks Dan!
THANKYOU ! ...exactly ... materials materials materials.......
David you are the Best teacher ! I hope to have fire soon thanks.
im curious, if you were stranded on a desert island, which method would you go with, whats the overall easiest. spindle, bow, plow, or fire thong?
The easiest friction fire is fire roll, then bamboo fire saw, then bow drill, then hand drill.
@@DavidWestBgood2ppl awesome okay I'll look into those, I never heard of fire roll!
I notice you kits are smaller than alot of folks. I like your procedure.
finally an honest bow fire vid awesom stuff sir
Great video
Thank you.
I'm moving to the tropical forest land on the equator in 2 months, where I'll be building my off grid cabin.
I guess that's how I landed on your useful video, and I hope I'll be able to start fire there. it worries me now that you mentioned the humidity and the du point several times, and my land is bombarded by the tons of daily heavy rain water, and the ambient temperature is 40C most of the time, only at night it drops to 16C, so I guess my chances to start a fire would be higher in the morning or at night.
Move to Upstate SC.
@@DavidWestBgood2ppl I'm from Poland and I've been living in South East Asia for 20 years.
in 2 months I'm moving to my jungle land to cut off from the civilization.
Spreading knowledge. Good on you!
Another video on the subject seemed to say that a particular wood doesn't matter, as long as it's quite dry and you can put a mark into it by pushing with your thumbnail. If it's too hard to take a mark easily, then look for something else. Sounded like a good tip, since it doesn't leave you tied to looking for something that would be specific to a particular environment.
True. TY!
Awesome! Thanks for keeping it real!
Thanks
Thanks boss, and Godspeed . Just subscribed to see your future and past videos.
Its been storming and ive been trying to bow drill. Inside tho. Seemsikecso much smoke but no flame. Or ember. Fir on fir and maple or oak on fir. Will keep trying different fireboards and spindles
Moisture in the air is enough to keep embers from igniting. See my how to videos, Pine on Pine, Maple on Maple, and Oak on Oak videos in my bow drill playlist.