Guide · Fire

Making fire with a bow drill

The bow drill makes fire using friction. It's hard work and takes practice, but it needs only wood, a cord and some patience. Learn it before you need it — it is very difficult to do for the first time in an emergency.

The parts

• Hearth board: a flat piece of dry softwood, about 2 centimetres (an inch) thick and as wide as two spindles.
• Spindle: a straight, dry stick about the thickness of your thumb and 20 to 25 centimetres (8 to 10 inches) long. Round one end and make the other more pointed.
• Bow: a slightly curved, strong stick about the length of your arm, with a cord tied loosely from end to end. A bootlace or paracord works.
• Handhold: a piece of hardwood or a stone with a small dip in it, to press down on top of the spindle.
• Ember pan: a piece of bark or a leaf to catch the ember.
• Tinder bundle: a nest of very fine, dry material, ready before you begin.

Choosing wood

Use dead, dry, light wood that you can dent with a thumbnail. Willow, lime (basswood), poplar, aspen, cedar, hazel and sycamore are commonly used. Spindle and hearth work best from the same wood or similar. Avoid resinous or very hard wood, and anything damp or rotten.

How to do it

1. Make a starter hole. Cut a small dip near the edge of the hearth board.
2. Twist the spindle into the bow cord once, so the cord wraps around it. It should be tight enough not to slip.
3. Set up. Kneel on one knee, with your other foot holding the hearth board firmly. Put the pointed end of the spindle in the handhold and the rounded end in the dip.
4. Burn in the hole. Saw the bow back and forth with long, steady strokes, pressing down gently, until the dip is blackened and roughly the width of the spindle.
5. Cut a notch. Carve a V-shaped notch from the edge of the board into the centre of the burnt hole, about an eighth of the circle, like a slice of pie. Place the ember pan under the notch.
6. Drill for the ember. Use long, smooth strokes using the whole length of the bow. Gradually speed up and press down harder. Keep your wrist braced against your shin to hold the spindle steady.
7. Watch the notch. It will fill with dark brown dust. Keep going until there's thick smoke, then give 10 to 20 more strong strokes.
8. Check for an ember. Lift the spindle away carefully. If the dust keeps smoking on its own, you have an ember.

Turning an ember into flame

1. Let the ember sit for a few seconds to strengthen. You can fan it gently.
2. Tip it carefully into the centre of your tinder bundle.
3. Fold the tinder loosely around it and blow gently and steadily.
4. When it bursts into flame, place it under your prepared kindling straight away.

Common problems

• The spindle keeps flipping out: hold your wrist firmly against your leg and keep the bow level.
• Smoke but no ember: the wood may be damp, the notch too small, or you need more speed and pressure.
• The spindle squeaks or polishes: roughen the end, or add a pinch of grit to the hole.

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