Fire Making With a Bow Drill – Part 1 – Making a Bow Drill

Making a Bow Drill

The Parts

Spindle

• Thumb to pinky in length
• STRAIGHT!
• Any knots should be in the middle of the spindle
• Thumb in diameter if using a string bow, thicker if using cordage
• Pointed on the top end, that fits into the handhold

Fireboard

• Flat on bottom
• 2 spindle diameters wide
• Foot long
• 1 spindle diameter thick

To determine good wood for the spindle and fireboard, use the thumbnail test

• If no print appears, the wood is too hard
• If the wood is crushed by the thumbnail, the wood is too soft
• The ideal is a clean thumbnail print

The Notch

• The crucial component of the fireboard
• Dig out a shallow cone a pinky width away from the edge of the fireboard, then burn in the starter hole with the bow and spindle
• Cut a notch 1/8 of the spindle hole into the edge of the fireboard
• Don’t cut the notch all the way to the center of the hole
• The notch must be smooth and straight

Bow

• Bow should be finger to armpit in length
• Slightly curved
• Bow should be rigid if using string, shorter and more flexible if using cordage

Handhold

• Large enough to keep hand away from hole
• Harder wood than spindle
• Make the spindle hole deep enough to avoid “ball and socket” motion – should not wobble

See Fire Making With a Bow Drill – Part 2 – Using the Bow Drill for Bow Drill usage methods, and Tinder for information on fire starting materials.