Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
You can use many different materials for the bearing block. The main requirements are that the
materials be hard and slippery. A one-ounce shot glass, a smooth stone with a depression, a
chunk of bone, a knot of resinous softwood, or a knot of hardwood works well. Make a shallow
hole in the bearing block to capture the end of the drill. If it's made of wood, a little ChapStick,
some Crisco, or animal fat will help to lubricate the bearing block. Make sure you don't con-
taminate the fireboard end of your drill with the lubricant.
Tinder
Almost any dry, fibrous material will work for tinder. The inner bark of cedar is great, and cot-
tonwood works well, as do many dried grasses. Roll these around between your fingers until
they are shredded fine like a cotton ball. Make a small bird's nest out of your tinder, with a de-
pression in the middle to catch the glowing ember. Set it to the side on a piece of bark, so you
can carry it when it bursts into flame without burning your hands. Make sure that you have
kindling and dry wood ready, too. Unlike matches, a second chance with a bow drill involves
considerable effort.
Procedure
Place a piece of bark under the fireboard notch to catch the ember and to insulate it from the
ground. Wrap the bowstring in a single full loop around the drill. Kneel down with one foot
firmly standing on top of the fireboard next to the V-notch. Get comfortable, because this will
probably take twenty minutes or more. Apply pressure with the bearing block, and start rotating
the drill with a full back-and-forth stroke of the bow. Very little will happen until the drill seats
itself into the cavity on the fireboard; at that point it will develop considerably more friction
and start to smolder. Once the spark inside the dust pile is clearly smoldering, relax and lift the
spark on its bark bed, dumping the spark into your bird's nest of tinder. Blow on the spark until
the tinder bursts into flame. Congratulations, you have made fire!
Starting a Fire with a Hand Drill
This is tough, but doable. Prepare the tinder, kindling, and fireboard as above. The fireboard
should be a little thinner, perhaps as thin as ¼ inch. The drill should be about ¼ inch in diamet-
er and about 30 inches long. Dried cattails are a favored drill material. Persistence, tough
hands, and lots of rapid drilling with steady downward pressure are the keys to success. Use the
full length of your hands and apply downward pressure as you spin the drill between your
hands (see
fig. 7-6
). Some people are able to flutter their hands up the drill, while maintaining
