i have been working at it for a while... i finally got it tonight... its a ceadr fireboard and cedar spindle...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVQzltzQlbs

it glowed for like 5 minutes

Nice job! I'd like to acquire that skill someday.

I tried that a few times, got no place and decided that a bic was the way to go.

2 forces come into play: the back+forth motion of your right arm and the downward pressure of your left. I saw an old NA trick: find a flat but heavy rock, prop up one end of it distally and proximally lay it on top of the rotating stick. With the right balance, you can use both hands to rotate the bow.
Or, you can strike a match.

I didn't see any coal or glow in the video.

Yup,nice try.You might want to try sycamore as it has given
me great results.

I have done the primitive fire thing,hand drill,bow drill,old fashioned flint
and real steel,new fangled flint and steel on magesium bar etc.Even carry
a credit card sized Fresnel lens in my wallet,you never know.....

Best bet is the Blast Match unless you want to use a real
match or a lighter.Dont discount the importance of carrying
a candle.They light real easy:D
Oldfivetango

I always wanted to learn how to do that. Did you get a flame? What tricks did you learn?

the coal is the black dust smoking.. at the end i accidently blew the coal off ontot the ground

The key is the notch.... no notch, no air, no coal.... Got notch= got fire....

Pan

Here is the one trick I know.
When you get the pile of dust formed,aka "goofers dust",you can
actually smell a difference in the aroma of the smoke when the coal
forms,at least I can anyway.

Once it forms a definite little plume of smoke will come off the pile.
Leave it alone for about 30 seconds or so and then gently wave your
hand back and forth a time or two and you will see it get a little molten
quality to the pile.Have a piece of bark etc under the fireboard for the
pile to rest on after it is formed.

You are now ready to transfer to the tinder pile,aka "birdsnest".
If it is getting on to evening or in case you want to cheat a little bit
then have a square of charcloth in the center of the birdsnest.Charcloth
is EASY to make btw.I use it anytime the air is getting damp as you really
do need the extra heat.

The cloth will get extremely hot and you can then blow it,the coal pile,
and the entire "birdsnest" until you get ignition.I like to wave my hat over
the whole apparatus at that point as you get more real oxygen to the
heat source.

I like to have some extra birdsnest already in postion under the pile
of sticks laid for the main fire because you are generally holding everything
in your hands when it bursts into flames and it can get real busy as you
try to rid yourself of the fire and direct it onto the campfire you have
laid.You need to have something to throw onto that will get the job done
if that makes sense.

Be careful as you can catch fire easier than you think.:D
Oldfivetango