View Full Version : Bow Drilling???
The Phoenix
03-31-2009, 23:35
Would it be a total waste of time and space to take out a decent set to use on the trail?? Just looking for opinions? Anyone ever done it on the trail... good experience... pointless?? Lemme know:-?
Thank you
The Phoenix
Wise Old Owl
03-31-2009, 23:46
Uhhh Why? Study the skill, burn something worthwhile-in the backyard.
Take a micro bic with you on the trail.
I am not kidding or going to put a happy face on this one - just learn the skill - you don't take the stuff with you.
Might be a handy skill to have. Couldn't hurt to practice. If you ever need the skill you could probably find what you need in what you are carrying. Do they make special sets? If you are going to the trouble of carrying extra stuff then just carry a couple extra lighters. They probably weigh less anyway/
Uhhh Why? Study the skill, burn something worthwhile-in the backyard.
Take a micro bic with you on the trail.
I am not kidding or going to put a happy face on this one - just learn the skill - you don't take the stuff with you.
Don't take it with you? Then why even bother to learn? Trails are exactly the place for that.
I'm not saying don't take a backup, but if it's something he wants to do and get good at then what's the problem? He's carrying it.
In closing, take it with you. If anything, your backyard is the place for your bic.
Mr. Parkay
04-01-2009, 01:05
I've never seen a bow drill on the trail... but it might be cool to have and experiment with. It's like an anti-luxury item!
Would it be a total waste of time and space to take out a decent set to use on the trail?? Just looking for opinions? Anyone ever done it on the trail... good experience... pointless?? Lemme know:-?
Thank you
The Phoenix
drastic_quench
04-01-2009, 01:13
Some of you likely know this, but one big key to starting a fire with a bow drill is having a notch cut in your board/plank right next to your drillhole. The notch collects the little sawdust your drilling creates and gets an ember going much more effectively.
irrationalsolutions
04-01-2009, 01:39
i agree not to take it. learn the skill and take the cord with you if you want. half the skill is being able to find the stuff to do it. and yes the trail is the place for it.
fiddlehead
04-01-2009, 06:23
Go for it. I learned at an ALDHA gathering and did it a few times to make sure i still could.
Helps give me confidence out there.
The more skills you can have, the better.
Lone Wolf
04-01-2009, 07:09
Would it be a total waste of time and space to take out a decent set to use on the trail?? Just looking for opinions? Anyone ever done it on the trail... good experience... pointless?? Lemme know:-?
Thank you
The Phoenix
pointless. Bic lighter is all you need.
pointless. Bic lighter is all you need.
Or he could be working on his woodsmanshipcraft or whatever you want to call it as a hobby.
You can buy trout at the store but some people like to catch them.
Lone Wolf
04-01-2009, 07:26
ain't to hard to catch stocked trout.
ain't to hard to catch stocked trout.
It's hard to fight the crowd though
Tipi Walter
04-01-2009, 07:49
pointless. Bic lighter is all you need.
Yeah, just take a Bic. Or if you're really macho, forego the bow drill and use the hand drill. Or how about skinning your own hides and brain-tanning leggings, moccasins, and a shirt? Three rabbit hide-furs and you'll have a fine winter hat. I like this idea: avoid hiking on the actual treadway of the AT and instead flank off it about 100 feet so you can do the 2000 miles in bushwacking mode. Tone up your backcountry-woodsmen chops. Eschew nylon and take a pack basket for gear(the one with the tumpline). There are so many opportunities to research the roots of backpacking, not just in firemaking.
Lone Wolf
04-01-2009, 08:10
whatever. a bow drill ain't practical on the AT like a horse and buggy ain't on I 95. he asked a question, i answered it
warraghiyagey
04-01-2009, 08:10
agreed. . .
sheepdog
04-01-2009, 08:42
flint and steel is more fun.
JaxHiker
04-01-2009, 09:10
I love how people seem inclined to knock others that want to learn new skills. :rolleyes:
sherrill
04-01-2009, 09:18
I've used one many times, but personally, if I was doing a long distance hike I wouldn't carry one. Most times at the end of the day I didn't feel like making a fire.
Lone Wolf
04-01-2009, 09:20
I love how people seem inclined to knock others that want to learn new skills. :rolleyes:
no where did he say he wanted to learn a skill
It can't hurt to have that in your repertoire, we have been out of the stone age for quite some time now though.
I dated someone who worked with delinquent kids and one of their challenges was to make a drill set out in the woods and make a fire with it. She gave me a drill set and I was successful at starting a fire with it. It's a technique you have to master, but very satisfying to accomplish. I thin k it may be a bit of a chore to rely on it full time. Quite a novel thing to share with other hikers though. The drill itself nested in a block of wood and there was a small stone at the top to capture the drill at top. I am not too fond of carrying a rock in my pack. You also need the proper starting pile to capture the ember and ignight the flame. This you can source from certain vines, bark, etc. Anyway, to answer it would be a stretch to use it as a primary fire starting source not to mention arriving at camp on a rainy day cold in need of something hot to eat/drink and then having to try to make the bow set work.
slowandlow
04-01-2009, 10:02
I watched a guy using a bow drill try (unsuccessfully) to start a fire for about 2 hours at the Hogback ridge shelter. Bring it if you finish hiking early in the day and need a good time-killer.
UnkaJesse
04-01-2009, 10:21
Absolutely take the bow drill setup. You could use it to light you canister stove.
The Phoenix
04-01-2009, 10:36
delinquent kids
:banana once upon a time.
Dances with Mice
04-01-2009, 11:56
Tha Wookie carried one on his west coast trek. I know he used it some, don't know if it was his primary fire source or not. He was fond of it.
He describes it here (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=74572)but be warned that his writing style is as flowery as the Augusta National Golf Course in spring.
Hikes with a stick
04-01-2009, 12:31
Instead of taking the whole kit with you, just take a spare bootlace. Then on your hike be on the lookout for the other pieces. That way you will have fun looking for an making the kit while hiking.
One word of caution, is that the squeaking noise that is made while using a bowdrill can be aggravating to others who think you are nuts for trying to start a fire this way. Its best to rely on easier and quicker ways to start fires in the company of others, and to save the bowdrill for special occasions or demonstrations.
JaxHiker
04-01-2009, 14:06
no where did he say he wanted to learn a skill
Well excuuu-uuuu-uuuse me.
What's "practical" for one person may not be practical for another. Using a bow drill is an outdoor skill. Why wouldn't you want to practice such a skill while your enjoying outdoors?
Sure you can start a fire quicker with your Bic but will you have the same feeling of accomplishment. Perhaps you're just content with the status quo.
Trailbender
04-02-2009, 21:36
I want to learn this as well, I carry a Bic, but I also carry a firesteel. Bics can fail.
depends on your relatives.
It can't hurt to have that in your repertoire, we have been out of the stone age for quite some time now though.
Sorry,:)
depends on your family.
try dried yucca flower stalks
MedicineMan
04-02-2009, 22:52
why carry anything but the cord? that's the beauty of a skill learned it weighs nothing-get the spindle/board from the environment...not directed to the original poster but you know you own the bow drill when you can get your cordage from the environment.
its just for fun ,take some good para-cord and a reliable knife,the rest: bow-spindle-fireboard and top hand board, you find on the trail, and if is raining and you are in a shelter...you can have good fun with that,
-the hand drill fire... first try it home and be ready for some sore hands the next day ,im not an expert ,tried it and got smoked many times :D but was to lazy to persevere to get the coal and make the fire
-look here http://www.bushcraftusa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=700 and look at the downloads: E-books galore they are free:welcome
MedicineMan
04-02-2009, 23:43
bow drill is hard on the AT, in the east in general...really dry wood is sometimes a challenge to find. that bushcraft knife can help you get into the heartwood where it will be dry....I'm with wolf on this one, carry a mini-bic too or at least a firesteel, and if you look around the net you'll find a firesteel that weighs 1/10 ounce 2 inches long
Sorry,:)
depends on your family.
try dried yucca flower stalks
Good choice out west. Yucca on Yucca
Take it with you on the trail and practice before you leave.
OldStormcrow
04-03-2009, 09:42
You will not find anything in nature that is very easy to use as a bow drill, but you can take stuff from home that will work, like the wooden rod on a suit clothes hanger. It is usually hard maple and stays very straight. I guess it would be fun and a good converstaion starter, but very labor intensive for daily use. A small plastic magnifying glass is much lighter and much more efficient at starting fires, but is difficult to use as the shadows get longer at the end of the day.
Do it for fun and entertainment if you want, but there's a reason we invented matches and bics!
neighbor dave
04-03-2009, 10:17
:-? perhaps bow drilling would compliment pink blazing down the trail with an animal skin on and a club in your hand???;)
fiddlehead
04-03-2009, 10:35
Perhaps people are forgetting that sometimes folks get caught unawares and ill-prepared in situations where you don't have your gear. (or anything)
It happened to me once although i had a day pack which had a lighter so i could easily start a fire. Without one, it would've been a trying situation for sure.
Making fun of people who are trying to round out hiking skills may be your way of showing that you are smarter than them. But, i'll go with the guy trying to learn the art of bow-drilling.
Wise Old Owl
04-04-2009, 07:00
Yeah, just take a Bic. Or if you're really macho, forego the bow drill and use the hand drill. Or how about skinning your own hides and brain-tanning leggings, moccasins, and a shirt? Three rabbit hide-furs and you'll have a fine winter hat. I like this idea: avoid hiking on the actual treadway of the AT and instead flank off it about 100 feet so you can do the 2000 miles in bushwacking mode. Tone up your backcountry-woodsmen chops. Eschew nylon and take a pack basket for gear(the one with the tumpline). There are so many opportunities to research the roots of backpacking, not just in firemaking.
I agree with Tipi - Don't forget the Buck Wagon, here what that looks like...............
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/2008Derek159.jpg
And no we arn't making fun. It just isn't practical for the trail. A good knife and "knowing the skill" and a spare boot lace in a pinch if you can't find a bic is an important issue. And to think you can go out on the trail without practicing in the backyard doesn't make much sense either... Zoidfu.
While we are discussing this - I accidentally ran across this - How about going Egyptian?
http://www.woodcraftwanderings.org/public/0001/pictures/image1_20.jpg
Old Hillwalker
04-04-2009, 08:04
I agree with Tipi - Don't forget the Buck Wagon, here what that looks like...............
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg275/MarkSwarbrick/2008Derek159.jpg
And no we arn't making fun. It just isn't practical for the trail. A good knife and "knowing the skill" and a spare boot lace in a pinch if you can't find a bic is an important issue. And to think you can go out on the trail without practicing in the backyard doesn't make much sense either... Zoidfu.
While we are discussing this - I accidentally ran across this - How about going Egyptian?
Unless I'm mistaken isn't that MS's typical campsite on his first thru;););)
Tha Wookie
06-16-2010, 01:04
Absolutely bring the bow drill set!
You might need it when your hand drill isn't working!
Trailbender
06-16-2010, 05:36
Yeah, I finally learned this skill. Anyways, I carry a military magnesium firestarting tool, it is just the rectangle with a firesteel rod on it. I practiced with it for a long time. I remember in the Smokies someone kind of mocked my survival skills, saying how they weren't needed. That night, when it had been snowing and raining for 2 days, and was a little below 30, I got a fire going in the shelter fireplace. As the shelter warmed up, I couldn't help but wonder that no one there was mocking my skills anymore.
I built one in the Shenandoahs as well, after 3 days of solid rain, using only natural materials and my magnesium bar. The point is, no matter what fancy gear you have, basic survival skills are a must if you are going to spend any time in the woods.
Trailbender
06-16-2010, 05:38
Since it won't let me edit, I forgot to mention that it took about 30 hours of practice to get the bowdrill technique down to where I could get a coal everytime in about 20 seconds. It took a lot of energy learning as well. It is definitely something you do not want to be doing in a survival situation for the first time.
You shouldn't have to take it with you, or even practice in the backyard before you go. Part of the skill is in being able to make on. Part of the skill is also learning as you go.
bloodmountainman
06-16-2010, 06:30
One week on the trail and your bow drill set will become firewood.
Sure take it, you'll have plenty of time to try it out. I wouldn't recommend it as your primary source of fire though. I've used a bow drill to start a fire but it isn't easy. Lots of work and if it's the slightest bit damp you'll have a problem getting a coal. A flint and steel would be easier, more reliable and requires less skill. With either method it's best to carry char cloth and tow which is a fine fiber created from flax or hemp.
Would it be a total waste of time and space to take out a decent set to use on the trail?? Just looking for opinions? Anyone ever done it on the trail... good experience... pointless?? Lemme know:-?
Thank you
The Phoenix
It's not a waste of time. It's for your enjoyment. You're going out there to have fun....enjoy!!!!:)
Good choice out west. Yucca on Yucca
Take it with you on the trail and practice before you leave.
Yucca filimentosa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_filamentosa) is pretty common in the east as an ornamental, around old farm houses and fields. A tenacious plant. Not apt to see it on the AT except around trial towns. Does work very well as spindle and base. Also very light weight.