Bow Drill Fire: How I Actually Do It In The Woods

Chris Speir
Nov 7
4 min read

Making a bow drill

How to make a bow drill fire

When most people picture starting a fire with natural materials, they imagine rubbing two sticks together. That is the image we have all seen in movies. In truth, what they are thinking of is the bow drill, one of the oldest and most reliable ways to start a fire with nothing but wood, cordage, and patience.

If you know how to put a set together, and you are willing to practice, you can start a friction fire in just a few minutes. It is not easy, but it is real. I have filmed both my failures and my success. I was exhausted after my first one, but that is how you learn.

This is the step-by-step method straight from the field notes in Primitive Camping and Bushcraft.

What Makes Up a Bow Drill

A bow drill has four parts • The hearth board • The spindle or drill • The bearing block • The bow

The hearth board and spindle should be made from the same type of softwood. The bearing block can be hardwood or fatwood, and the bow can be any strong stick.

Selecting the Right Wood

Here is a simple rule of thumb. Scrape some bark off a stick and press your thumbnail into the wood. If it leaves a deep dent, it is softwood and will work for your board and spindle. If it only makes a light mark, that is hardwood and works better for the bearing block.

I prefer standing dead wood over fallen branches. Fallen wood often rots fast, but standing dead stays dry and durable.

Cut a branch about two inches thick and as long as your arm from elbow to fingertips. Split it using your knife and a mallet. This is called batoning. You will make a somewhat flat board about one inch thick. Shave both sides flat until it looks like a small piece of lumber.

Making the Spindle

Use a branch from the same tree you cut for your hearth board. It should be about the diameter of your thumb and roughly eight inches long, about the distance from your pinky to your thumb when your hand is spread.

Shave off all bark and knots. Round one end like an eraser and sharpen the other like a pencil point. That gives you the two ends, the drill end and the socket end.

Making the Bow

Pick a green stick about as thick as your thumb and about three feet long, roughly one arm’s length. I like a natural curve, so I usually use Chinese privet, which grows everywhere here in south Mississippi and naturally bends like a bow. Use tarred bank line or paracord for the bowstring. Cut a one inch slit on both ends of your bow with your saw. Tie an overhand knot at one end of the cord and slide it into the slit. Pull the cord snug, make another knot on the opposite end, and seat it in the other slit. When you let the tension go, it should be just tight enough to grip the spindle when wrapped once around.

Making the Bearing Block

The bearing block is the simplest piece. Use green hardwood, resinous fatwood, or even a rock or metal with a small divot. Some knife handles and modern fire steels even have this socket built in. Split your small piece of wood and carve a small divot near the center, not all the way through. It should fit comfortably in your hand, about as wide as your palm.

Preparing the Hearth Board

Place your spindle where you want the socket and twist it a few times to leave a mark. The socket should sit about half to three quarters of an inch from the edge. Cut a shallow divot where you made the mark, just enough for the spindle to seat.

Wrap the spindle once in the bowstring, hold the bearing block on top, and start moving the bow back and forth while applying light downward pressure. You are burning in the socket, mating the spindle to the board. Keep going until you see smoke.

Cutting the V Notch

Now that you have burned in your socket, take your knife or a small saw and cut a notch in the shape of a V from the edge of the board to about one eighth of an inch into the socket. Flip the board and angle the bottom of the notch so air can reach the ember.

Place a large leaf or piece of bark under the notch to catch dust. This is called your coal catch.

Making the Ember

Set up again just like before. One foot holds the board steady. Keep your bow level and your bearing block hand braced against your shin for control. Start slow and steady to fill the notch with dark brown dust. Once the notch is full, increase your speed and add gentle pressure. The goal is to generate heat through friction, not brute force.

When you see steady smoke pouring from the dust pile, stop. You have done it.

Transferring the Ember

Tilt the board and tap the glowing ember onto your coal catch. It should be a small, smoking clump of dust glowing orange. Transfer that ember into your tinder bundle carefully. Blow slow and steady. More smoke means more oxygen. As the coal grows hotter, blow a little harder until it bursts into flame.

Take your time. You only get one good ember after that much effort.

Lessons From the Field

A bow drill teaches patience. It also teaches humility. Some days the humidity in south Mississippi can sit at ninety eight percent, and even a perfect bow drill will not light for hours. That is part of the process.

Practice with different woods, different cords, and in different weather. The goal is not just to start a fire, it is to know how the woods around you behave.

Want to Go Deeper

This full process, including photos, alternative methods like the shotgun shell bow drill, and field notes from years in the pine woods, is outlined step by step in my book Primitive Camping and Bushcraft.

I mentioned at first that I filmed my failures and my success, so... here is my failure on video and ultimately my success.