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HomeSurvivalFireBowdrill

Bow Drill Pictures & Movies

Techniques, tips, photos, and general information


Photo and equipment by Anthonio Akkermans

Picture of fireboards (top), drills (middle) and handholds (bottom) used in making fire with the bow drill method.


Photo and equipment by Allan "Bow" Beauchamp

Hi,

Many people speak of fires with a fire board! How about making your own twisted string and doing it now! Can you? Lets see the pics people!

--Allan "Bow" Beauchamp

 

 
Here is a series of five movies showing a bow drill being used to make fire

These are from the Wildwood Trackers meeting in June 2002. Rob Bicevskis is demonstrating the bow drill.

  
Click on the small photos to watch the movies

1. Just getting started

2. Lots of smoke pouring out from the fireboard 3. A coal sitting in the notch, smoking
Windows Media format (WMV)
320x240, 453 KB
Windows Media format (WMV)
320x240, 639 KB
Windows Media format (WMV)
320x240, 812 KB
4. Transferring the coal to the tinder bundle and starting to blow it into flame 5. Blowing the coal and tinder bundle into flame
Windows Media format (WMV)
320x240, 748 KB
Windows Media format (WMV)
320x240, 927 KB
 

 
Co-operative bow drill

It can get pretty tiring cranking the bow drill by yourself. Having a friend help to crank the bow while at the same time providing additional downward pressure on the drill handhold can be an enormous help.

Click on the small photo to watch the movie

Windows Media format (WMV)
320x240, 153 KB

 

 


Photo by Allan "Bow" Beauchamp

Easy enough for children!

Here is Allan "Bow" Beauchamp's son, Nicolas, getting lessons in using the bowdrill. 

This illustrates that children of pretty well any age can learn to make fire using this method.