---
title: "The Best Types of Wood and Tinder for Starting a Friction Fire"
description: "Few survival skills frustrate a person like bow and drill fire starting. After a couple of crushing failures, most people are ready to write off the method as unattainable. Or the other side of the spectrum prevails. People see bow and drill fire starting performed “easily” on television and assume it’s an easy skill to do, so they never even try it. They then walk around with a false sense of confidence, certain that they could do it “if they had to.” Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s not that easy. But neither is it unattainable, once you know the tricks."
date: "2016-06-07"
modified: "2016-06-07"
authors:
  - name: "Tim MacWelch"
    link: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/authors/tim-macwelch/"
url: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/survivalist/best-types-wood-and-tinder-starting-friction-fire/"
categories:
  - "Survival"
  - "Survival Skills"
---

# The Best Types of Wood and Tinder for Starting a Friction Fire

![friction fire, bow and drill fire, survival, survival fire, friction fire material, friction fire plants](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/23/2DEXTXVHPZOHUUUZCFZTMRNL7Q.png>)

Few survival skills frustrate a person like bow and drill fire starting. After a couple of crushing failures, most people are ready to write off the method as unattainable. Or the other side of the spectrum prevails. People see bow and drill fire starting performed “easily” on television and assume it’s an easy skill to do, so they never even try it. They then walk around with a false sense of confidence, certain that they could do it “if they had to.” Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s not that easy. But neither is it unattainable, once you know the tricks. The most common place where people get stuck in their quest for friction fire is in material selection, and with that in mind, I have prepared a list for you. Use this list of plant families to get you started, then focus on each species for its own subtle merits and flaws. Don’t forget to experiment, either! Just learn how to identify poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac and any rare, local undesirables (like Florida poison tree) before you accidentally grab them!

[**VIDEO: How to use a bow and drill to make fire**](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/gear/best-fire-starter/>)

**Friction Fire Materials:** Bows, fire boards, drills, handhold blocks and tinder

**Annona** family (*Annonaceae*)
Pawpaw—wood for boards and drills, inner bark for tinder

**Aster** family (*Asteraceae*)
Weed stalks for hand drills, seed down for tinder

**Basswood** family (*Tiliaceae*)
American Basswood, Linden—wood for boards and drills

**Beech** family (*Fagaceae*)
Oak, Beech, Chinkapin, etc.—wood for bows and handhold blocks

**Birch** family (*Betulaceae, Cupuliferae*)
Birch and Alder—wood for boards, drills, bows and handhold blocks

**Cattail** family (*Typhaceae*)
Stalks for hand drills, seed down for tinder additives

**Cypress** family (*Cupressaceae*)
White Cedar, Red Cedar, Juniper—wood for boards and drills, bark for tinder

**Dogbane** family (\_Apocynacea\_e)
Fiber for tinder and cordage

**Goosefoot** family (*Chenopodiaceae*)
Weed stalks for hand drills

**Laurel** family (*Lauraceae*)
Sassafras, Spicebush—wood for boards and drills

**Legume** family (*Leguminosae*)
Black Locust, Redbud—wood for bows and handhold blocks

**Magnolia** family (*Magnoliaceae*)
Tulip Poplar, Magnolia, Bay—wood for boards and drills, bark for tinder

**Maple** family (*Aceraceae*)
Maple, Boxelder, etc.—wood for boards, drills, bows and handhold blocks

**Olive** family (*Oleaceae*)
Ash—wood for boards and drills

**Pine** family (*Pinaceae*)
Hemlock, Pine (soft pine with low resin and no knots)—wood for boards and drills

**Snapdragon** family (*Scrophulariaceae*)
Mullein—stalks for hand drill

**Sumac** family (*Anacardiaceae*)
Wood for boards, drills, bows and handhold blocks

**Walnut** family (*Juglandaceae*)
Hickory and Walnut—wood for bows and handhold blocks

**Willow** family (*Salicaceae*)
Poplar, Cottonwood, Willow, etc.—wood for boards and drills

Are you a fan of this arcane form of fire starting? Do you have a favorite local material? Please share your successes by leaving a comment.