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
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.