How Do You Start A Fire Using A Bow-Drill?
If your lighter’s empty or you just want to be Jeremiah Johnson for a day, try this Native American bow-drill technique. Make the four pieces of your apparatus (see “How to Make a Bow-Drill,” under Related eHows). Place your fire board on the dry ground and place your left foot across it to hold it stable, with your right knee on the ground. If you’re left-handed, do the reverse. Wrap the string of your bow around the spindle once. Place the bottom end of the spindle in the notch on your fire board. Hold it in place by putting the top end of the spindle into the handhold notch and pressing down on the handhold. Hold one end of the bow in your right hand, with the string side facing inward, toward your left knee. Lean down over your left knee and press down slightly on the handhold with your left hand. Move your right arm back and forth in a sawing motion, causing the spindle to spin back and forth. Increase the speed of the sawing motion and the intensity of your handhold pressure unti
