Hand drill, fire plough and the sun
In this video I look at three more methods of getting your first fire going if you’re stuck in the jungle without a lighter.
Once you get that first fire made, your options for further fire starting are much greater and both percussion fire starting and carrying fire become possibilities.
Many people seem to stop at the bow drill and don’t get round to learning the hand drill. This is a shame as the hand drill is a very satisfying way to start a fire and, as long as you get suitable materials, is not as hard as some would have you believe.
Getting the right set-up for the hand drill is critical but a lot of the technique can only be learned through individual trial and error. It’s a bit like cooking – even though they might have the same recipe and ingredients, a beginner won’t get the same results as a trained chef….
The picture on the right shows a hand drill set (hearth board + drill) that can produce between 5-10 embers – it’s not much bigger or heavier than a cigarette, so it is something that can be easily carried with you. And, unlike the bow drill, there is no need for strong cordage to make a bow string.
If you are interested in learning more about the hand drill, there are plenty of resources on the internet that explain/show more advanced techniques (e.g. floating) and types of woods that can be used. In the UK there are also one-day courses in bushcraft where you can quickly learn this technique.
There isn’t the same available knowledge on suitable bushcraft techniques for the jungle as there is for, say, North America or Europe. When I first learned the hand drill I had to go out and look for (and test) materials in the jungle that would work – there was no handy guide to refer to. Sometimes this can be a bit frustrating, however it is also fun to be able to discover things for yourself, particularly in a world where there doesn’t seem to be much left that hasn’t already been discovered and documented by someone else.
This is generally true of the rain forest – there is still much left to be learned and discovered – but it is a race to see whether this can be done before our moronic, rabbit-paced population growth means that there is no space left for any trees or wilderness…. just mega-cities, farms and far, far too many of us.
Anyway, I would be very interested to hear from you if you know of other materials that work for the hand drill (and that can easily be found in the jungle). I know someone managed with bamboo on rattan, but I haven’t been able to get this to work with the bamboo species here.
Great vid like your others. I like that you are going to make one on carrying fire. I almost always carry coals from my previous fire with me even if the weather looks good, since we all know how weather can change. I don’t know why more people don’t carry fire with them. The weight and bulk is well worth it to me. I mostly do winter type camping and northern bushcraft but I am interested in how you carry it in the jungle. Bamboo container?
Hi John, thanks for the post and I agree with what you are saying – when you put a lot of effort into getting your first fire going it seems to make sense to carry it with you if you can. And ‘yes’ bamboo it is!… bamboo is simply the most useful plant there is out here in the jungle, superb stuff for junglecraft: it has the tensile strength of mild steel, can be easily cut, is hollow, waterproof and there’s plenty of it… Cheers! Paul
I like this site. verry nice done Paul
Nice articles and video’s
Manny greetz from the Netherlands
Will
Hi Will, Glad you like the site and thanks for the comment. Cheers! Paul
Paul, what material do you use for the drill bit and the hearth board in the hand drill? Are they also from the palm frond? Thanks!
Hi Freelander,
The wood for the base board is from the Tutoh tree – I shot some footage of the tree itself which you can see in the video I did on “advanced bow drill techniques” which should help you to identify it.
Cheers!
Paul
Hi there Paul.I stay at KL most of my free time will be in the jungle for trekking.Found your site is very informative & useful.I have no experience whatsoever in using the hand drill,etc.MAybe can meet up to do a demo live?Thanks.
Hi Rudolph,
thanks for the comment and glad the site is useful – the hand drill is a tricky one to get working – not so much the technique, but more a matter of finding the right (and very dry) materials. I am still experimenting with various vines and trees to find new combinations and still only have success with the tutoh and palm stem combo used in the video. If you’re new to friction fire it might be better to start with the bow drill as it opens up more possibilities in terms of wood combinations you can use.
I don’t run any courses/demos I’m afraid, but if that ever changes I’ll let you know.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
Paul
Love your website and all the information you have made available. Thank you. With regard to the over population comments, would you be willing to give up your seat on the planet? Know any sane person who would?
Hi Crashjohnson,
Thanks for the comment and interesting point about over population – I don’t think anyone needs to give up their ‘seat on the planet’, we just need to stop having so many kids. If you think about it, if every couple had only 2 kids the world population would stabilise and stop increasing….unfortunately that’s not what’s happening. Our population increases year by year and becomes more resource demanding while the planet remains a closed system with limited resources…I don’t see a good outcome to that scenario unless we change our ways.
Anyway, thanks again for the comment and support,
Cheers!
Paul