I have watched many American bush survival videos teaching bow/drill fire making and none were as clear as yours. Good to see Aussie based vids with realistic scenarios- no zombie acropolis etc. Thanks.
Thank you for your kind words. I used to be a school teacher so clear and accurate instruction is something I value highly. I prefer the no hype, no sensationalism and no BS approach. Don’t really know much about the zombie apocalypse thing but what I have heard sounds quite ridiculous and I can’t believe that people actually believe that! Whilst it’s good to be prepared for any eventuality, some people also take the prepping thing too far as well. Thanks for watching.
Thankyou Gordon. Love the thoroughness of your teaching methods, would not have guessed to have the drill on the outside of the bow. Another wood to add to the list of my friction fire arsenal.
Nice work Gordon, good to see a quality Aussie bushcrafter on TH-cam. One of the guys in the NT general store yesterday mentioned you and your channel when I was purchasing a Mora knife. Never thought of using Lantana for a bow drill set, that stuff was everywhere where I grew up
Thanks for the nice comments. Lantana does work well, not as easy as Coastal Hibiscus though! You can also use it as a hand drill but it requires a little more downward pressure so your hands need to be in shape. Please feel free to like and share the channel with others to help it grow. Regards to Bill and the rest of the guys at NT General Store in Darwin.
Thank you for such a clear concise video on the subject. Yesterday I learnt the hard way that eucalyptus timber is no good for a spindle. Next time I will know! Subscribed!!!
Thanks Gordon, your channel's a great 'go to' for all things bush craft. I'm attempting my first bow drill friction fire, however here on the Gippsland coast i don't think there is any wood soft enough to do the job... I am going to experiment with a few though. Thanks for the great videos mate.
My pleasure. Experimentation is the best teacher. As long as the wood is light and can be dented with your thumbnail. The drill and base board ideally need to be from the same piece of wood. Ensure the set is made correctly, at the correct dimensions, and that your technique and posture is correct. This takes practise, and if you don't rush and short cut things you will learn properly. Good luck and have fun.
Great video mate! Bushcraft is something I'd like to learn a lot more about, your channel is very informative and helpful. Keep up the great work legend! Best wishes from Maitland, NSW.
Thank you, I’m glad you liked it. Lantana is easy to find everywhere and works very well. Please feel free to share with others to help make the channel more visible.
Great video. It was spot on and I enjoyed it. Good break down of everything and all the little things I normally do but don't always tell or add in my videos. I have not used Lantana yet but its still on my list of wood types here in my area. Thumbs up like and thanks for sharing.
Hello , I only found your channel a few days ago and have watched this video and How to Make Charred Natural Tinder in the Field. I don’t know if you have many more videos on the bow drill fire starting method using different types of wood in the Australian bush but I would love to see you trying many more different types of wood from trees in the Australian bush to see which other types work well for not only using the Bow Drill method but also using the plough method as well . Cheers 🍻
Noted. It's on my radar to do a video demonstrating each technique with different woods and their preparation. It's a matter of time. Thanks for watching.
I was listening to the sound of the bow drill and suddenly thought, that's nice timing....... then remembered from a previous episode that you are a musician.
That was not intentional, however I must say, being a trumpet player helps dramatically with being able to form an embouchure correctly in order to direct the air more efficiently into the tinder bundle. Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed the video.
Thank you for the feedback. Paracord is generally stronger than most synthetic cord you will find except it does tend to slip…especially when its a new string. You can turn the paracord into thicker cord using a reverse ply twist (used in making natural cordage). This creates even "bumps" and helps it grip better. You could also create corners on sections of your drill so that it grips more. Generally i find that if you have constructed your set correctly and have good technique, you should not have a problem.
Great video. I subbed, you deserve more subs. BTW Lantana, whilst endemic to South America, it was probably brought here as an ornamental by the English who were cultivating it as a "glasshouse"/hothouse plant.
Thanks for the positive feedback. That is probably the case, hard to find information on that. In any case its still an invasive weed with lots of uses. Please feel free to share, like etc to help get the word out there. Thankyou
Hey Gordon, Great video mate. Your'e a worthy successor to Dick Graves! Are they scarlet honeyeaters in the background? That would probably place the demonstration in NE coastal QLD?
I’m not sure about that, that’s a hard act to follow. I’m not exactly sure what birds they are but they could be. The trees are very high in that area and as much as you can hear a lot of bird song and calls, it’s hard to see them. That episode was filmed on the mid coast of NSW. Thanks. For watching.
I have used natural cordage Kurrajong, Spruce roots etc (have not tried flax) with the bow drill a number of times. You have to thread the drill in a different way and angle your posture downward (hard to explain without seeing it) so that when you bow the cordage does not rub together, create heat and break. I would prefer to use a hand drill in these instances. Thanks for watching.
Not being from that area I couldn’t tell you exactly. Any light bulsa type wood or weed stalk will work. Definitely not a hard wood. One of the tests is being able to dent the wood with your thumbnail. You need to experiment to find which woods work. If you have never tried friction firelighting before, see if you can obtain one of the known woods that work like Hibiscus or Grass Tree, learn on those to imbed the technique then start experimenting. Thanks for watching.
It's in a rain forest. The leaf litter all around was damp. Even if dry,, sparks are too small and low in heat to set course leaves alight. You would need to have dry tinder (fluffy, fibrous grass etc) to take a spark which would blow out within a couple of metres. To light course leaf litter you need to have burning embers, which from a cooking fire burning the correct wood is extremely unlikely.. Once you have practise making and managing fire in multiple ways and in multiple environments, you will learn what is actually dangerous and what isn't. I'm on the ground making these assessments and if it was dangerous to do so I would not not be having a fire. I appreciate the question..
I have watched many American bush survival videos teaching bow/drill fire making and none were as clear as yours. Good to see Aussie based vids with realistic scenarios- no zombie acropolis etc. Thanks.
Thank you for your kind words. I used to be a school teacher so clear and accurate instruction is something I value highly. I prefer the no hype, no sensationalism and no BS approach. Don’t really know much about the zombie apocalypse thing but what I have heard sounds quite ridiculous and I can’t believe that people actually believe that! Whilst it’s good to be prepared for any eventuality, some people also take the prepping thing too far as well. Thanks for watching.
Good to see a one good use for Lantana, always a great fire making process to watch in real time
It is also great to use for shelter building.
Thankyou Gordon. Love the thoroughness of your teaching methods, would not have guessed to have the drill on the outside of the bow.
Another wood to add to the list of my friction fire arsenal.
Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad you are finding the episodes useful. Thanks for watching.
Nice work Gordon, good to see a quality Aussie bushcrafter on TH-cam. One of the guys in the NT general store yesterday mentioned you and your channel when I was purchasing a Mora knife. Never thought of using Lantana for a bow drill set, that stuff was everywhere where I grew up
Thanks for the nice comments. Lantana does work well, not as easy as Coastal Hibiscus though! You can also use it as a hand drill but it requires a little more downward pressure so your hands need to be in shape.
Please feel free to like and share the channel with others to help it grow. Regards to Bill and the rest of the guys at NT General Store in Darwin.
Bushcraft Survival Australia Thanks mate, will do
Well done Gordon.Good demonstration.
Cheers Kim....
Thanks Kim, i appreciate your comments.
Thank you for such a clear concise video on the subject. Yesterday I learnt the hard way that eucalyptus timber is no good for a spindle. Next time I will know! Subscribed!!!
Thank you for the positive feedback. You need a soft wood, hardwoods smoke a lot but just end up pollishing.
Thanks Gordon, your channel's a great 'go to' for all things bush craft.
I'm attempting my first bow drill friction fire, however here on the Gippsland coast i don't think there is any wood soft enough to do the job... I am going to experiment with a few though.
Thanks for the great videos mate.
My pleasure. Experimentation is the best teacher. As long as the wood is light and can be dented with your thumbnail. The drill and base board ideally need to be from the same piece of wood. Ensure the set is made correctly, at the correct dimensions, and that your technique and posture is correct. This takes practise, and if you don't rush and short cut things you will learn properly. Good luck and have fun.
Great video mate! Bushcraft is something I'd like to learn a lot more about, your channel is very informative and helpful. Keep up the great work legend!
Best wishes from Maitland, NSW.
that was very well done
Thank you, I’m glad you liked it. Lantana is easy to find everywhere and works very well. Please feel free to share with others to help make the channel more visible.
Hey Gordo. Great episode. Love the music and your trumpet playing on this theme. Very talented man.
Thanks Jeff….i appreciate the comment, not many hear that side of things.
Excellent instruction and demonstration, really enjoy your vids with Aussie based bushcraft\survival skills. Thankyou for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks again SA
As usual good work Gordo!.... Very informative video and well produced mate!
Thanks….another one on its way soon
That was a great video. Very informative, and detailed, cheers
Thank you for the feedback, it’s much appreciated.
Another good clip Gordon, keep up the good work.
Ta….another one on its way.
Great video. It was spot on and I enjoyed it. Good break down of everything and all the little things I normally do but don't always tell or add in my videos. I have not used Lantana yet but its still on my list of wood types here in my area. Thumbs up like and thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the positive feedback….much appreciated. There are many woods you can use, its just a matter of experimentation.
Hello , I only found your channel a few days ago and have watched this video and How to Make Charred Natural Tinder in the Field. I don’t know if you have many more videos on the bow drill fire starting method using different types of wood in the Australian bush but I would love to see you trying many more different types of wood from trees in the Australian bush to see which other types work well for not only using the Bow Drill method but also using the plough method as well . Cheers 🍻
Noted. It's on my radar to do a video demonstrating each technique with different woods and their preparation. It's a matter of time. Thanks for watching.
I was listening to the sound of the bow drill and suddenly thought, that's nice timing....... then remembered from a previous episode that you are a musician.
That was not intentional, however I must say, being a trumpet player helps dramatically with being able to form an embouchure correctly in order to direct the air more efficiently into the tinder bundle. Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed the video.
Very well Gordon!!!
Thank you.
Great work mate never tried lantana will be now thanks
Thanks. Lantana works wonderfully and because its a noxious weed, we are doing the environment a favour.
Loving these
Thanks again for the nice feedback Tanya, please feel free to share them.
Very good instruction as always!...atb...woods
Thanks….i guess its the school teacher coming out in me!
Oh me and bow drill what a love hate. Im not a huge fan of paracord for the string. Great video and instruction.
Thank you for the feedback. Paracord is generally stronger than most synthetic cord you will find except it does tend to slip…especially when its a new string. You can turn the paracord into thicker cord using a reverse ply twist (used in making natural cordage). This creates even "bumps" and helps it grip better. You could also create corners on sections of your drill so that it grips more. Generally i find that if you have constructed your set correctly and have good technique, you should not have a problem.
Love the smell of Chinese scrub. Take care. Craig
Yes….there is nothing like the smell of wood smoke.
Great video. I subbed, you deserve more subs. BTW Lantana, whilst endemic to South America, it was probably brought here as an ornamental by the English who were cultivating it as a "glasshouse"/hothouse plant.
Thanks for the positive feedback. That is probably the case, hard to find information on that. In any case its still an invasive weed with lots of uses.
Please feel free to share, like etc to help get the word out there. Thankyou
Hey Gordon, Great video mate. Your'e a worthy successor to Dick Graves!
Are they scarlet honeyeaters in the background? That would probably place the demonstration in NE coastal QLD?
I’m not sure about that, that’s a hard act to follow. I’m not exactly sure what birds they are but they could be. The trees are very high in that area and as much as you can hear a lot of bird song and calls, it’s hard to see them. That episode was filmed on the mid coast of NSW. Thanks. For watching.
Sorry for the late replies guys. I'm overseas at the moment with sporadic internet access.
I used to use lantana allot. I suck at knife safety. I keep forgetting.
Must not neglect the knife safety….only takes one slip!
If you made the bow with cordage made from say flux would the cordage be strong enough/last long enough to get an ember?
I have used natural cordage Kurrajong, Spruce roots etc (have not tried flax) with the bow drill a number of times. You have to thread the drill in a different way and angle your posture downward (hard to explain without seeing it) so that when you bow the cordage does not rub together, create heat and break. I would prefer to use a hand drill in these instances. Thanks for watching.
Mate what knife are you using? Cheers 😊
which woods would you use for base plate in south australia inland? Ive never seen lantana or cabbage trees here.
Not being from that area I couldn’t tell you exactly. Any light bulsa type wood or weed stalk will work. Definitely not a hard wood. One of the tests is being able to dent the wood with your thumbnail. You need to experiment to find which woods work. If you have never tried friction firelighting before, see if you can obtain one of the known woods that work like Hibiscus or Grass Tree, learn on those to imbed the technique then start experimenting. Thanks for watching.
all that leaf litter next to fire
It's in a rain forest. The leaf litter all around was damp. Even if dry,, sparks are too small and low in heat to set course leaves alight. You would need to have dry tinder (fluffy, fibrous grass etc) to take a spark which would blow out within a couple of metres. To light course leaf litter you need to have burning embers, which from a cooking fire burning the correct wood is extremely unlikely..
Once you have practise making and managing fire in multiple ways and in multiple environments, you will learn what is actually dangerous and what isn't. I'm on the ground making these assessments and if it was dangerous to do so I would not not be having a fire. I appreciate the question..
Bro do we have pine trees in Australia
Yes there are, but very few. There are a few varieties of cyprus pine, Norfolk pine etc….but nothing like the spruce pine woods of northern America.
What line do you use?
Line?
Don't mind me ask?
Where about's in Australia are you based !
Hi, my home is the mid north coast of NSW near Coffs Harbour, but i do a lot of stuff with the army (Norforce) in Darwin NT.
cheers.hope to see heaps more uploads in the future
im the first dislike lol
Please explain