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Thread: Julie's First Bow Drill

  1. #1

    Lightbulb Julie's First Bow Drill

    My advisor on this project said I should make my very own bow drill kit, so today I started. Using this website:

    http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio...nchor-Th-40135
    Here is the willow branch I started with:
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    Finished bow (Still need cordage...)
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    Don't laugh at my knife! I bought it for a dollar at a yard sale!
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  2. #2
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    J362, nice find on the knife.
    Looks like an OPEL, maybe?
    This vid shows one in use:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PklbY4r1rTQ
    posted by IA Woodsman a while back:
    http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ad.php?t=10678

    Good luck on the bow drill, will be watching your progress!
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  3. #3
    Super Moderater RangerXanatos's Avatar
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    There is nothing wrong with that knife. It looks like the Opinel #8. I have one and would have been tickled to have bought it for a dollar. They throw very good sparks with a firesteel. Keep us posted on your bow drill.
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  4. #4
    naturalist primitive your_comforting_company's Avatar
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    Looks a little hefty in the first pic. does it fit comfortably in your hand and is it lightweight enough to be held up by one end?
    The longer your bow, the more spin you get on the spindle before stopping to go in the other direction. That's a longer duration of friction before stopping, each stop allows the hearth and spindle to cool, ever so slightly. A longer bow is also heavier.. just something to think about. Dont be afraid to modify it to fit YOU.
    Looks good so far. I'll be keeping an eye on you too, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
    Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. Helen Keller

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  5. #5

    Talking Drill!!!

    Thanks! The knife says "1st CHOIX OPINEL La Main Couronnee"
    Here is the drill! KEEP IN MIND I HAVE REALLY SHORT FINGERS. (Still kinda wet, I think it's Silver Birch or something)Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
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  6. #6
    Hall Monitor Pal334's Avatar
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    That is the best way to learn, by doing, congrats
    .45 ACP Because shooting twice is silly... The avatar says it all,.45 because there isn't a.46

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTs6a...eature=related

  7. #7
    reclinite automaton canid's Avatar
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    lookin' good.
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  8. #8
    Quality Control Director Ken's Avatar
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    Nice job!
    “Learning is not compulsory. Neither is survival.”
    W. Edwards Deming

    "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils."
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  9. #9
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Woo Hoo. Great find on the knife. Those are really good knives. No one's making fun of it here.

    I'll following this thread hesitantly. I swear, if she makes fire I'm going to be sooooo mad.
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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Good work Julie. Great find on a pretty darn good little knife too.
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  11. #11

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    Find a coarse rock or a unpainted concrete block and rub fire end to smooth it out a bit.

  12. #12
    Senior Member Ted's Avatar
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    Julie....make Rick mad ....make Rick very, very mad...LOL
    I'm a simple man, of simple means, turned my back on the machines, to follow my dreams.

  13. #13
    reclinite automaton canid's Avatar
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    Don't laugh at my knife! I bought it for a dollar at a yard sale!
    sometimes great things come in unrefined packages. e.g. you can't judge a knife by it's cover.
    Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice - Grey's Law.
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  14. #14

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    Thanks all! I know close to nothing about knives... Hehe... Rick, unfortunately, I am determined to make fire. I had to fix up the knife when I got it, it was kinda rusty and not sharp, but it works now. =O)
    "Tread lightly and carry a big stick."-Ben Franklin

  15. #15
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    I Admire your Passion Julie

  16. #16
    naturalist primitive your_comforting_company's Avatar
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    Julie, the best advice I can give you on actually using the bow-drill is BREATHE! seems like it would be easy enough to remember, but you'd be surprised.
    Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. Helen Keller

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  17. #17

    Angry Breaking Stuff

    Well, the socket thingy for the drill was a *!#@% to make. They said use hardwood--- Do you know how hard it is to gouge birch?! Anyways, still some way to go, but it's mostly done. If you look closely, you can see that the tip of my knife broke.
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  18. #18
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    A+ For effort AND determination !

  19. #19

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    Well, all the parts are done. The drill is in the oven drying a bit, then I think it's ready to try!
    "Tread lightly and carry a big stick."-Ben Franklin

  20. #20
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Good luck.
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