Horse Weed Hand Drill

[RoadLessTraveled]

I had a real hard time learning to identify horse weed. There are a couple of other plants that look similar and it appears that horse weed is not very abundant around here. I'd like to thank your_comforting_company for helping me learn to identify this plant by sending a lot of good pictures (see here) and being available to answer questions. Thanks YCC!

A fellow bushcrafter and I had a friendly competition going to see who could be the first to learn to identify and then use horse weed for the hand drill. He actually beat me in the race (by one day). I was waiting for my horse weed to dry, and didn't think it was ready. But once he came out with his success, I had to try mine even though it was still slightly green...

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First, I tried using a piece of western cedar from Home Depot. I've had good success using it with Prickly Lettuce and Mullein, so I figured another weed stalk such as Horse Weed might be a good combo. But I wasn't able to get an ember. I think one of the main problems was that the hole was relatively new and the hearth was too thick, making it difficult to fill the notch.

[RoadLessTraveled]

Thankfully, I was prepared for the possibility that I might not succeed with the cedar. I brought a piece of Sotol, just in case. The hole I used was an old one and just a little remained, making the bottom of the hole very close to the ground and easy to fill the notch.

[your_comforting_company]

Great Job!!

[your_comforting_company]

Three passes.. Man, that's awesome!!

[your_comforting_company]

For hand drills, I prefer the hearth to be thinner because of the time required to fill the notch with dust. Usually 3/8" or less. Outstanding, RLT.

With bow-drills, it needs to be a bit thicker because of the motion and pressure. I've broken a few hearths with the bows; thicker hearths can handle the work better.

[crashdive123]

Very nicely done.

[jfeatherjohn]

Well done, indeed.

[SavageSurvival]

Horse weed is an awesome plant!!! I would say it is my favorite to use for hand drill/ strap drill. I find it A LOT on the sides of railroads. Great job with the coals!

[SavageSurvival]

Thanks for the tip on the thin base board! I got to try it now to see if it works better for me.