Woods found in the Deep south for Hand Drill?

Used Lactuca canadensis successfully for the second time last night. Takes about 5 minutes to get a tiny wisp of grey smoke. I like to take my time pre-heating because it takes a good bit of spin and pressure to kick the ember out, and you don't want to be worn out when it comes time to give it hell.
Time to play with more materials. Dog fennel is on my list to try, along with evening primrose. Anyone have any tales of success with fennel? Florida beggarticks (I forget the latin) is also supposed to be a good one, but I haven't come across a suitable stalk yet, though I've spotted some that should be ready in a few more weeks. I'm also wondering about wooly croton.. seems woody enough to me, though the green stalks are a little on the soft side.
Still trying to figure out the finesse to use cattail successfully. Gotta get some more stalks.. I keep tearing them up!

What have you guys found that works well? Any experience, good or bad, with the above materials?

keep in mind that too much of the sap from some lettuces can kill you. such specie contain significant amounts of toxins such as lactucin.

as i recall, L. virosa [common wild lettuce] and L. serriola [prickly lettuce] contain significant quantities, at L. virosa at least has been associated with fatal poisonings.

they have several medicinal applications, and are not extremely dangerous, but care must be taken.

Thanks canid. I'll do some more research on that. Wonder why my Peterson guide lists it as edible? Boil in at least one change of water and they are supposed to be good to go?
I'm finding more and more that the peterson guides seem inferior. Not necessarily misinformation, but more like incomplete.. They should point out that the raw leaves are toxic, specifically, in large quantities. I've found a few plants in there listed as edibles that other books point out to have toxic properties.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

horseweed works wonderfully. Made my first fire with it about 8:00 tonight. I did a little video. My camera doesn't do audio. Video is 5 minutes, all in one take. Most of it is filling up the notch and the ember kicks out around 2:30. I take it all the way to flame. I apologize for the poor quality. If you have 5 minutes to spare, check it out.
http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/g...t=DSCN4949.mp4

Also a few pictures of the materials.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...g/DSCN4954.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...g/DSCN4950.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conyza_canadensis

Conyza canadensis is a common weed found along roadsides, fences, fields, and waste areas.
Moderate pressure and spin. It grinds easily and heats quickly. I'd have to rank it as one of the easiest I've tried. I didn't even get tired using this one.:)

Also, I'm working on the "figure 8" motion for constant spin without going all the way to the bottom and having to stop. Getting better at it, but still need practice. It's definately a method worth learning. Also called "floating".

I hate to show my ignorance, but what is mule fat?

It's a shrub.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_salicifolia

If someone had said Baccharis I would have known it immediately. It is an invasive shrub and is taking over Louisiana.

That means it's time to start practicing your firemaking skills with it ;)

Swamprart please show me where we can get some because that stuff is the bomb !

YCC I am sry I have not responded sooner but had some bad news about my brother and I have been spending as much time with him as I can.

I harvested a lot more Yucca and have several sets made up. I am very successful with it and have a coal kick out around 45-60 seconds on avg. I have varied my technique and found what is comfortable for me and allows me to get enough pressure on the spindle.

After the first coal the time before i can kick another one out is much much longer as I tire so fast. I still preform the handrill every other day working on building up tolerance and endurance.

I harvested some horseweed that I found and am waiting for it to dry before giving it a go. All the muslin plants I located do not have stalks right now so I dont have any of it yet.

There is a plant that I think will do a great job. I dont know the name of it and neither does anyone else around here. I will get you a pick of it.

I am just now learning about local weeds that are useful so it may very well be something common to everyone else.

Yucca hearth boards are all I have been using lately but I will try some willow soon.

Sorry to hear about your brother EA. You don't owe me any apology whatsoever. Take care of family first! We can play with our sticks when everybody is okay.

I do find that it is a test of endurance. It takes a bit of conditioning as you dont' use those muscles regularly. I try to spin one at least once a day, no matter how tired I am from work.

Also of note, I'm liking smaller diameter spindles for the hand drill.

Good to hear from you. Hope everything works out with your brother.

unfortunately no it wont work out as there is nothing short of the Divine that can help now.

I have never had any fat spindles lol most are all 1/2 -3/4

I have a set i used of yucca in my pack now and prefer it over the bowdrill for quickness of setup and a coal but having the bearing block and bow premade and in my pack makes it super simple. I am still a fan of charcloth and flint /steel and it is my preferred, but nothing gets you cool points from the other guys at the fire station like a hand drill does!

Rick mentioned in another thread (here), American basswood as a good one for friction fire. I was doing a little reading on it and I'll be looking to find some.

some good info and links on american basswood, Tilia americana
http://forestry.about.com/od/hardwoo...n_Basswood.htm

Doesn't look like it grows in my area.. Mostly in the northeastern quadrant of the US.

but these do. Looks like they are varieties of the same thing, perhaps adapted to the warmer climate?
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/tiamca.html

http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/tiamhe.html

Anyhow, Rick said we should look into it more, so I did and I'll be working on memorizing the characteristics. Looks like it would be a very useful plant to know.

Sorry to hear about your brother,EA.
Thanks for the link,YCC.
I'll have to keep an eye out on my weekly nature walks.
I have one of these trees growing in my yard.It's a big tree,but seems to have light wood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalpa

I've never considered catalpa for friction fire. If I run across a dead limb I'll have to try it.
Around here, the pods will often (used to) get infested with worms, which is handy since they grow near the creeks.. free fishbait!
With all the crop dusting planes around now, the worms seem to be increasingly rare. I couldnt find any catalpa worms this year.

Sorry to hear about your brother EA.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by your_comforting_company

I've never considered catalpa for friction fire. If I run across a dead limb I'll have to try it.
Around here, the pods will often (used to) get infested with worms, which is handy since they grow near the creeks.. free fishbait!
With all the crop dusting planes around now, the worms seem to be increasingly rare. I couldnt find any catalpa worms this year.

---

I don't think I've ever seen catalpa worms.Maybe it has something to do with the climate here.Or just haven't looked inside the pods enough to find one.
The tree in my yard has like a 4 ft. diameter trunk.I watched a squirrel making a nest the other day with the leaves.
I know that when the up shoots are dried out they get very light,but stay strong.

a little off topic, but here's more about the worm.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2079926_grow...orms-from.html

we use a lot of lures that are that color on spinners and whatnot.
http://forestry.about.com/od/alterna.../catalpa_7.htm

Ever since I was a kid I regarded those trees highly. I'm interested in your results with it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Erratus Animus

Swamprart please show me where we can get some because that stuff is the bomb !

YCC I am sry I have not responded sooner but had some bad news about my brother and I have been spending as much time with him as I can.

---

EA I am sorry to hear that about your brother.

As for finding baccharis it won't be a problem. It is all over the delta and I would be surprised if it isn't in the piney woods near where you live. Give me a call and we will go cut enough for you to go crazy with!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Swamprat1958

EA I am sorry to hear that about your brother.

As for finding baccharis it won't be a problem. It is all over the delta and I would be surprised if it isn't in the piney woods near where you live. Give me a call and we will go cut enough for you to go crazy with!

---

Ty bro :blushing: I bet I see it a lot but dont know what it is. There is a plant and I have not taken a pic yet that I think would do well and it seems to be everywhere. Once my brother is home from the hospital we can go get some.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Swamprat1958

I hate to show my ignorance, but what is mule fat?

---

Mule fat grows in every drainage in my area. it roots shallowly in stony washes, washes out easily and grows back wherever the plants come to rest.

It is excellend for fire spindles, and while quite light and brittle, makes ready arrow shafts.