FeatherSticks · Fire
Hand Drill Fire: How to Make Fire with a Hand Drill
No bow, no cord. Two hands, one stick and a lot of patience.
Quick facts
- Time
- Kit: 30–60 min · ember: 30 s–several min of spinning
- Difficulty
- High: technique, stamina and tough palms
- Best for
- Dry, light stalks and a soft, non-resinous board
- You need
- Knife, dry spindle, soft board, tinder bundle
What you need
- Fixed-blade bushcraft knife
- Dry spindle stalks (spare ones)
- Pre-cut dry hearth boards
- Dry tinder bundle in a waterproof bag
- Athletic tape for hot spots
- Lighter or ferro rod as backup
- Water to extinguish the fire
Step by step
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1 Find dry stalks and a soft board
Look for long, straight, dead and fully dry stalks such as mullein, plus a soft, dry, non-resinous board such as lime, willow or poplar.
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2 Prepare spindle and board
Trim the spindle to 60–80 cm, about 1 cm thick, with a rounded tip. Cut a flat board 25–35 cm long and 1–1.5 cm thick.
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3 Burn in the socket, cut the notch
Spin lightly until the socket is black, then cut a notch of about one-eighth of the circle exactly to the centre.
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4 Spin between your palms
Press down while rubbing, run down the spindle, return fast to the top without losing the socket, and repeat in a steady rhythm.
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5 Build the ember
When thick smoke and dark dust appear, keep going a few more strokes, then stop and let the pile smoulder and consolidate.
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6 Move it to tinder and blow
Slide the coal into a dry tinder bundle, fold it loosely and blow long, gentle breaths until it flames.
Common mistakes
- Starting with the hand drill instead of learning the bow drill first.
- Using green, bent or knotty stalks, or wood that is not fully dry.
- A sharp spindle tip or an unburned socket, so the spindle jumps out.
- Gripping the spindle with the fingers instead of pressing with flat palms.
- Stopping as soon as smoke appears instead of spinning several more strokes.
- Losing the socket on the return stroke, or returning slowly.
- Practising until the palms blister instead of resting.