Uploaded August 2012 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Bow drill friction fire success using all natural materials from scratch (including the bowstring made from Saw Palmetto).
Several folks have asked how I made the Palmetto bowstring in my last video. Here I show how I make it.
I used Long-leaf Yellow Pine for all main components (ie. Bow, Fireboard, Spindle, Bearing-Block), Saw Palmetto strands for the bowstring, green vegetation as a lubricant for the spindle/ bearing-block, a dead leaf to catch the coal/ ember, and Palmetto fibers (ie. Monkey Fur, Palm Hair) for the tinder bundle. Everything was found on-the-spot. The only man-made item I used was the main blade on my Swiss Army Knife.
If I seem apprehensive it's because I've only done this a couple times and the heat, humidity, and weather factors here in Florida often keep me guessing, ha ha.
Overall, It took about 2 hours (from foraging to flame). Not too bad when working with unproven materials and I did have a couple problems to overcome along the way (a bad fireboard & bearing-block). So, it might seem like everything went really well, but there was some troubleshooting to deal with. I just edited out a lot of footage so it wouldn't be too long and boring. The main objective was to show the cordage preparation and success using it.
Bow drill friction fire success using all natural materials from scratch (including the bowstring made from Saw Palmetto).
Several folks have asked how I made the Palmetto bowstring in my last video. Here I show how I make it.
I used Long-leaf Yellow Pine for all main components (ie. Bow, Fireboard, Spindle, Bearing-Block), Saw Palmetto strands for the bowstring, green vegetation as a lubricant for the spindle/ bearing-block, a dead leaf to catch the coal/ ember, and Palmetto fibers (ie. Monkey Fur, Palm Hair) for the tinder bundle. Everything was found on-the-spot. The only man-made item I used was the main blade on my Swiss Army Knife.
If I seem apprehensive it's because I've only done this a couple times and the heat, humidity, and weather factors here in Florida often keep me guessing, ha ha.
Overall, It took about 2 hours (from foraging to flame). Not too bad when working with unproven materials and I did have a couple problems to overcome along the way (a bad fireboard & bearing-block). So, it might seem like everything went really well, but there was some troubleshooting to deal with. I just edited out a lot of footage so it wouldn't be too long and boring. The main objective was to show the cordage preparation and success using it.
