Hand Drill Chuck
This page details one of several different methods that can be used to create a spindle onto which can be added various bits. The bits are held in place by a chuck (a device that can hold something in place) that can be created in the field with minimal tools. In this case, the bits are a favorite type of plant (wood or rigid herbaceous material) that are useful for creating fires. Nothing shown on this page requires the use of a metal blade.
I used a shoot of white ash (Fraxinus americana) for the spindle (to which bits will be attached). The shoot was a stump sprout, meaning it had a large pith in the center of the branch, making it easy to drill out. However, just about any dry, straight branch at least 50 cm long (preferably even longer) will work, it just may be more work to drill a hole for the chuck. Remember, the branch doesn't have to be straight initially, as it can be heat-straightened. I then needed to create a vise to hold the spindle in place so that I could drill out one end. The vice is comprised on two durable sticks (I used ones about 4 cm in diameter) and a short section of strong cord tied into a loop. One of the sticks need to be split in the center at one end (the clamping stick). This can be accomplished in many ways. One method is to use a sharp stone to score the the end and then split it with antler or wooden wedges. The other stick is used to wind the cord to tighten the split stick when something is wedged in it (the tightening stick). To prevent the tightening stick from loosening, it is usually tied to a tree base or branch (see image below). I was fortunate in this case that the tightening stick was was parallel with the clamping stick when holding the spindle, so I could wedge the entire primitive vise in between a forked tree and hold it in place with my knee. The drilled hole in the end of the spindle needs to taper as it gets deeper (i.e., it needs to be widest near the end of the spindle). I started out by drilling the end of the ash spindle using a triangular chip of rock to get a hole started. After this, I used a section of common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) that was only a little thinner than the ash spindle. I drilled down 7 or 8 mm with this, then switched to an black elderberry shaft (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis) that was about half the diameter of the ash spindle for another 7 or 8 mm. Lastly, I used a thin Canada goldenrod shaft (Solidago canadensis) stem to drill down about 10 mm (this was merely drilling through the pith of the ash spindle, so this part was quick). The entire process of drilling out the end of the spindle took about 10 minutes. Next, I used a sharp flake of rock to score four equally spaced grooves in the rim of the drilled out spindle, so I could use an antler tine or rigid stick to split the the drilled out end of the spindle. To this drilled and split end, I could firmly attach the bit of my choice (I used black elderberry in this example). When the bit is inserted into the end of the spindle, it should widen the splits slightly (but without breaking them). Then, you can tightly tie cordage onto the end of the spindle to clamp down on the bit and firmly hold it in place. Any type of durable cord will work (e.g., plant fiber, bark, hide, sinew). Though you want to match the taper of the bit as close as possible to the drilled hole in the end of the spindle, I have found this method of creating a chuck very forgiving (i.e., even quickly made bits are usually held tightly and do not loosen or twist in place). This is the main advantage with this type of chuck (most others require a very good fit between the pieces of the drill).
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| primitive vise set-up; the left-hand stick is the clamping stick (note split end) and the right hand stick is the tightening stick | primitive vise in use holding the spindle;
the tightening stick is wound counter-clockwise to tighten, the cord at the
lower right stops it from unwinding
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my set-up for holding the spindle; the end of the spindle needed to rest on the ground so that I could bear down with hand drills to create a tapered hole | primitive vise in action; I'm using a goldenrod stem in this image to make the deepest portion of the hole | hand drill spindle with black elderberry bit attached, held in place by the chuck | hand drill in action; the black elderberry bit is being used with a white willow hearth board |