Quick Cords For The Bow Drill
This page details two methods of fabricating quick cords for a bow drill apparatus. These methods would be used in a scenario of needing to build a fire from wild-collected materials, but time does not permit one to construct cords from plant fibers (e.g., milkweed, dogbane, stinging-nettle) or these materials are unavailable. To build a plant fiber cord of the necessary length and thickness to stand up to the abuse of a bow drill requires several hours for collection, processing, and wrapping (follow this link for instructions). Considering that multiple cords may need to built in order to produce a coal, it could literally take much of the day for a single individual to build the length needed (this is due to the fact that the bow drill needs to be "broken in" as the spindle wears into the fireboard and the two parts match each other in shape to create sufficient friction). The methods detailed below require less than 1 hour to fashion to necessary lengths of cord (this can sometimes be accomplished in less than 30 minutes).
Method 1: Conifer Roots. The roots of several conifer species (i.e., needle-leaved trees) can function as cords for bow drills. Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea) are two species that function well for this task. Spruces (Picea) and perhaps others will work also. The target roots need to be about the diameter of a pen (ca. 8 mm thick). Thicker than this and they will be too stiff to bend around the spindle. Thinner than this and they will lack sufficient strength (though multiple thin roots can be used together as one, collective bow string). Collect them as long as possible. Body length sections of root (ca. 2 meters long) will provide enough material for several trials with the bow drill. Finding the roots is not as difficult a task as it might seem (so long as the species are present). One important thing to keep in mind is that many broad-leaved tree's roots are too brittle. Therefore, the trick is to find a stand or grove of trees that are entirely or primarily of the target species. Then, all or most roots encountered will be the target species. In soils that are not overly rocky, it is generally an easy matter to find the roots within only a few cm into the mineral soil. A digging stick speeds the process. Start ca. 3 or 4 meters away from the trunk (or trunks) of large, canopy sized trees. Dig in a line until your mini-trench encounters a root. Though this can often be lifted free from the soil, use you digging stick to remove soil from along the side of the target root so that it will not break. While removing earth from around one root, you will frequently cross the path of others (which can be followed when you are finished with the current root). The roots that work best for bow drill cords are of uniform diameter and unbranched (which is the usual situation), and also free of any blemishes or sharp bends (the roots are brittle at these points). Test the roots by loosely wrapping them around a couple of fingers—some are brittle and break when bent. The roots are then wrapped around a rock or rough-barked tree and rubbed back and forth to remove the thin layer of bark. When one side is finished, flip it over and remove bark on the other side (one doesn't need to remove every bit of bark, just the majority of it). Collect as many roots as needed depending on the quality of your bow drill set (this will depend on how dry the wood is, what species the fire board and spindle are made from, and how well crafted the materials are). If you are able to find body-length sections of roots, four or five of these should be sufficient to create a fire from a good bow drill set. The main problem is that the individual roots are not durable enough for multiple attempts at fire making. Often, one section of the collected root will be worn through in the process of wearing down the spindle and socket in the fire board as these components "match" each other in shape. Long sections of root will allow you to move the worn section to the end and use it to secure the root to the bow, ultimately reducing the amount of total material one needs to collect. Experiment with the tension of the bow string (i.e., the root)—too loose and the spindle will slip, too tight and the root will break. Also, it is important not to let the roots dry out, as they become brittle. I have left the roots overnight in a pool of water until I would use them (burying them under wet duff would also work). However, it is beneficial to let the roots dry a little, so that the outside is not wet, which causes it to slip on the spindle. It is possible, in a good stand of conifers, to collect the necessary roots is less than 15 minutes. This method can be used anytime the ground is not frozen.
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| using a digging stick to search for eastern white pine roots (though hands will work in many soils) | root of appropriate diameter found; notice how little earth has been moved before root was found | carefully digging root out of ground to avoid breakage | rubbing the thin layer of bark off the root using a rough-barked tree | root with bark removed showing diameter of root used to make bow drill cord | attaching the cord through a split in the bow (and holding the tail end) provides a quick attachment that is easy to adjust | the root cord in use on a bow drill |
Method 2: Inner Tree Bark. The inner bark of many trees will function as a cord for the bow drill with minimal preparation. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) are species that I have used successfully (though undoubtedly many other trees would work). I search for small trees (about the diameter of my arm) that are growing in a shaded environment in the competition of other trees of similar size. This means that the trees will be straight and the lower branches will have died and fallen from the tree due to shading (called self-pruning), making it easier to remove the bark. Scoring the bark horizontally and then vertically, one can remove an entire section of bark if careful. Scoring down to the wood is important, as the bark will rarely tear in a straight line. Try to remove a long section of bark, body length would be ideal (ca. 2 meters), but shorter lengths can be used and sections can be spliced in if overlapped for a sufficient distance (at least 15 cm). Once removed, use a knife or a sharp flake of stone to cut or score the bark lengthwise and separate long strips of uniform width. It is best to create strips about 1 cm wide (a little less than ˝ inch). Next, separate the inner from the outer bark. Depending on the species, this can be accomplished by wrapping the bark around a rock or rough-barked tree and pulling it back and forth, wearing off the outer layer of bark. Another method is to split the bark by peeling the outer layer off. This method is neater and creates more supple cord, but is riskier if you are not practiced and making sure the separation doesn't trend toward the inner bark and split your strip into two shorter pieces. The split will move toward whichever side is bent at a greater angle, so always bend the section containing the outer bark a little more until you are able to direct a split that evenly removes the outer bark. Once you have several long sections of inner bark, these can be braided into a cord that is durable enough to handle the wear from a bow drill for about three attempts at fire making. You can take three strips and braid them in standard fashion (i.e., right over one, left over one), or for a stronger cord, braid 4 strips (right over one, left over two). You can save yourself some time by splitting the end of you bow for some distance and wedging the braided inner bark into the split, held fast with an overhand knot (or your hand at the handle end of the bow). This uses less of your braided cord than tying a knot around the bow (therefore, one doesn't need to braid as long a section of cord). The braided cord will loosen at first as the braids separate somewhat, so pre-stretching by lightly pulling over the length of cord is useful. It is also advantageous to use a method to take up the slack in the cord (e.g., a bow that can bend some, using your thumb on the bow string). Be sure to braid two or three strings so that if one breaks (as is likely if your bow drill has not been used), you will have another to start the fire once the spindle and socket in the fireboard match each other. Time of year is important as it is during the spring and early summer when the bark can be separated from the wood. As the summer progresses, the bark becomes tightly adhered to the wood and can only be removed with difficulty. With only a little practice, two strings can be made in 30 to 45 minutes (once a suitable tree has been found). Remember that this method is highly damaging or lethal to the tree, so practice sparingly and use when needed.
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| eastern hemlock selected to make quick cord from the inner bark (center of image) | scoring the bark to facilitate removal, scoring horizontally at each end and longitudinally down along tree's length | carefully removing the bark using the hands to avoid splitting the bark as much as possible | separated section of bark ready to be cut into strips for braid | cutting bark into long, thin strips for braid | separating the fibrous inner bark (used for braid) from the rough outer bark (not used for this purpose) | finished braided bark cord (better cord would be slightly thinner in diameter); note attachment at end (wedging a knot in a split uses less material) | braided bark cord in use on a bow drill; be sure to use thumb on cord or drill at angle to avoid abrading the cord on itself |