Learn how to brain-tan a squirrel you scraped off the pavement or harvested during hunting season. Our goal is to turn the rodent's hide into a soft, beautiful pelt. As the title implies, we use the squirrel’s brain to brain-tan its hide. So, save those brains!

A bow drill made from the best wood will create hot coal faster. Imagine you’re shipwrecked like Tom Hanks in Castaway, lost in central Texas, or stranded on a Pacific island with no matches or a lighter. You can't boil your drinking water or cook the mouse you trapped for your survival stew without fire. What are you preparing to do? In your panic, you remember reading about rubbing sticks together to make fire. But what type of wood would you use for the parts and pieces of your bow drill kit? And what, you ask, are the best bow drill woods anyway?

"The Best Bow Drill Woods"

These first few kinds of wood listed are great bow drill woods, but not necessarily the best in every situation.

Cedar

Depending on where you are stranded and the wood available, there are two main factors that determine the most effective bow drill wood.

1. Availability
2. Species of wood

In a forest, you might expect to find dead and dry limbs from a tree such as a cedar. As a matter of fact, I use Western and Southern Red Cedar, trunk, and limb, to teach fire-making using a bow drill at my camps in California, Oregon, and when I taught in Texas. Cedar is plentiful across the US.

Red Cedar is a good bow drill wood.

Western Red Cedar, common in Oregon and Washington, is an exceptionally suitable bow drill wood. All parts of the bow drill come from this tree. To the First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest, Red Cedar is known as the 'Tree of Life'.

Even the cordage for the bowstring is made from Red Cedar. All cedar species can be used for a bow drill, but cedar wood is not the absolute best.

Why are some bow drill woods better than others?

Hardwood is extremely difficult to use in friction fire making. The harder the wood, the more difficult it is to create friction. Take Oak as an example.

Jank's hardness rating for Red Oak is 1290 to Red Cedar’s hardness rating of 320. That is a stark difference in hardness. So, we can say with confidence that success starts with a good wood choice.

Are softwoods the best choice for the bow drill?

Yes, softwoods are the right choice for bow drill wood. Take a look at these woods. These woods are your ideal choice for a bow drill.

• Basswood (Tilia americana)
• Cedar - search Cypress family (Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata ), Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
• Cottonwood (Populus).
• Hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus)
• Redwood search Cypress family (Sequoia sempervirens)
• Yucca (Yucca)
• Willow (Salix)

Cypress

Coastal Cypress is a fire-resistant tree you can find along the California and Oregon coasts. Fire bow success with Cypress takes more practice to be consistent with making a coal, in my experience. Cypress, like other harder-softwoods, benefits from a bit of help from fungi. Fungi weaken the structure of the wood, causing it to soften through the process of rot.

Brown Rot Fungus

Conifers are evergreen trees that naturally succumb to wood decay caused by parasitic fungi. Wood decay is caused by the most common fungus, Brown Rot fungus. Decay can be beneficial in friction fires by softening the wood structure, thereby making the wood, especially the spindle part of the bow drill kit, softer. In this way, the spindle can create more friction with the fireboard.

The spindle will become weak and useless if it has too much rot. But just the right amount of decay can be helpful in our quest for success with the bow drill. The species of Cypress trees are abundant in the southern US. But Redwood and Cypress pale in comparison to the most effective bow drill woods.

The Best Bow Drill Woods Friction Fire Combinations

Blue Elderberry Spindle on Cedar Fireboard

My favorite spindle material for the bow drill is a dry Blue Elderberry spindle on a cedar or cottonwood fireboard. It’s the best combination of tree and shrub I have discovered.

One of the benefits of using a spindle from an elderberry is that the soft pith material in the center of the branch creates a coal at a lower temperature than a solid wood branch. Such as Cottonwood.

That, of course, is why Yucca, which also has a soft pith, makes a great handrill.

A good dimension for a bow drill spindle is: a straight branch three-fourths, 3/4" in diameter (19mm) or so, and about 9-10 inches in length.

Can the spindle be longer or shorter, narrower or wider to work? Yes, it can.

Yucca

Try a Yucca spindle on a softwood hearth board for creating an ember with your bow drill. The Yucca flower stalk has one of the lowest ignition points for a spindle you can use. If you have access to the dry seed stalk of the plant, you are prepared for success.

You can use a Yucca spindle with, for example, Cedar, Redwood, or Cottonwood. But with other woods such as Cedar on Cedar, which has a considerably higher ignition point at around 800' degrees F. Compare the lower ignition point of Yucca at around 200' degrees.

Be ready to work harder to crank out an ember.

Yes, a Yucca spindle is one of the most effective bow drill woods you can use.

Cottonwood is the best bow drill wood.

Based on my experience in the West, Cottonwood is the best bow drill wood for the ease of creating an ember with the bow drill method.

Cottonwood

In Oregon, the native Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera) is the most common.

In Texas, Populus deltoides and Populus fremontii are native trees. These species of cottonwood are also found in California and the Southwest.

All cottonwood species in the U.S. will work with this challenging fire-making technique. Consider yourself both lucky and blessed if you have access to this amazing tree.

Willow

In the genus Salix, willows are found in every state of the union, including Alaska, with the only exception being Hawaii and other tropical regions where willows are not native.

A popular wood and easy to find along creeks, rivers, and wetlands. Willow has a low ignition point for friction fire-making. And when conditions are right, one of the finest bow drill woods.

Basswood

American Basswood grows in the northeastern US. "It also grows from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska. According to Wikipedia: "A species of linden, Basswood is often referred to as lime."

For the Midwest and further east, basswood is an excellent choice. During a winter spent in Wisconsin, I was able to harvest basswood and successfully make a bow drill fire with it. It has the same properties as cottonwood and is a smart choice for your bow drill kit.

The best bow drill wood

One of the best woods for a bow drill is Hau, Hibiscus tiliaceus, a flowering tree in Hawaii (we mainlanders know it as Hibiscus).

When dry, the carved wood is light and smooth, similar to balsa. Hau has all the characteristics needed for one of the most effective friction-fire woods. Hau is a soft, non-resinous wood that grows along the coastlines of many Pacific islands.

I discovered the uses of Hau for myself when collaborating on the Discovery Channel's Man vs Wild, during the Desert Island episode.

 A bow drill spindle - wood discovery

At camp, we teach over twenty different shrubs and trees of North America that will work with the bow drill. Any discovery of another wood for the bow drill is exciting! A few years ago, at our Survival Camp for Teenagers, the apprentice staff and students discovered a wood that was not on our list of bow drill woods.

Over time, bow drill spindles wear out from use.

As the cedar spindle wore out, a new one was needed. This was a dilemma. The group needed to find another spindle. But there were no cedar or other woods they were familiar with to be found. The teens thought about the properties that would make an effective bow drill spindle.

And they found a solution! A piece of dead and dry Shasta Red Fir (Abies magnifica) that fit their requirements. Because the fir was all that was available, they decided to give the Red Fir spindle a whirl.

Sweat, persistence, ingenuity, and perseverance

With much sweat and persistence, the teens succeeded in creating a burning coal which they then transferred into a tinder bundle made from a plant called Horse Lichen, Bryoria fremontii.

Bryoria fremontii, for you Tinder buffs. Bryoria grows in the same area as the Shasta Red Fir in northern California. The teens' ingenuity and perseverance made them successful in their quest for fire. B. fremontii grows in Oregon as well.

Bark of Pine used for a Bow Drill Fireboard

This season, our staff member, Carter Hayes, was able to produce an ember using a thick piece of outer bark from Jeffrey Pine (Pinus jeffreyi).

This is no small feat. Having tried using a variety of different types of bark, I had no success. Watch Carter demonstrate his bow drill technique. Not once, but twice.

Pine is a softwood. Why is pine not on your list of bow drill woods?

This is an excellent question.

The problem with using pine (Pinus) wood for friction is that pine contains an abundance of pitch. Pine pitch is a lubricant. Much like adding oil to a squeaky door hinge, pitch acts the same way. It lubricates. Pitch is the sticky stuff that gets all over your hands when you're handling pine.

Can you use Pine Wood for the Bow Drill?

I would not recommend it for a beginner.  As I said in the above paragraph, because of pitch, you can have friction issues due to pitch acting as a lubricant.

The key to using pine wood, in my experience, is harvesting wood from older trees where the bark has peeled off. Stay away from the limbs, but use the interior wood of the trunk to carve out your hearth board and spindle.

For Now Focus on the Best Woods for the Bow Drill

For now, look for softwoods other than pine. When you have mastered the best woods for the bow drill. Try your hand at pine. You might be surprised at how successful you can be.

Bow Drill Fatwood Video

Since we're on the topic of pitch, here we have taken it to the extreme using a bow drill fireboard impregnated with pine resin. This is known as Fatwood. As you know, friction is reduced by pitch.

What Carter is attempting to do is even more difficult than getting an ember using pine bark as a hearth board.

Video of Carter with Fat Wood Fireboard

Douglas Fir Bark. Can it be done?

Yes, Carter is at it again. During July's teen camp, we found a promising candidate: a solid piece of Douglas Fir Bark (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Watch our YouTube video as Carter spins an amazingly short cedar spindle (I don't know how he can use such a short spindle) on a Douglas Fir fireboard. Success? You be the judge.

Carter making a smoking ember with a Douglas Fir hearth board.

In conclusion

No doubt about it, the woods I have listed in this post are some, if not the best, woods for creating an ember with the Bow Drill.

Are there any other woods that are as good or even better? Perhaps, though, the right bow drill wood might be the one you have growing in your backyard or neighborhood.

Have a question? Drop it in the comments section below.

Learn the Bow Drill technique at First Circle Camp and the Oregon Survival School.

Dang! That water is cold! As a sometimes cold-water immersion therapy enthusiast, I enjoy cold water plunges to temporarily reduce muscle soreness and joint pain after a long hike or workout. According to studies on the effects of cold-water therapy on humans. Submerging one’s body at temperatures of 59F or colder offer the best results for temporary relief of inflamed muscles and joints. And as you can see in the first video. Safely submerging the body in snowmelt water. Gives the psyche a boost in positive mental attitude. And it’s also great fun!

Cold Water Immersion Therapy

Wood for fire plows can be found from Hawaii’s warm beaches to Oregon’s misty coastal forests. What are the right types to use with the fire plow method? The fire plow is a Polynesian fire-making technique. This ancient fire skill developed in part due to native woods.

Fire plow wood types

This early fire skill developed in part due to the native woods available on the islands of the Pacific. Wood such as Hau, traditionally used in Hawaii, is not found as a native plant on the US mainland. However, there are still many local kinds of wood that have similar qualities that can be used in place of Hau.

Hawaiian Hau wood

Hau, (Hibiscus tiliaceus) is the native Hawaiian species used for the base stick or baseboard. Hau is lighter in weight and similar to Balsa wood when compared to our native woods, such as Cottonwood, that grow on the mainland.

The Maori use Kaikomako

In New Zealand, the Maori people use Kaikomako, (Pennantia corymbosa), a small deciduous forest tree, as the stick or plow.  I understand that Kaikaomako can be used for both the stick and the board. Though having not used these two woods together myself, I am unable to verify it. If you have tried Kaikomako for your whole kit, please tell us about your experience in the comment section below.

 Alternative woods

Cottonwood (Populus species) has enough in common with Hau to make Cottonwood a reasonable alternative wood for Hau. But it's not the best option, as you'll find out.

What is the fire plow method?

The fire plow, in my experience, is the simplest and most basic way to start a fire by friction. It's an exciting way to make fire because of the simplicity of the process.

The fire plow is the traditional Polynesian technique of making fire. While the people of Oceania, specifically a Samoan King I know, make it seem easy. However, believe me when I say it is not, unless you grew up getting strong the Maori way.

Here is useful information about the Maori fire plough and the wood used.

How the fire plow works

The simplicity of the fire plow comes from the fact that you only need two parts for your fire kit. Like the hand drill technique common in the America's, which uses only the drill and hearth board. As opposed to the bow drill, which is a more complicated but easier way of generating fire.

The Plow and Fireboard

The two pieces of wood required for your kit are the plow and the fireboard. The fireboard is made of softwood. In the traditional Hawaiian method, the plough or blade itself is made from hard wood called Olema.

A plow stick, also called the blade, is pushed with short strokes beginning at about the board's middle. And pushed outwards towards the end of the fireboard away from you. A V-groove is created by the friction of the plow head.

Push the plow in one direction

Push the plough in only one direction. Friction by pressure creates heat by using your upper body strength and pushing the plow forward against the fireboard.

The friction will create a powder or dust. The dust is pushed into a pile with each forward push of the plow at the end of the groove on the fireboard.

This motion is repeated in faster-faster and shorter strokes until the tinder dust begins smoking and has formed an ember. Once you have a smoking ember, tap the fire board a couple of times to consolidate the dust around the ember. Then tip your hot ember onto your tinder bundle and blow it to flame.

Alternative woods for the Fire Plow

• Basswood
• Cedar
• Cottonwood
• Poplars
• Redwood
• Willow

As I mentioned before, Cottonwood or any Populous species will work as an alternative fire plow wood. The similar structural qualities of Hau and Cottonwood make Cottonwood an excellent choice.

Before I made fire with Hau, I learned using our Oregon Red Cedar for both the plow and the fireboard. At the time, all I had to work with was my bow drill stash at home. I did some research and discovered that cedar would work in place of Hau.

The best alternative woods for the Fire Plow

I reached out to my good friend Joe Lau, Phyre Master, and primitive fire skills instructor par excellence. And asked him what woods he used for his demonstration of the Fire Plow. And lucky for us, Joe shared his awesome Phyre Dojo wisdom.

Fire Plow Base Woods

• Yucca
• Sotol
• Hickory
• Bamboo

Although Yuccas aren't "local", they are EVERYWHERE in New Jersey due to landscaping choices. For demos and teaching, I will only use Yuccas and Sotol. Sotol can be bought on ETSY, but you have to tell the guy exactly what you're looking for: 2ft long cylinders that are as large/wide diameters as possible.

"Locally, in NJ, I have been successful with large Cattails and Velvetleaf plant stalks as Blades and Catalpa and Pawpaw woods as bases. I have also been successful with a Hickory base with a Cattail stalk. Surprisingly, I got some old BAMBOO on BAMBOO to go. I also don't experiment enough with this method..."  ~Joe Lau

Fire Plow plant stalks for plow blades

• Cattail
• Velvet Leaf

Lastly

In my article The Best Bow Drill Woods I laid out the best softwoods to use. Many of our local woods can be used successfully for the fire plow method. You're only limited by the width, depth, and length of the wood. To be successful, be sure to use a recommended softwood species and make sure the wood is completely dry.