Imagine a night where the crackles of a campfire keep you safe from the frosty hands of the night. Since ancient times, the hot, bright flames have captivated humans, offering us comfort and nutrients, but we are connected to them. Whether you are cooking a meal, or simply relaxing under the stars, fires speak to our desire for warmth, comfort, or just the light from the flames. I encourage you to stick around and learn how to start a fire, without matches.
When starting a fire, you need to make sure that nothing is in the way of starting your fire. You need to clear any surrounding obstacles. Clear the area of anything flammable, such as dry roots, shrubs, excess clothing, and make sure your clothes aren’t baggy or loose.
Once you are done with preparing the area, you need to make sure that you have the necessary materials. I will be teaching you how to start a fire using the bow drill method. To start a fire using the bow drill method, you need to have a long, flexible stick. Preferably twelve to eighteen inches long. Next, you will need a fireboard, which is a slab of wood that is at least six inches wide, three inches thick, and twelve inches long. You can either find this naturally, or make one yourself. You can find a dead tree, and cut out the shape of a fireboard with the ax. You also need tinder, which can be dry plant fibers, dry roots, dry leaves, or dry shrubs. Most importantly, you need to have a cord to connect the bow together. The cord can be a shoelace, sweater string, plant fibers, or a root. Lastly, you will need a stick to actually start the fire. It should be four to six inches long.
Now that you have all the necessary materials to start the fire, the fun begins! To start, you have to make the bow. Start by tying the cord to both ends of the long stick.once you do that, the long stick should be bent to about a semicircle shape. It should also have a little bit of cord in the middle to push the fire starting stick in. Now that you have the bow, you need to prep the fire board. Cut a hole in the middle of the board, making sure it is deep enough to hold some tinder, while also being small enough so none of it escapes. Then, cut a hole into the little divot from the side, so it has enough oxygen to light. Place enough tinder to fill the bottom of the divot, but not too much so that it doesn’t fall out when we start lighting.Lastly, just place the stick in the divot and use the bow to rotate it quickly. If you have done it correctly and you are rotating the stick fast enough, then the fire will start, and as long everything is dry.
Overall, mastering the bow drill method is a very hard thing to do, and don’t be mad if it doesn’t work the first few times you try it. If you practice enough, then it will become easier, but it won’t be easy. It requires patience and persistence to do, and you should be proud to learn how to start it.
Image Credit: Adobe Stock – thehakanarslan
TJ Evans – Phillips Exeter Academy – DMSF Class of 2028