The hand drill is the second most commonly used method of primitive fire making. This method will test your physical abilities more than the bow drill. It takes much more energy and downward force applied from the shoulders than the bow drill does! I am not going to take you through a step by step on how to construct the hand drill and fireboard because there are other resources for that. One of the most important things to remember is to not make your fire-board to thick because the heat source will not be close enough to the tinder if your board is too thick. This will make getting a coal much more difficult. Also, a long drill is not needed like you see in most videos. It can be done with drills from 12-24″ in length. And 24″ is on the long side and is really not needed unless doing a two person setup. Also make sure your drill is smooth so that it creates less wear and tear on your palms. Hand drill will give you a blister quicker than anything I know of! Also remember that down pressure is the most important thing and the pressure must be kept heavy when you are close to getting a coal. To increase your efficiency you can rock the drill backwards and forwards in the hole every few passes. This will increase oxygen to the tinder and cut the amount of time down needed to get a coal. These are a few things to keep in mind when starting your hand drill. Also I always tie on thumb holds with cordage if I have the opportunity because it reduces the energy expenditure tremendously. These simple little tricks should have you well on your way to getting fire in the bush. Check out the videos below for detailed instruction!
If your interested in learning these skills then you should check out our Survival Standard, Advanced Survival Standard, or Primitive Fire and Water Procurement Course
How to Hand Drill Friction Fire Made Easy
Friction Fire Hand Drill
