You are about to take a step-by-step tutorial on the art of friction fire, specifically, the bowdrill method of making fire.
There are a lot of different techniques out there. Myself, I have had numerous instructors, including; Tom Brown's staff, Larry Dean Olsen's Anasazi staff, but mostly I copied the techniques of Carl, a Master Instructor for S.U.W.S.(Sch. of Urban and Wilderness Survival). The technique you are about to learn has been taught to hundreds of my students with a high degree of success. On the average, 80% succeed in starting a coal during their first class. In numerous instances I have achieved 100% success with as any as 20 students. The excitement or thrill of starting your first friction fire is difficult to put into words. It is my hope that I am able to guide you to that experience. Then you will understand Tom Hanks' reaction in Cast Away.
Why fire by friction? Aren't there easier ways to get a fire going in an emergency? Why not teach the flint-and-steel method of making fires? This appears to have been the method of choice in this country for several centuries.
Good questions. The reason I have chose bowdrill fire over flint-and-steel is a matter of reality. In order to succeed at the flint-and-steel method, charred cloth is an essential part to making it all work. It's something you have to take to the woods with you. If you are going to "take something" you're better off taking a magnesium metal-match. It's much easier and much more reliable.
Everything you need to start a fire-by-friction is already out there. The only thing you will want to have is a knife. I have produced a bowdrill set without the use of a knife. So, even if you went out there totally unprepared, knowing how to start a friction fire will give you the opportunity to affect your own survival in a very dramatic way.
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