Top 6 Ways Start a Fire with Sticks

As a prepper, no matter what event you feel is threatening our world and our way of life, you can rest assured that being able to start a fire with sticks is one basic skill you will need at some point.

feather sticks burning in outdoor fire
feather sticks burning in outdoor fire

In addition, there are many different activities you participate in during “normal times” which could leave you stranded without any way to get warm.

Sure, you can often carry a lighter, matches, or a flint and fire striker, but imagine you are stranded without one of these easy ways to start a fire?

The ability to start a fire without matches or a lighter is a skill that distinguishes the men from the boys when it comes to prepping, but that doesn’t mean you should rely solely on it.

The harsh reality is that friction fire-starting methods are hard for most folks. You need the right wood, and you need a lot of patience, not to mention you’re going to spend a lot of calories to get those sparks going, precious calories you might need for other tasks in a survival situation.

Preparation

No matter which method of fire-starting you choose, it’s a good idea to have all your materials ready before you get started. If you don’t take time to prepare beforehand, you could spend vital time getting an ember burning and still not be able to get a fire going.

To make sure you can keep a fire going once you have an ember, you will want to have your tinder bundle made and placed near the area where you will be starting your fire.

The type of tinder that you use to start your fire is very important so that you can transform the ember produced into an actual flame. A tinder bundle should consist of bits of dry, easily ignitable materials such as dandelion fluff, dead grass, withered plants, or dried stalks.

You’ll also want to collect kindling and other firewood to feed your fire once you get it started. Kindling and wood should be seasoned and dry so it will catch fire easily.

That said, starting a fire with sticks is still a good basic survival skill. There are three basic ways to start a fire with sticks,one unique way using willow and chaga and another way using a cotton ball and ashes

ember showing during hand drill
ember showing during hand drill

The Hand Drill Method

The hand drill method of firemaking is the simplest and oldest way to start a fire. It uses friction to produce heat and eventually a coal which is then used with your tinder to start your fire.

The type of tinder that you use to start your fire is very important so that you can transform the ember produced into an actual flame.

But be warned, the method is simple, but it will be very hard work and many people give up before they are actually able to get an ember hot enough to start a fire.

Before You Begin:

Lay a dry piece of wood about ½ to ¾ of an inch thick on the ground and cut a V notch in one side. The notch will allow needed oxygen and allow for the ember to build.

Make a small depression in the board near the notch. This will keep your spindle in place as you spin it.

Make a spindle about 2-foot long and the thickness of your thumb or little finger and shave any bumps or branches off. If you can find fireweed, it makes a great spindle.

Before you attempt to start your fire, gather your tinder into a bundle and have it ready. The best tinder consists of dry materials that will ignite easily such as wood shavings, dry grass or leaves, or cattail fluff.

You want to create a nest of tinder that you will lay the coal into so that you can then transport it over to where you will build your fire.

Watch How It’s Done

This video really gives some great details about how to select your wood, the best thing to use for tinder, and how to position your hands and body for best results when using the hand drill method:

Hand Drill Friction Fire: Complete Step by Step

When you are ready to begin, kneel on the ground near your fireboard. Put one knee behind with your front foot on the far end of the board to hold it in place while you work.

Stand the spindle up with the working end in the depression of the fire board and hold the other end between your hands, one on each side of the spindle.

You will need to then start to roll the spindle between your hands very quickly while pushing downward at the same time. Your hands should move up and down the spindle.

You must keep the momentum going until you begin to see a bit of smoke. Once you see smoke, continue twirling with downward pressure until the tip of the spindle is glowing red and an ember forms.

It is the friction caused by the downward pressure and spinning that is critical to getting the heat needed to form an ember. Don’t stop when you see the first sign of smoke!

This is a critical error that many beginners make. That first wisp of smoke is your signal to spin a bit faster and push down a bit harder as you do. You must twirl with pressure long enough to transform the tip of your spindle into a hot ember.

Once your ember forms, bump the board so the ember falls through the V notch onto your bark or piece of leaf. Transfer the ember to your tinder bundle and blow on it gently until you have a flame, then transport to your fire pit and light the kindling.

The Bow Drill Method

Another method of fire starting is the bow-drill method. It’s an age-old method that has long been taught to Boy Scouts, military men, and survivalists for many decades.

The bow drill method uses friction to create heat to then ignite your tinder. It is not a method where you can simply learn the steps or watch it done on YouTube and then rely on it to start a fire in a survival situation where your life depends on staying warm.

Experienced survivalists will tell you that the bow drill method is one that must be practiced repeatedly in order to be able to be confident of your ability to use it to start a fire in a survival situation.

Before You Begin:

The bow drill method is similar to the hand drill method and also requires that you gather your materials in advance, before trying to start your fire.

If you plan to use the bow drill method, it’s best if you can create your bow drill kit in advance and carry it with you in your bug out bag. A bow drill kit consists of the bow and drill, your spindle, a fireboard and pan.

a bow drill fire starter kit
The bow, spindle, fireboard, and charcoal catcher on a rock

You will also need string or cordage that is approximately ¼ inch thick. Experienced survivalists will also carry a bit of tinder in their kit as well just in case dry material is unavailable when needed.

Select the proper wood, preferably softwoods (birch, willow, spruce, pine, or maple). Avoid using hardwoods if at all possible as they require far more physical exertion.

When possible, let the wood you will use to create your kit dry out in the sun for a week or two weeks in a shaded area. Do not use pressure-treated wood for any part of your kit as it produces dangerous fumes when heated.

Your bow will be made from a green branch about the diameter of your thumb. It should be slightly bowed and the length of your chest to your hand if your arm is stretched out in front of you.

Shave off any knots or uneven areas of the branch and cut a two-inch notch in each end with your knife. The cordage, rawhide thong, or leather you use should be 1 ½ times as long as your branch. Slip one end of the string through each notch and knot the string using a knot that won’t come undone easily.

Unlike your bow, the fireboard will be made from dead wood that is dry and not green. If your fireboard wood is damp, it will reduce your likelihood of producing the coal as described in the hand drill method, and is essential for fire starting.

It should be about one foot long, about ½ to ¾ of an inch thick and 2-3 inches wide for best results. To test for the correct hardness of the fireboard, use your thumbnail to make an impression in the wood.

Once you have your kit prepared, your campfire prepared with kindling and larger sticks to one side, prepare your tinder bundle as previously described and then you’re ready to begin.

Watch How It’s Done:

There are some great tips and step by step instructions in this video:

Firecraft- Bow drill tips

Lay the fireboard on the ground, again placing one foot or knee on the end will hold the board in place. Wrap the spindle into the cordage of the bow, you should be able to hold the spindle with one hand and pull the bow back and forth with the other hand to cause the spindle to spin against the depression in it.

Many experienced survivalists will rub the rounded spindle end against their forehead to oil it so there is less friction between the top of the spindle and the palm of your hand.

bow drill in action

You can also use a handhold or cap on the spindle top to lower the friction on the palm of their hand and allow for more downward pressure. Begin pulling the bow and let the string twirl the spindle while you push downward with your top hand.

Once again you are watching for the smoke to begin, spin faster and push down harder for another minute and watch forthe ember or coal to form.

Once it’s there, let it drop through onto your bark piece or leaf and put it into your tinder bundle. Once in the tinder bundle, blow gently until you have a flame and then transfer to your kindle in your campfire stack.

ember on fire plow
ember on fire plow

Making a Fire Plow

A third method of fire starting also uses friction but with a bit of a twist. Rather than using a spinning motion, the fire plow method relies on a back-and-forth sliding movement to create friction.

Before You Begin:

You will still use a spindle and a fireboard as in the previously described methods. Prepare these first. When making the fireboard, however, you will carve a rut or trough into it so that you can slide the spindle back and forth quickly until you produce the friction needed to get a hot ember.

Watch How It’s Done:

Watch the fire plow method in action here:

Primitive Technology: Fire Plow

Unique Reverse Fire Plow Method

Below is a really unique method of fire starting without any cordage and using only a piece of willow branch with a steep pitch and Chaga, a mushroom.

Chaga is a type of fungus which typically grows on birch trees and other hardwood trees. It looks like wood, it’s brownish black and hard.

Watch How It’s Done:

Unique Cordage-less Friction Fire Method

Cotton Fire Roll

This less commonly known way to start a fire involves using cotton fibers, such as those from a cotton ball and ashes. It’s called a fire roll because if you do it correctly, you’ll have a cylindrical roll of fibers that will catch fire.
Before You Begin:

You will need at least one cotton ball unrolled so it’s long and flat. And a sprinkling of cold fire ashes. Experienced preppers save these from their campfire or stove and carry them in a metal container so they can be reused when needed. Next, find two long flat boards or pieces of wood.

Watch How It’s Done:

Friction Fire 4 Ways... Fire Roll, Hand Drill, Bow Drill, and Bamboo Fire Saw

Lay the unrolled piece of cotton ball on one piece of the wood. Sprinkle the ashes onto the flat piece of cotton ball. Roll up the cotton ball using the palm of your hand. The ashes should be inside and on the outside and it should be long and cylindrical.

Roll it back and forth a couple of times with the palm of your hand so it’s tightly rolled. Place the other flatboard on top of the roll.

Run it across several times slowly in one direction to tighten the roll further. Then rub the board quickly back and forth over the cotton roll, pushing down to apply pressure, until you start to smell smoke.

When you open or slightly tear the roll apart, you should start to see flames. Place your tinder bundle and blow like you would with any other flame to get it going.

Bamboo Fire Saw

Before You Begin:

You’ll need to find and cut a relatively long and straight piece of bamboo. Split the piece of bamboo in half lengthwise. Use a sharp knife to scrape bamboo shavings from the outside of the piece of bamboo.

You need enough shavings to make a tinder bundle to catch the ember when it forms.

Use your knife to make a small hole in the curved portion of the bamboo stick. This will be your top board. Put as much of a chamfer or sloping edge around the hole as you can with your knife.

Turn the bamboo piece over and on the curved side, cut a slight You will place the bamboo shavings or tinder bundle inside this piece of bamboo around the hole.

Now you need a second piece of bamboo, you can use the other half of the bamboo stick for this and it will be your bottom board. You can use your knife to sharpen the long edge of one side of the bottom board.

This is where you will run the top board back and forth to create friction. It may help if you cut one end of the bamboo stick off at an angle so when you push it up against a tree and hold it with your hip, it will hold better.

Watch How It’s Done:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x99wc\u002d\u002dioP8

Place the cut end of the bottom board against the tree and hold it tight with your hip on the other end. The edge that you sharpened should be slightly higher.

Put the bamboo shavings inside the top board near the hole and hold it tight with your thumbs. Hold the top board with two hands and run it back and forth over the sharpened length of the bottom board.

After several passes back and forth you should start to see smoke. This is your signal to quicken the pace and increase the pressure.

When the ember forms, it should be pushed up through the hole and into your tinder bundle. Remove the tinder bundle and blow into it to get the flame going and then add to your kindling pile.

Important Fire-Starting Tips

  • Use strong cordage that won’t break easily or be used up quickly in case your string has more tension than needed.
  • A leather strip will grip your spindle better when using the bow drill method.
  • Your spindle should be evenly sloped at the bottom end and should be as straight as possible. A crooked spindle can in fact keep you from succeeding.
  • Take care with the size of the notch in your fireboard and where it’s located to ensure your spindle doesn’t jump out of the hole when you are spinning.
  • It’s important to select the right wood for each piece of your fire drill kit. Wood to make your bow must be green so it will flex a bit and not snap.
  • Carry a book on how to identify trees in your EDC kit so that you can more easily select the correct wood to use.
  • Moisture in your wood is the enemy when you are trying to start a fire using friction. Make sure wood has had sufficient time to dry out.

Troubleshooting Guide

  • The color of the powder produced in fire starting is created by how fast you drill whereas the consistency of the powder is created by the amount of downward pressure you are applying.
  • If you are getting light brown dusty powder but no smoke, you don’t have enough heat so you should drill faster and apply more downward pressure.
  • If you are getting light brown powder that seems fuzzy, it means the pressure is okay but you aren’t drilling fast enough
  • Dark brown or black powder that appears curly indicates you should drill slower but with more pressure.
  • Crusty dark brown or black powder means you are pushing down too hard and drilling too fast.

Using a friction method to start a fire is a true survivalist skill and not one that many people can do successfully on a reliable basis. Even the most experienced survivalists will tell you that they struggle with this method when conditions are wet or windy. It’s imperative that you learn the basics first.

Dan’s note: in addition to the ways Megan shared, we also have a few fire-starting hacks in a dedicated article (starting at #17). Use potassium, chlorine, or even gum wrapper.

No matter which of these three fire-starting methods you choose, you absolutely must practice the entire process repeatedly in order to be prepared for any survival situation.

The more you practice your chosen method, the better you will become at gauging the correct positioning, speed, and pressure. Keep practicing over and over until you feel you could start a fire using your chosen method in your sleep.

You need to become confident and skilled in adjusting your speed and pressure in normal conditions to start a fire. The last thing you want is to be stranded in a survival situation where conditions are wet or windy, trying to remember the order of the steps. With enough practice, starting a fire with sticks will be almost as reliable for you as using matches or a lighter.

Which method of fire starting have you used?

starting a fire with sticks Pinterest image

2 thoughts on “Top 6 Ways Start a Fire with Sticks”

  1. The tinder is most important. Back in the days before matches, people carried tinder-boxes. One useful form of tinder is cloth, dried in the oven the set fire to and put in the tinder box and the lid shut down so that the fire goes out through lack of air.
    If you use fluff of any sort, it is likely to be filthy. Wash it well with detergent then dry in an oven below 100C temperature. Put it in your air-tight tinderbox, possibly with some silica drying crystals there too.
    I could start a fire with a bow-drill every time very quickly as long as I had excellent tinder. If you try to gather tinder in the wild, it probably won’t work.

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