Q&A for How to Start a Fire With a Bow Drill

Your hands wouldn't generate enough friction, and you would burn your hand. There is another method using a stick instead of a bow to create fire.

You can use a pocketknife or multitool to cut the notch. If you don't have those, you could try to find a piece of wood that is naturally in the right shape, but this is nearly impossible.

The rocks should be 2 - 4 times larger than your fist and the rocks should be placed in a small circle not a massive circle.

You can pile a lot of small rocks up and seal them with wet mud. (Wait until the mud dries before starting your fire.)

Absolutely not. Make sure your pet is not nearby where you're doing this, as your pet could incur injury.

Yes it is, as long as you don't touch the stick that is spinning, and make sure the rock that you use to hold the stick is thick and it doesn't crack.

About 15-30 minutes depending on the situation, the weather, and the humidity of the wood.

Usually it takes about 15-30 minutes, depending on how dry is the wood, how strong are you, and the weather conditions.

It doesn’t need to be tight, but don’t leave it slack either. Make sure the string is tight when you put your spindle in it, because it has to have friction to catch and turn the stick.

Follow all the same steps as with hardwood. Softwood is in fact easier to start a fire with than hardwood. Make sure the wood is dead and not green though.