Western Red Cedar Fire Plow

Sotol fire plow is getting trivially easy. Even got a one handed fire plow to work. So, I decided to try the technique with a Home Depot WRC fence slat. The plow is made from a piece of the fence slat. The key to the technique is controlling the angle of the plow, to get proper texture of char. If the angle is too high, the char gets too "chunky." If the angle is too low, it is difficult to apply enough downward pressure. And, oh yeah, it takes a while to get in "fire plow shape."

The tinder was poor, so the fire took much longer than it should have, but usually that is the easy part, once you have the coal. I just grabbed some pine needles that fell on the ground...probably a bit moist from being on the ground overnight. After a while I got frustrated with the blowing, and just swung it around, like I've seen in demos done at the Polynesian Cultural Center. That did the trick. Sorry I got out of camera view a few times.

I'm good for two WRC coals a day. After that, I'm too pooped to do a third. Not the easiest material for this method. No success yet with cottonwood yet, which Bart Blankenship (author of "Earth Knack, Stone Age Skill for the 21st Century") is successful with.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• friction fire
• fire plow
• primitive skills

[Masowai]

Nice job. I've never seen anyone do this. Seems like waaaay too much effort, though. I would rather use a firebow drill. Good vid.

[baidarka7]

@Masowai

Yeah, it's not really practical. Just a "proof of concept". :-) Sotol is much easier and more reliable.

[mtgrata]

nicely done... i can see its gonna take me some time getting "plow shape"... where can i get some sotol wood? in in western pa.

[baidarka7]

You won't be able to find any sotol in PA. I have some, and I can send you a piece, if you're willing to pay the shipping.

As you can see, it doesn't have to be sotol, but anything other than sotol requires a lot of effort.

[myactionhobbies]

Good job and nice image of the footage. I am wondering what kind of camera you were using while taking this. I am considering of buying one now and am looking for suggestions.

Thanks.

[baidarka7]

I replied a couple of days ago, but it didn't post. The camera is a Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP. A friend got the same camera, and is happy with it.

[kermitttt]

My wife told me to pratice this method :/

[FrontCortex]

I watched this done old school style by a man in a grass skirt in Fiji, and he literally had fire in about 30 seconds, easy! He took much longer strokes, 2-3 times as long as yours. Also, for better stability and much less effort, get on your knees, your body weight would greatly increase the friction quotient. It shouldn't take that much effort. Longer strokes!

[billarakas]

Here in Greece there isn't any cedar or sotol.Can you send me a small piece?

[Replicachile1]

Fire!...Great Men jajaja great!...wath wood are the best? thx

[MrVoiceofreason123]

@mtgrata Sotol only grows in the Sonoran desert of Arizona.

[MrVoiceofreason123]

@baidarka7 It could possibly work with a flatbow design.

[Arabhacks]

Baidarka, the kayak from the Aleutian?