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Step 1
Select a strong, straight piece of wood for the spindle. The spindle has to be sturdy enough to survive the rapid twisting of the bow, which allows a rapid spark to ignite. Some good spindle woods are cedar, spruce, willow and basswood.
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Step 2
Choose a fire board for the spindle to set in and rotate. The fire board should be flat and have an indentation in the center. The fire board holds the spindle on the bottom; the top of the spindle is held in place with a smaller piece of wood called the handhold.
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Step 3
Make the bow from green wood and split the ends to accommodate the string. String the bow with 1/4-inch thick cotton jute, rawhide or strong rope. The bowstring should be held in place with a good solid knot.
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Step 4
Set the spindle on the fire board and wrap the bowstring around it. The bowstring should be wrapped in a way that rotates the spindles rapidly while holding it in place on the fire board. Experiment with different ways to wrap the string around the spindle.
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Step 5
Place your left foot on top of the fire board while holding the handhold on top of the spindle. The fire board and handhold have to be kept from slipping so as to provide maximum support for the rotation of the spindle.
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Step 6
Shove a ball of dry kindling materials, about 2 inches in diameter, into the fire board's indentation while rapidly rotating the spindle back and forth with the bow.
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Step 7
Blow gently on the kindling at the first sign of smoke and remove the spindle from the fire.
