Moreton Bay Fig Tree, Bow Drill.

3 years ago
25

In Australia I'm continuing my search and practice for suitable woods to make an ember by friction, by using the bow drill or hand drill techniques.

Today I found a few pieces of suitably dry wood from an iconic tree, the Moreton Bay Fig Tree, Ficus macrophylla.

It is best known for its imposing buttress roots. It's a large evergreen banyan tree of the family Moraceae native to eastern Australia, from the Wide Bay–Burnett region in the north to the Illawarra in New South Wales, as well as Lord Howe Island.

The wood is very soft and I found it to be a perfect for the bow drill. At one point during the bowing, hot embers were falling out onto the ember pan, which was a first for me.

Has anyone else used the Moreton Bay Fig for a bow drill, how did you get on?

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