Elderberry Bow Drill Spindle

If you’ve watched many of my videos, you know that I like wildflower spindles (goldenrod, ironweed and mullein in particular). They regularly allow me to make some of the fastest and easiest embers ever. The only downside is that wildflowers can’t be harvested year-round. They are best cut a week or so after they bloom in the fall. Then they need to be left to dry for a week or so.

The elderberry spindle in this video was just as easy to work with as any wildflower spindle. However, elderberry offers the advantage of being available all year long – assuming it grows in your area. I encourage you to try it if it does.

The funny thing is that when I came across that elderberry bush, at first I thought it was a white ash sapling. Common/American elderberry and white ash both have compound leaves with seven leaflets per leaf. I’ve actually made that mistake before. When I looked closer at the at the “trunk” and branch structure, though, I was pretty sure it was elderberry. When I broke off a dead limb and saw the pith center, I was certain.

Ahi! Sua! Qul!

[Skarn]

Elderberry is my favorite spindle for hand drill.

[linklesstennessee]

Good information I have never used elderberry good to know I can’t do a bow drill no more or hand drill but my grandson can I still can use a fire roll or flint n steel I had a stroke lol but I like to watch closet thing I can get now keep on letting us see a roll of artificial sinew is a handy thing to have on hand

[sosteve]

Great demonstration, you got the ember pretty quick

[KettleCamping]

Thank you! great video! New sub! Cheers from Canada!

[standaffern]

Great video, just stumbled across your channel.
Recently I helped a friend cleaning up the overgrowth on his property and ended up with some nice pieces of elderberry and willow for firemaking.
What I made from a green piece about 3/4” and lashed at both ends was a host spindle that works well for bowdrill with a piece of dense fatwood for the pivot end so it is self lubricating then I’ve inserted small pieces of willow, mullein, maple, and other varieties I want to experiment with into the other end, thereby eliminating the need to look for straight piece.
On my latest attempt I just used a rather large divot in a handhold of a pine knot branch base, and a hearthboard made of poplar.
Keep up the good work teaching skills to the younger generation, they may need them…

[gregelston]

That opening line had me hooked! Nice video! My mother used to make elderberry jelly, yum! I never once thought of using it for fire making! After watching you with the bow drill and Boggy Creek Beast hand drilling elderberry, I will surely give it a try. I sure am glad I found your channel. Keep up the good work!……I did notice it was light colored wood going with your discovery that light colored woods are typically best. I am curious if a less degraded spindle would turn to ember on the end? Have you ever got your spindle to ember on its tip? I’m just curious if bow drill can do that? It also makes me wonder how a spindle carved out of a thicker stalk would work? That would eliminate the pithy center. (I remember how you had used the light colored part of red cedar as opposed to the heart wood).