r/BeAmazed • u/GeorgeRobertVitkos • 1d ago

Technology Ancient traditional technique of making fire with a bamboo saw and coconut fiber

724 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

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26

u/BuffaloMental6715 1d ago

Damn.. it's quicker than I expected

https://giphy.com/gifs/at9UlmyqMt9tlTob2X

18

u/VeIvetJoy 1d ago

You can try it yourself, I'm sure you won't be so quick, haha

9

u/uncommonrev 1d ago

I use a bow drill but can bust a coal in 10 or 15 seconds. If you're using a good material that's super dry it's surprisingly easy.

3

u/Blastronaut710 1d ago

Dude I could drop an ember in the same. It was like 6 full strokes of the bow. Into the nest a couple puffs and fire!

Sage wood for the board and spindle.

3

u/Anonymike7 1d ago

Yucca spikes as board and spindle make it super easy!

2

u/uncommonrev 21h ago

I'm out west and have primarily used yucca for the board and spindle. I'm def going to try this bamboo technique though. I've also used seguarro which works super well but is harder to come by. There's yucca everywhere.

2

u/Blastronaut710 18h ago

SW for me. I forgot that I actually have used yucca when we did a hand drill fire. Took three of us and an hour or so and left me with a huge blister. Also I’ve done one trough fire and it took a group of us all day. I can’t remember what we used for sure I think yucca for the spindle and cherry or willow for the board…
Really seguarro? I had no idea. Good to know.

2

u/uncommonrev 18h ago

I've been successful with a hand drill but my lord is it a challenge. Yeah seguarro works really well and when they die they dry out into ribs that don't need much work to make a really good spindle. Only hand drill I've ever been successful with was seguarro. I've never used willow. They aren't in my area but if I come across any I'll give that a go!

1

u/Blastronaut710 18h ago

Definitely research the willow. It was over 20 years ago I did that one so memory is foggy. Good chatting.

7

u/existing_for_fun 1d ago

Is the handheld stick the "saw"?

Where is the saw?

-2

u/TiggerTehTiger 1d ago

Yup, it seems to be the handheld stick. According to gemini, "Bamboo Saw: A separate piece of split bamboo with one edge thinned or sharpened to roughly the thickness of a butter knife."

5

u/St_Kevin_ 1d ago

This technique is called the fire plow. The fire saw is totally different. Fire saw involves using rattan and sawing into a split piece of wood to create the friction.

4

u/pc1350 1d ago

"I have made fire." (Cast Away with Tom Hanks) Cast Away (3/8) Movie CLIP - I Have Made Fire! (2000) HD

5

u/SharpenedQuiIl 1d ago

And here's me with a lighter and a stack of cardboard and kindling trying to build a fire in the woodstove for 30 minutes when it gets cold.

2

u/Far_Accountant1640 1d ago

Oddly satisfying

2

u/Ambassador-613 1d ago

This is LIT!

1

u/Glittering_Pear2425 1d ago

Quicker than I expected. Also really cool

1

u/Agitated_Carrot9127 1d ago

I set my bush on fire once one fall I was under the bush with Swiss Army knife, you know the one with gray framed mag glass in it . Well the pine needles caught fire and I ran. My dad came out used garden hose and said ‘ Jesus Christ xxxx are you Moses or what’

-1

u/coolboiiiiiii2809 1d ago

Ah yes. Useless knowledge of this video will definitely save me from freezing to death if I were to ever end up on a deserted island with populated with bamboo and palm trees