The Fire Plough \ Fire Plow \ Stick and Groove
The Fire Plough is commonly seen to be one of the most difficult friction methods in the UK (and Europe) amongst the bushcraft scene, with few people succeeding and as a result it can be difficult to find information on using this method in the UK. I would like to put that right... I feel that I can now (June 2020) say a little bit more about the Fire Plough as I have now been able to successfully coax out quite a few embers , and have more knowledge to share on my experiences and what seems to work for me, and more importantly, what doesn't work for me as failure is the key to success! I am not an expert, and I still have more practice to do but the Fire Plough is possible in the UK , you don't need to be muscly (I'm not!) but it is a bit of a finickity method and you need to have the right materials, refine the technique and have patience! It has taken me many many attempts over 3 or 4 years to get to this point! I kept giving up but always coming back to it, to give it another go as I knew a few people had achieved it in the UK. I watched as many videos as I could find to get a few tips. This little bit of knowledge and perseverance eventually paid off!
However, when I thought I was getting consistent, it started to get harder a week after first writing this page so I re-watched my own videos, re-read my own advice and tried to figure out what was happening , and I have made a few more updates to the page, and I will update as I learn more. And soon I will try and put together an instructional video (and of course, when I have tired, I could not tease out the ember, so I will continue practicing !)
Here is a short video from June 2020, when I first started to be successful with the fire plough, demonstrating the technique. This video may make it look easy , as this is after a couple of previous attempts - it usually takes a few attempts before I tease out the ember. I have been able to succeed on the first attempt once, but to me it's not important how quickly I do it, it's more about the connection and honouring the ancestral fire, and working with the wood to coax out the fire, and like the hand drill I find this method quite profound in that it's just you and the wood and your hands, and when kneeling it's as it you're praying and bowing to the fire gods :)
However, when I thought I was getting consistent, it started to get harder a week after first writing this page so I re-watched my own videos, re-read my own advice and tried to figure out what was happening , and I have made a few more updates to the page, and I will update as I learn more. And soon I will try and put together an instructional video (and of course, when I have tired, I could not tease out the ember, so I will continue practicing !)
Here is a short video from June 2020, when I first started to be successful with the fire plough, demonstrating the technique. This video may make it look easy , as this is after a couple of previous attempts - it usually takes a few attempts before I tease out the ember. I have been able to succeed on the first attempt once, but to me it's not important how quickly I do it, it's more about the connection and honouring the ancestral fire, and working with the wood to coax out the fire, and like the hand drill I find this method quite profound in that it's just you and the wood and your hands, and when kneeling it's as it you're praying and bowing to the fire gods :)
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The Fire Plough (Fire Plow/ Stick and Groove) is most likely one of the earliest friction methods attempted by our ancestors, due to technical simplicity i.e. literally rubbing 2 pieces of wood together!
It is commonly used throughout Polynesia and Australasia. The Samoans make it look very easy and I watched this video lots of times to refine the technique. The fire plough is also mentioned in the Polynesian Maui legends. |
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A Few Tips:
Wood Combinations:
The only combination that I have been successful with is Hazel on Poplar. I hear that Hazel on Lime also works and Pine is supposed to work and Clematis. I don't have any Lime or Pine to test, but luckily there are many Black Poplar trees in the woods by my house!
I have previously tried Clematis, Ivy and Sycamore as the base but I have not been successful with those yet, so may go back to them again at some point. Hazel and Poplar work very well together, so start with this combination if you are able to, to give yourself an advantage. I have tried Hazel on Hazel after being successful with Hazel on Poplar but Hazel is too hard for the base.
I reccommend a soft wood for the base but not too soft and as I have observed if the wood is too soft or punky I seem to dig through it too fast, so the dust doesn't get a chance to get hot enough. A slightly harder stick seems to work well.
The only combination that I have been successful with is Hazel on Poplar. I hear that Hazel on Lime also works and Pine is supposed to work and Clematis. I don't have any Lime or Pine to test, but luckily there are many Black Poplar trees in the woods by my house!
I have previously tried Clematis, Ivy and Sycamore as the base but I have not been successful with those yet, so may go back to them again at some point. Hazel and Poplar work very well together, so start with this combination if you are able to, to give yourself an advantage. I have tried Hazel on Hazel after being successful with Hazel on Poplar but Hazel is too hard for the base.
I reccommend a soft wood for the base but not too soft and as I have observed if the wood is too soft or punky I seem to dig through it too fast, so the dust doesn't get a chance to get hot enough. A slightly harder stick seems to work well.
I do think I was lucky on the piece of Poplar I originally chose, it was as if my hand was guided to it! What I observed with the Hazel and Poplar set, is that the dust is fibrous \ fluffy (see photo) and so easily rolls along the board; sticking to each other and rolling underneath the stick so getting heated up with the friction and then igniting. I've found I have the most success when I get fibrous dust, and it seems to take less effort. I've found when the dust has been more flaky\chunky it's been much much more difficult to get an ember, if at all. So I personally think an indicator on whether you have a candidate set is to look for the fibrous\fluffy dust, and once you stop getting it, then it may be time to review the kit OR your technique.
The Base Board
I prefer the base board to be at least 5 cms in width and preferably about 8cm in width, I don't want it too narrow or too wide, and I want to be able to comfortably kneel on it and stop it from moving. I carve it flat on both the bottom (so it doesn't rock and is firm on the ground) and on the top and preferably no knots (so it is easy to push and pull the stick over the surface.) You don't want the board moving much at all as that can affect the pressure and the dust can jump all over the place. If on a solid concrete surface (e.g. garage) then place a scrap of carpet underneath. I prefer the wood to be fairly thick so I can get quite a few attempts out of one piece. Too thin and I'll soon work through the wood. I prefer it as long as possible so I can kneel on it or have it between my knees to keep it anchored (or attach it to a longer plank of wood.)
Each time, before I start, I shave the top flat (or the sides of the groove) so there is only a very shallow groove, otherwise a deep groove will slow down the ploughing motion. It seems to work best if most of the friction is at the bottom and not at the sides of the stick. If the base is wide enough, you could also start a new groove each time.
I prefer to make a hole \ bring up some of the wood (see picture) at the end of the groove so the dust can collect together and not fall off the board (I find this really helps. ) Also I keep dust left over from previous attempts and pile that at the end as well. I try to keep dust from all attempts as it's useful for when I get an ember!)
I prefer the base board to be at least 5 cms in width and preferably about 8cm in width, I don't want it too narrow or too wide, and I want to be able to comfortably kneel on it and stop it from moving. I carve it flat on both the bottom (so it doesn't rock and is firm on the ground) and on the top and preferably no knots (so it is easy to push and pull the stick over the surface.) You don't want the board moving much at all as that can affect the pressure and the dust can jump all over the place. If on a solid concrete surface (e.g. garage) then place a scrap of carpet underneath. I prefer the wood to be fairly thick so I can get quite a few attempts out of one piece. Too thin and I'll soon work through the wood. I prefer it as long as possible so I can kneel on it or have it between my knees to keep it anchored (or attach it to a longer plank of wood.)
Each time, before I start, I shave the top flat (or the sides of the groove) so there is only a very shallow groove, otherwise a deep groove will slow down the ploughing motion. It seems to work best if most of the friction is at the bottom and not at the sides of the stick. If the base is wide enough, you could also start a new groove each time.
I prefer to make a hole \ bring up some of the wood (see picture) at the end of the groove so the dust can collect together and not fall off the board (I find this really helps. ) Also I keep dust left over from previous attempts and pile that at the end as well. I try to keep dust from all attempts as it's useful for when I get an ember!)
The Plough \ The Stick
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Previously I was using larger thickness sticks carved to a flat blade at an angle at the end, so the blade was about 3 to 4 cms long and carved thin (5mm.) I now think this is inefficient. What I have found works for me, is a stick about 15mm in diameter (much like you'd use for a bow drill spindle) which I remove the bark at the end and carve it to an angled blade about 8mm to 10mm in thickness. See pictures for an idea of how I carve the blade. The blade may find it's own shape as well once you start ploughing. You don't want it too thin as it will just carve through the base too quickly. Too wide, and it'll be harder to get the pressure.
Before each attempt, it's good to make any alterations to the blade as necessary e.g. if it has got shorter and I'm now into the thicker part of the stick then I carve more away to thin it out again. |
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Length wise - I prefer it to be at least 30cm in length . If you have large hands then you may want a longer stick. I don't want it too long otherwise it may get in the way (poke myself in the chest\face!) Using the overhand grip, I've found it works better if the end of my fingers are at least 5cmish away from the tip, you don't want to be too close or too far away. Also I want to allow for the stick to get shorter over time, so I want to ensure the stick is long enough otherwise I'll be replacing it frequently. I have got through quite a lot of hazel rods in the last couple of weeks!
I prefer the stick to be straight otherwise I won't be able to plough in a straight back and forth motion and I remove any knobbles/bumps etc so it is comfortable to grip.
I prefer the stick to be straight otherwise I won't be able to plough in a straight back and forth motion and I remove any knobbles/bumps etc so it is comfortable to grip.
My fire plow set. This Hazel stick is 30cm in length and 15mm in diameter and carved to a flat angled point about 8mm to 10mm in thickness.
The Hand Grip and Posture
See the above videos for the hand grip - the "Samoan" or "overhand" hand grip as used in the above clips works well for me as I can apply good pressure and use my shoulders and body weight more rather than just my arms.
As shown in the video, I kneel with the board between my knees to anchor it. I've found if I'm too close I'm using my arms too much and it's so much harder and I soon tire. I've found it's better if I position myself so I'm far enough away that my body weight is behind the stick, but not too far away that I feel I may fall forward! I find this a comfortable position. When positioned like this and combined with the overhand grip, I find bouncing on my haunches can really help with the momentum, and I sometimes find myself doing this anyway, without thinking about it - it kinda helps propel your shoulders and arms forward and so you have more bodyweight and because I'm not solely using my arms it is far less tiring and I can go far longer and apply more pressure. I've also recently found that if you re a bit further away you can raise off your haunches and really put your body weight behind it, and this really helps with the pressure and is less tiring. I find it difficult and tiring just using my arms, and that's where I was going wrong. It does take a bit of practice to get used to this posture, but it really has been a game changer for me.
See the above videos for the hand grip - the "Samoan" or "overhand" hand grip as used in the above clips works well for me as I can apply good pressure and use my shoulders and body weight more rather than just my arms.
As shown in the video, I kneel with the board between my knees to anchor it. I've found if I'm too close I'm using my arms too much and it's so much harder and I soon tire. I've found it's better if I position myself so I'm far enough away that my body weight is behind the stick, but not too far away that I feel I may fall forward! I find this a comfortable position. When positioned like this and combined with the overhand grip, I find bouncing on my haunches can really help with the momentum, and I sometimes find myself doing this anyway, without thinking about it - it kinda helps propel your shoulders and arms forward and so you have more bodyweight and because I'm not solely using my arms it is far less tiring and I can go far longer and apply more pressure. I've also recently found that if you re a bit further away you can raise off your haunches and really put your body weight behind it, and this really helps with the pressure and is less tiring. I find it difficult and tiring just using my arms, and that's where I was going wrong. It does take a bit of practice to get used to this posture, but it really has been a game changer for me.
Environment
Practice in a sheltered spot. Wind is not good for the plough as the dust is exposed on the board and the wind just blows it away!! As with all other methods, rain and water is not good either :) I find it best if the board rests flat and does not wobble or move around, and best to be horizontal rather than pointing up or down hill, and be comfortable in the kneeling position. If you place the board on a bench you could do it in a sitting position (I've not tried that yet but it should work if you straddle the bench and are far enough back so you can put your body weight behind - that's one to try!)
Practice in a sheltered spot. Wind is not good for the plough as the dust is exposed on the board and the wind just blows it away!! As with all other methods, rain and water is not good either :) I find it best if the board rests flat and does not wobble or move around, and best to be horizontal rather than pointing up or down hill, and be comfortable in the kneeling position. If you place the board on a bench you could do it in a sitting position (I've not tried that yet but it should work if you straddle the bench and are far enough back so you can put your body weight behind - that's one to try!)
The Method
The videos demonstrate the methods well. I angle the stick so the flat end of the stick moves along the board, pushing and pulling it about 15cmish along the board, starting and finishing in roughly the same place. I prefer not to have too long a track\groove otherwise the track will have time to cool and too short- I find I lose momentum by constantly changing direction and it can be more tiring. If everything comes together, then it can be possible to tease out an ember in under a minute of ploughing, contrary to a lot of other posts I have read (it may just take a few attempts!)
To start off, I don't carve out a groove, I just start by pushing and pulling the stick along - if it keeps getting stuck then I use my knife to smooth out the knobbly bits. If they are just little bumps then I should be able to firmly push through them with the stick. Avoid knots! If it is a new groove, then after a few goes of marking out the groove, I'll then make a hole at the end of the groove so the dust can collect together where it can form an ember. Sometimes, it can take a fair bit of effort to get through the polishing on a new groove.
I then start steadily, applying pressure and maintaining a steady rhythm for about 20seconds or more to warm up the set and as more smoke appears I apply more pressure and increase speed and go for as long as I can still applying pressure, maintaining a rhythm. I try not to be tempted to shorten the strokes too much as this can work against me. I may also try and push the dust to the end on some strokes - I may slow down on a stroke every so often and using pressure push the dust to the end, then resume at a faster speed (I'm not entirely sure if this makes a difference as on other goes I haven't done this and the dust has just collected at the end anyway.) I think both pressure and speed is important - if I see smoke coming from the dust, I try to go for a bit longer and try not to smash into the dust pile, and at this point I may shorten the strokes slightly and go as fast as I can on the final few strokes. Changing the angle of the stick can also help and is easier to do with a longer stick. As I mentioned earlier, raising off your haunches (if kneeling and if you are far enough back) can really help with the downward pressure.
If there isn't an ember, I take a short rest before trying again! I may need to trim the sides of the groove to flatten it a bit, and check the blade to see if that needs a trim, and check my posture and hand grip. Currently, it takes me at least a couple of attempts before I tease the ember out.
If I stop creating dust, but there's still smoke, then there may be polishing (especially when starting a new groove), so I rough up the groove with my knife a bit and also rough up the blade. Sometimes I've stripped the blade right back to fresh wood which has helped. The polishing also indicates I'm not applying enough pressure.
If you only have light brown dust then it may be that you aren't applying enough pressure or the wood is too soft. If the wood is too soft I don't think it will work however much pressure you apply as you'll just keep creating more dust before it can get hot enough (though I could be proven wrong!)
You just need to practice and experiment, it may take several weeks of practice before things fall in place.
How do I know when I have an ember ? Good question! When I see the dust darkening and piling up and there's lots of smoke then I try to keep going until smoke starts to rise from the dust pile which is an indication I have an ember (I try to go a bit longer if I can and have a final sprint!) I may be creating so much smoke that it may look like the pile is smoking but once I stop and things settle down, the smoke clears and I may just have a dust pile! Sometimes once things have settled down after stopping, the smoke is quite noticeable from the dust pile, other times there has just been a faint wisp (which needs some gentle coaxing) or there is nothing (which for me is mostly due to the dust being too coarse\chunky which may be due to pressure\speed.)
The video below shows the business end of the plough in action on a successful attempt. Again, this was after a couple of attempts. Each time I consider if I need to do anything differently - e.g. apply more pressure, go faster, change angle of stick.
The videos demonstrate the methods well. I angle the stick so the flat end of the stick moves along the board, pushing and pulling it about 15cmish along the board, starting and finishing in roughly the same place. I prefer not to have too long a track\groove otherwise the track will have time to cool and too short- I find I lose momentum by constantly changing direction and it can be more tiring. If everything comes together, then it can be possible to tease out an ember in under a minute of ploughing, contrary to a lot of other posts I have read (it may just take a few attempts!)
To start off, I don't carve out a groove, I just start by pushing and pulling the stick along - if it keeps getting stuck then I use my knife to smooth out the knobbly bits. If they are just little bumps then I should be able to firmly push through them with the stick. Avoid knots! If it is a new groove, then after a few goes of marking out the groove, I'll then make a hole at the end of the groove so the dust can collect together where it can form an ember. Sometimes, it can take a fair bit of effort to get through the polishing on a new groove.
I then start steadily, applying pressure and maintaining a steady rhythm for about 20seconds or more to warm up the set and as more smoke appears I apply more pressure and increase speed and go for as long as I can still applying pressure, maintaining a rhythm. I try not to be tempted to shorten the strokes too much as this can work against me. I may also try and push the dust to the end on some strokes - I may slow down on a stroke every so often and using pressure push the dust to the end, then resume at a faster speed (I'm not entirely sure if this makes a difference as on other goes I haven't done this and the dust has just collected at the end anyway.) I think both pressure and speed is important - if I see smoke coming from the dust, I try to go for a bit longer and try not to smash into the dust pile, and at this point I may shorten the strokes slightly and go as fast as I can on the final few strokes. Changing the angle of the stick can also help and is easier to do with a longer stick. As I mentioned earlier, raising off your haunches (if kneeling and if you are far enough back) can really help with the downward pressure.
If there isn't an ember, I take a short rest before trying again! I may need to trim the sides of the groove to flatten it a bit, and check the blade to see if that needs a trim, and check my posture and hand grip. Currently, it takes me at least a couple of attempts before I tease the ember out.
If I stop creating dust, but there's still smoke, then there may be polishing (especially when starting a new groove), so I rough up the groove with my knife a bit and also rough up the blade. Sometimes I've stripped the blade right back to fresh wood which has helped. The polishing also indicates I'm not applying enough pressure.
If you only have light brown dust then it may be that you aren't applying enough pressure or the wood is too soft. If the wood is too soft I don't think it will work however much pressure you apply as you'll just keep creating more dust before it can get hot enough (though I could be proven wrong!)
You just need to practice and experiment, it may take several weeks of practice before things fall in place.
How do I know when I have an ember ? Good question! When I see the dust darkening and piling up and there's lots of smoke then I try to keep going until smoke starts to rise from the dust pile which is an indication I have an ember (I try to go a bit longer if I can and have a final sprint!) I may be creating so much smoke that it may look like the pile is smoking but once I stop and things settle down, the smoke clears and I may just have a dust pile! Sometimes once things have settled down after stopping, the smoke is quite noticeable from the dust pile, other times there has just been a faint wisp (which needs some gentle coaxing) or there is nothing (which for me is mostly due to the dust being too coarse\chunky which may be due to pressure\speed.)
The video below shows the business end of the plough in action on a successful attempt. Again, this was after a couple of attempts. Each time I consider if I need to do anything differently - e.g. apply more pressure, go faster, change angle of stick.
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The Ember
From my experiences so far with the fire plough, the ember can quite different to the hand drill/bow drill and can be more delicate especially if you have fluffy fibrous dust (see picture .) A couple of my successful attempts have been quite noticeable in that the smoke has been puffering from the dust pile. A few embers have been the opposite. Once the smoke from the ploughing had settled there was only a faint wisp of smoke which I could easily have discounted but with some encouragement I breathed life into the dust (I used the end of the stick to gently hold the dust down so it wouldn't blow away) and eventually an ember emerged - because the dust was so fibrous it could easily have burnt out. I try to add as much dust as I can (but not to suffocate it) to build up the pile so the ember has plenty of fuel and won't burn out before I can add it to the tinder. Sometimes, when there has just been a wisp, the ember has gone out. I think this is due to a)stopping too soon which is why I try to continue for a bit longer and really ramp up the speed when I think there could be an ember (without smashing up the dust pile!) b) the dust has been too chunky (which may be due to speed\pressure) |
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Taking the Ember to the Tinder Bundle
Once I have the ember, I need to carefully move it onto the tinder bundle. This isn't as easy as with the bow drill \ hand drill where the ember forms on an ember tray, and I could quite easily lose the ember at this point!
As I mentioned above the ember can be quite delicate, and it's best to leave the ember for a while. There should be plenty of dust on the board which I can add to it. Carefully wafting it a little \ blowing on it, will help it develop, I want a strong ember before attempting to place it on the tinder pile. I could also add some extender (e.g. willowherb seeds heads) ontop to make it even larger. The last thing I want after all the effort, is for the ember to go out or to get lost!
Look after the baby fire! Feed it!
I've used the tip of a knife to carefully pickup the ember and place it onto the tinder bundle, which I have next to the board, but this can be precarious. I've also used the knife to loosen the ember from the board and put a thin piece of wood over the top and tipped the board over, and then added it to the bundle. Another option is to, place the bundle (with ember extender) upside down ontop of the ember and then rotate the whole thing over so the bundle is now underneath and the board ontop so when I remove the board the ember is now in the bundle! You just don't want to lose that ember after all that effort!
Once I have the ember, I need to carefully move it onto the tinder bundle. This isn't as easy as with the bow drill \ hand drill where the ember forms on an ember tray, and I could quite easily lose the ember at this point!
As I mentioned above the ember can be quite delicate, and it's best to leave the ember for a while. There should be plenty of dust on the board which I can add to it. Carefully wafting it a little \ blowing on it, will help it develop, I want a strong ember before attempting to place it on the tinder pile. I could also add some extender (e.g. willowherb seeds heads) ontop to make it even larger. The last thing I want after all the effort, is for the ember to go out or to get lost!
Look after the baby fire! Feed it!
I've used the tip of a knife to carefully pickup the ember and place it onto the tinder bundle, which I have next to the board, but this can be precarious. I've also used the knife to loosen the ember from the board and put a thin piece of wood over the top and tipped the board over, and then added it to the bundle. Another option is to, place the bundle (with ember extender) upside down ontop of the ember and then rotate the whole thing over so the bundle is now underneath and the board ontop so when I remove the board the ember is now in the bundle! You just don't want to lose that ember after all that effort!
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Lighting the Tinder Bundle
Like with all other methods, once I have added the ember to the bundle, I then need to breathe life into the ember, and breathe it into fire!! Blessings on the ancestral fire! |
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Just give it a go!
It can be very frustrating but very satisfying when you finally see the smoke continue to rise from the dust pile. This is a simple and humbling friction method but takes takes perseverance, a lot of practice, a lot of patience, refinement of technique, a bit of trial and error, maybe a bit of luck and a bit of zen :) You don't need to be super muscly , and if things aren't working review your technique, your materials, your position and posture, and look out for the fluffy fibrous dust!
Good luck on your friction journey!
Good luck on your friction journey!
Fire Plough Instructional Video
The below video demonstrates some of the things I've mentioned on this page.
The below video demonstrates some of the things I've mentioned on this page.