I've been working with the bow-drill, and I notice that certain types of wood may be so hard that hardly any powder forms (like african mahogany) and others may be too soft and crumbly. Pine appears to be a little too resinous. So far, I've had some success with rambutan.
- What species of plants produce coals efficiently when used as part of a bow-drill set?
- Is there some test I can perform to easily identify good bow-drill wood?