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Minimal Pump Drill Print E-mail
Written by Richard   
Here is a working pump drill made quite quickly with what I had laying around. I successfully made 2 coals with it. (It was my second attempt. The first one had a much heavier fly wheel and I never got smoke with it.)

pump1.jpg 
pump2.jpg
All other pump drills I have seen have had a disk shaped fly wheel and a bar across to apply the force in a downwards direction only.

Instead of the disk I subsituted a piece of wood off my wood pile, split into to 2 and strapped them together with cordage so that they locked firmly onto the lower part of the drill. I shaped them minimally so that they bit onto the drill shaft with little risk of slipping. (They did slip a little and next time I will also slightly shape the drill as well.)

I fixed the power cord to the upper end by cutting a notch in the end of the drill, placing the middle of the power cord through the notch and then fixing with a simple tight wrap around by a thinner cordage. I wrapped the 2 hanging ends of the power cord a couple of turns round the drill. Then I separated the 2 ends, grasped one in each hand and commenced rhythmical pulls - apart and down at the same time. I was quite surprised by its stability. An even rhythmic pull on the 2 ends combined with the stabilising effect of the fly wheel (or bar in this case) seemed to keep it nice and stable as it spun back and forth in the hearthboard hole.

The hearthboard hole seemed to work best if it only gently tapered so that the drill set in snuggly. The sides of the hole then took most of the friction (in hand drill it is mostly the floor, and in bow drill it is a bit of both)

My drill was elder and my hearth commercial pine. I think it would work with other woods.

It did tire my shoulders and it did make my hands sore with gripping and pulling on the 2 ends repeatedly. Can't help with the shoulders, but I guess I could protect my hands better next time.

Richard


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