The Science and Art of the Hand Drill
A workshop series over four Sunday mornings (Oct 2, 9, 16, 23)
With Emily from Nature’s Apprentice
“The sheer simplicity of picking up one stick and spinning it on another to produce fire was the most improbable and stunning act of human creation I could imagine. I wanted it, badly.”
Have you experienced the electric feeling of creating fire out of just a stick and a piece of wood? Perhaps in a group? Or maybe you’ve seen others do it, or read about it?
Did you feel a burning inspiration to practise this skill on your own, but not know where to begin?
For millennia, our ancestors used their bodies, and the bodies of the local trees and woody shrubs, to produce fire, with this most ancient and timeless technology of hand drill. Requiring meticulous attention to detail, the hand drill also has its own mysterious and ever unpredictable nature. Every single hand drill coal seems to have its own personality, some emerging quickly and joyfully into the world, others stubbornly resisting their birth at all costs.
“Perfect tools. Perfect form.”
There is a science to hand drill. Not just any two pieces of wood will cooperate to birth fire. The notch must be a certain width and the board just the right thickness, to ensure the optimal balance of airflow and containment. Humidity of wood, air, and ground have stark impacts on the result. Hands and body must be stable but flowing, moving together in perfect synchronisation.
“You can’t start a fire without a spark”
But so too is it an art. We will succeed only if we approach the hand drill humbly, in service to learning as much as possible of its magical and mysterious ways. The aim of making fire is present, but secondary. Patience is key, as is a willingness to think outside the box. Feeding and tending to the relationship over time, we allow the practice to be a meditation, a prayer, an act of devotion.
For the first time, Nature's Apprentice is offering a four-part workshop series to go deeper into this skill.
This course is suitable for everyone from complete beginners to more experienced folks who would like to practice in different conditions with different materials.
We will cover:
The sacredness of fire and how to approach this skill with humility and non-attachment
Knife safety
Carving your own kit
Tinder bundles
Technique and body posture
Finding the right materials
Troubleshooting common problems
Strategies for success in different conditions
Optionally experimenting with different materials
Circle time for sharing breakdowns and breakthroughs
Facilitator
Emily Coats
Emily has been working as an Apprentice at Nature's Apprentice for nearly a year and is committed to sharing with the world her passion for deep nature connection, ancestral skills, and soulcentric nature practices including Vision Quest. She has studied at Tom Brown Jnr's Tracker School and with bird language experts Jon Young and Andrew Turbill and has nearly completed her Advanced Diploma in Transpersonal Counselling.
Emily recently returned from a ‘fortnight without matches’ in the NSW bush where she put her hand drill skills on the line and found that when her warmth and dinner depended on this skill, it got a whole lot harder. While by no means professing to be a master, she is excited to share what she has learned and help ignite enthusiasm in others.
(Please note Claire Dunn will not be a facilitator on this course.)
Program info
Location: Darebin Parklands, Melbourne
Dates: Sundays in October 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd
Time: 9:30am-1pm
Cost:
Full: $220
Concession/low income: $180
Includes all materials for the hand drill kit and tinder bundles
Please BYO knife (we will also have a small number available).
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Ticket sales have now closed for this event.
We may run this program again next year if there is sufficient interest. Please email emily@naturesapprentice.com.au if you would be interested in a future offering.
Refund Policy:
Please note that if you can no longer attend, it will be your responsibility to sell your ticket, or ask us to help put you in touch with someone that might be interested.