Im a sitter too. The knee thing isn't practical at least not to me

My first new post. ;-}

I've gotten a couple coals from hand drills. Mullen can be a bit flakey at times, it likes to suck up moisture, even from the air. Here on the east coast I like to use golden rod. I've gotten a lot of coals from that.
With mullen it depends on how thick it is at times and your technique.
BTW: I like sitting as well...


Joe

In the Appalachians, we use oak, pine and cedar here - not a fan of mullen, at all. We are in a wet temprate, so, that goes without saying that it may have probelms. Pine does have some of the same issues, but damn, mullen doesn't sound too appealing actually.

i like using one knee because i think it's more efficient for the final push. until that point, though, i tend to sit cross-legged and use the side of my foot to stabilize the hearthboard.

i've never tried mullien but my preferred spindle is salmon berry partially because it's everywhere here.

i like kneeling on one knee with a foot on the board. this way i can put my body kinda up and over the spindle so that i can use body weight to help push down. i really think it helps. if your getting lotsa smoke but no ember i would think it would be about the pressure your not getting enough of in the end. i would try it out kneeling and really get some weight on it in the end! fun stuff!!!!

You say not coal or ember yet......did you remember to cut a notch in the hearthboard?

If you are still following this thread, I'm a diehard sitter. I like to sit on my butt with the side of my foot on the board. It is harder to get your body weight over the drill, but easier to get down to the bottom. The knee gets in my way. What is really good is to put a board on top of the hearth and projecting out at a right angle towards you. kneel with one knee on the ground and one knee on the board. This holds the board securely in place, gets the knee out of the way and puts your weight squarely over the drill. My suggestion. Use this method until you get better then go back to sitting on your butt and reserve the knee/board method for difficult situations.

If you are getting LOTS' of smoke and no coal, you are probably doing well enough to get a coal with a really good kit. Start changing materials. If you are still following this thread, tell us where you live more specifically for materials recommendations.

Hand Drill v.s. Bow Drill: It's been a while since I've been in the humid east, but where I live I put my money on hand drill first. It is so much simpler and low tech. I can make a kit with even crude stone tools pretty damn fast. Bow drill is a pain in the ass. I like the simplicity of hand drill, and less shit to carry. Good to know bow drill though since there are times when you can more easily force a coal from marginal materials with the Bow Drill. We are hoping to finish our long in progress hand drill booklet this year, but have been saying that for years.

I also highly recommend that you practice with someone else in the very early stages. People learn a lot faster that way. I've seen it over and over, probably hundreds of times, as an instructor of this method. My favorite analogy is that it's like placing a couple of logs together in the fire. They feed each other.