Thanks Mud! Honestly when I got back from my hike I hadn't spun a coal in 3 months. Took a while to pick it back up. Personally I think hand drill is one of the truly perishable wilderness skills out there.
What James Gibson recommends (he's closer to the humid south than I am lol) Is grabbing some cedar at a lumber store and then finding some Mullin or horse weed stalk growing wild. These mate pretty good and students had good luck with it at the Idaho Bushcraft Class. Generally the stalk I'm looking for is as fat as a sharpie or a little less. Too thick it's hard to get it spinning fast enough, too thin and you can loose your grip and tear up your hands. For starting out look for something around 18 inches or more. Hope that helps!
Hand drill, coal caught in existing hole. Helps the coal still form in windy conditions and keeps more warmth in the board. This combo was cocklebur on beargrass
Went out yesterday for a ruck and ended up practicing friction fire.. go figure. Balsam spruce on balsam spruce. This always produces and ember really fast. I’ve been forcing myself to blow the embers into flame with a tinder bundle every time for good measure. Getting a coal is one thing, being prepared with a sufficient tinder bundle is another. I used old mans beard with small twigs as my tinder bundle. Worked OK, but. The moss absorbs moister extremely fast...if it’s too cold out, the humidity from your breath will render the moss utterly useless.
Same combo as the last pic. Seep willow on regular willow if I'm rembering were I harvested the hearth from. Spun two embers today with hand drill, same materials. That board is pretty much used up though.