I tried the bow/drill for years before I had any luck. Then I sat and watched and talked to a guy while he made fire that way, and I never had any problem with it again. I just needed a real person to show me.

I have sat with a lot of people and walked them through it. I used to make and sell bow/drill sets and would help the buyers make fire the first time.

I used to do a program at the local school where I demonstrated mountain man history and skills. The bow/drill was always the kids' favorite part. (I also demonstrated flint and steel-- which also feels like cheating to me.)

For years I made a fire every single day-- usually with the bow/drill, but occasionally with flint and steel. Then I sat by the fire for a few hours. Friends knew where to find me-- sitting by the fire in front of my wikiup-- and would come share my fire to chat for a while. Here's a picture of my wikiup and surroundings:

You can see my bow/drill fire kit hanging from the tripod (along with my rifle) on the left of the picture. It's the long bag.