Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index The bow drill has been used used by ancient Sumerians and other groups to drill holes in a piece of wood, the drill stick, into another piece of wood, the hearth, with the help of a bow. The heat thusly produced by friction would set nearby dust and tinder aflame. Bow drills can also be used with a drill bit to bore a hole in wood for woodworking purposes. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.