Milan 2014: rubbing together wooden tools in this kit by Italian designer Francesco Faccin creates fire in a "primitive manner" (+ movie).

Francesco Faccin revisited a manual fire lighting technique, using the friction created by rubbing a soft wood against a hard wood to produce glowing ashes that can be used to light straw.

"This project has been designed to manually light the fire in a completely primitive manner," said Faccin, who showed the Re-Fire Kit at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan last month.

In this case, a beech spindle is rotated within pre-formed holes in a board made from linden wood, creating a device known as a bow-drill. The user kneels on the board to weigh it down and keep it in place.

The bow-drill comes in an aluminium tube with caps on either end. One serves as a socket to put pressure on the spindle and the other is used as a container for the straw to be lit by the embers.

A walnut bow is used to spin the beech stick fast enough to create a spark. The spindle is stayed using a hole made by a loop in the rope, held in tension by a brass screw, then rolled back and forth.

"The rhythmic movement of the arm combined with the pressure of the hand on the socket creates friction on the fire board, which in a few seconds produces the ash required to light the straw," Faccin explained to Dezeen.

Making your own fire gives a greater sense of achievement than using modern tools, according to Faccin.

"When I actually managed to create fire with my own hands, I was overwhelmed by a powerful sensation of self-sufficiency and independence," he said.

The wooden elements were shaped using a combination of laser cutting and CNC routing, and went through many iterations before they worked together.

"This project is emotionally charged and extremely physical; it cuts across innumerable frustrating attempts to identify the perfect equilibrium between the various components," Faccin said.

The project was first shown during Stockholm Design Week earlier this year, before being displayed at Orlandi's courtyard gallery during Milan design week.

Photography is by Delfino Sisto Legnani.