before there were bows....Making an Atlatl... spear thrower...in Youtube Videos

From Wiki

Wooden darts were known at least since the Middle Paleolithic (Schöningen, Torralba, Clacton-on-Sea and Kalambo Falls). While the spearthrower is capable of casting a dart well over 100 meters, it is most accurately used at distances of 20 meters or less. Seven spears were found in the Schöningen 13 II-4 layer, dating from about 400,000 years ago and thought to represent activities of Homo heidelbergensis.[3]

Making an Atlatl is as simple as it gets... one word of advice... never make your thrower longer then 14 inches...it will not add power... in fact all it will do if make your arm sore pretty quickly... the proper way to measure length of the thrower elbow to wrist...

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Now for the How to make the darts
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BTW before you dismiss this as a lost art... think again... for several years now there has been a resurgence of Atlatl

Results of 16th Annual Northeast Open Atlatl Championship in Vermont


Lori Majorsky of Pennsylvania is the grand champion 2011 Northeast Open Atlatl Championship Awards held at the Mount Independence Historic Site in Orwell, Vt. September 17. Congratulations.
Here are the results:

Accuracy
Men, 1st Andrew Majorsky; 2nd Gary Nolf; 3rd Ken Faucher
Women, 1st Lori Majorsky; 2nd Celine Rainville; 3rd Linda Nolf
Boys, 1st Jason Clark; 2nd and 3rd not awarded
Girls, no awards

Distance
Men, 1st Greg Maurer; 2nd Gary Nolf; 3rd Bob Berg
Women, 1st Lori Majorsky; 2nd Harmony Renninger; 3rd Linda Nolf
Boys, 1st Jeremiah Delorme; 2nd Jason Clark; 3rd not awarded
Girls, no awards

Mens Overall
Gold, Andrew Majorsky
Silver, Greg Maurer
Bronze, Gary Nolf

Womens Overall
Gold, Lori Majorsky
Silver, Celine Rainville
Bronze, Linda Nolf

reply to post by GrandpaDave


Brilliant, looks like the perfect weapon to make out in the field quickly, just what ive been looking for.

Excellent thread.
My buddy from the city has been trying to show folks the advantages of the Atlatl for a while-he is a good shot with his,but it does take some training to get it sussed.
For me,it was 3 hours to get within a 1foot circle at 10 meters-I thought it would be as easy as shooting an arrow from a bow.
It's not,it's a different game altogether.
It takes practice daily to get your aim first,but once you have it you only need a few shots to get up to speed after a break,similar to archery and other forms of shooting IMO.

Anyhow,the Atlatl is mirrored in another system-that of the "Swiss Arrow"or "Dutch Arrow" from the same kind of time.
This system uses a cord in the place of the Atlatl,and the notch is cut into the arrow/dart to accept the cord,the other end wraps round your hand.

To launch the arrow, the thrower uses a length of string that is longer than the length of the arrow itself. A knot is tied in one end of the string, and this is placed into the notch in the arrow shaft.
The rest of the string is then passed around the shaft once, and is made to align over and above the knot before being stretched down to the point end of the arrow.
The string is tightened, ensuring that the knotted end stays within the notch, and the surplus is wound around the thrower's throwing hand.
The throwing hand with the string wound around it should be near the point end of the arrow, with the thrower able to easily grip the end.
The arrow is then held behind the thrower, with the string taut. The throwing arm should be as fully extended as possible, enabling the arrow to be thrown like a javelin, but held much closer to the tip. Following through with the throwing hand allows the string to provide additional forward force on the arrow, extending the length and reach of the thrower's arm, in a fashion similar to a sling. A considerable distance can be achieved.

en.wikipedia.org...

I love this kind of weaponry-these were the days giant beasts walked the Earth,the likes of which we can only imagine.Tribes of early Humans-our forefathers-would take them on to provide food and clothing,cordage and blades.

To make and use these early tools is to use your inherited memories from the times of mammoths and sabre toothed tigers.
This connects us to our past .
And I believe we need to become more connected with our past in order to stand a chance in the future.
Your thread rocks as always. DB,oops i mean GD!

Apologies for rambling,as usual.

reply to post by GrandpaDave


This is extremely cool! I remember hearing about these things in history class. Too bad they never actually explain the interesting parts of history.

Originally posted by GrandpaDave
Making an Atlatl is as simple as it gets... one word of advice... never make your thrower longer then 14 inches...it will not add power... in fact all it will do if make your arm sore pretty quickly... the proper way to measure length of the thrower elbow to wrist...

Thanks for that. I watched one used in Herzog's new film Cave of Forgotten Dreams...highly recommended if you like Herzog, rock art, or both. Pretty cool.

Now...can you show me how a pop-eyed birdstone can act as a weight and enhance the process?

I like the atlatl too. Learned about it up at the college. I often wondered though, if the proper pronunciation would be at-latl or atl-atl. Although it is most likely the word used by the prehistoric hunter was different and varied. I even have thought of some ideas for improvements, should try it some time and see if it would help. Stars for all and a flag.

reply to post by GrandpaDave

Maybe something worth trying! Leaning a new(or old) weapons skill could come in handy..

It's just fun to say Atlatl!! Atlatl

Simple and highly effective. I didn't really know much about it until I saw Canterbury making one. It's yet another good primitive skill to add to the database. That's why I practice with a slingshot occasionally. Suped up with a power band and 7/16 ball bearings, it is quite deadly for small game.

Just saw this on discovery channel.

10 city folk dropped into cave man existence. they were struggling and unable to kill game and then the producers gave them all sets and they ended up killing an elk with a neck shot. The scientists monitoring them were shocked.