The little shoots you cut off of the tree stump are called water sprouts. When trees are heavily damaged they create water sprouts as a way to regrow very rapidly, but the water sprouts are much softer than normal wood. Fruit trees are notorious for growing water sprouts when damaged, while most other trees will only grow water sprouts under severe stress. Arborists must be careful with fruit trees, as even normal pruning, if done too aggressively, can induce water sprout growth. Most other trees will not water sprout unless a major limb is lost.
We made and threw spears and frog gigs when I was a kid never any fletching. Very accurate. Always heavier at the point. It stands to reason that atlatal darts behave like hand thrown spears. I suscribed.
Thanks for sharing! I love the hobbyist "cheap & easy" perspective and clear photography. Looks like the wee socket works just as well as a hook/peg. Can't ask for a simpler dart!
So cool that you made them with cups as well! I did my first one like that, because it's so much easier to just sharpen the end of the dart than carving a cup in it. I also found out that it's crucial to remove excess material above the cup of the thrower, because otherwise, in the last phase of the throw, it knocks the back end of the dart towards the ground - a problem that doesn't really exist with a spur design. So i cut a V notch in the cup, that way i have less to no interference during the actual release(angle between dart and thrower above 90 °)
great video. I tried a cup style and there are willow shoots in my area that work good for me. The Australians don't use flechings. I saw a video where the man said if it doesn't fly straight, find another stick to use. I think that's pretty good sense because it's hard to tune out a natural flaw in the dart.
I meant to mention another very practical thing the Australians do is to make a fire hardened wood spear head rather than stone or other materials. The wood will probably never break and can be sharpened when needed.
I generally agree. Rivercane darts need fletching because they are so light. Heavy heads help and most shoots have a noticably heavier end. Fletching on atlatl darts is more about slowing down the back end. Not like arrows where the vanes direct travel. I did not know about the Aussies. That is very interesting and I appreciate the tip.
wow- fast, easy, natural, strong. this is my third atl atl video and not only am i into it woth this showing but i subscribe to your channel. well made, well done, well lets see what else you got!
Yeah flexibility is something that really helps when it comes to atalytl darts I know this is not quite primitive nor is it primitive materials but I love tinkering and I have some theaded rods laying around some of which I was incorperating into a pvc bow and I was thinking about turning some some sort of Swiss arrow/Javelin type of weopon.
There are also chuckers that use a fork and cord instead of the spur. I don't know how common they were or where they originated but always thought they looked cool.
I've often wondered about that design. If you could get it to throw rocks as accurately as it throws darts downrange, you might have quite the launcher.
I have wondered about the same thing, having no feathers but adding more weight to the front. a heavier point would make it more like a shotgun slug as far as the weight forward keeps it stable. at the ranges they were used I am sure a seasoned atlatl thrower would be just as deadly.
The little shoots you cut off of the tree stump are called water sprouts. When trees are heavily damaged they create water sprouts as a way to regrow very rapidly, but the water sprouts are much softer than normal wood. Fruit trees are notorious for growing water sprouts when damaged, while most other trees will only grow water sprouts under severe stress.
Arborists must be careful with fruit trees, as even normal pruning, if done too aggressively, can induce water sprout growth. Most other trees will not water sprout unless a major limb is lost.
I'm glad I'm not the only 1 who has to watch out for cats when I throw my darts.
Same
We made and threw spears and frog gigs when I was a kid never any fletching. Very accurate. Always heavier at the point. It stands to reason that atlatal darts behave like hand thrown spears. I suscribed.
Thanks for sharing! I love the hobbyist "cheap & easy" perspective and clear photography. Looks like the wee socket works just as well as a hook/peg. Can't ask for a simpler dart!
So cool that you made them with cups as well! I did my first one like that, because it's so much easier to just sharpen the end of the dart than carving a cup in it. I also found out that it's crucial to remove excess material above the cup of the thrower, because otherwise, in the last phase of the throw, it knocks the back end of the dart towards the ground - a problem that doesn't really exist with a spur design. So i cut a V notch in the cup, that way i have less to no interference during the actual release(angle between dart and thrower above 90 °)
for the spurs, just make them smaller to fit the socket on that dart.
dude those atlatls are awesome the darts are like those used by the aboriginals of australia heavy tip light tail awesome vid
With an average IQ below 60, it's amazing the creations they were still able to come up with in Australia.
great video. I tried a cup style and there are willow shoots in my area that work good for me. The Australians don't use flechings. I saw a video where the man said if it doesn't fly straight, find another stick to use. I think that's pretty good sense because it's hard to tune out a natural flaw in the dart.
I meant to mention another very practical thing the Australians do is to make a fire hardened wood spear head rather than stone or other materials. The wood will probably never break and can be sharpened when needed.
I generally agree. Rivercane darts need fletching because they are so light. Heavy heads help and most shoots have a noticably heavier end. Fletching on atlatl darts is more about slowing down the back end. Not like arrows where the vanes direct travel. I did not know about the Aussies. That is very interesting and I appreciate the tip.
atlatls from papua new guinea are cupped
Proof that crude and simple design works just fine ... Thank you for heads up video
wow- fast, easy, natural, strong. this is my third atl atl video and not only am i into it woth this showing but i subscribe to your channel. well made, well done, well lets see what else you got!
The cup I think is the only way to go. Less to go wrong great idea!
Yeah flexibility is something that really helps when it comes to atalytl darts I know this is not quite primitive nor is it primitive materials but I love tinkering and I have some theaded rods laying around some of which I was incorperating into a pvc bow and I was thinking about turning some some sort of Swiss arrow/Javelin type of weopon.
All thread would be cool! Easily screw on custom made points.
@@jameshutto3047 yeah its not strictly primitive but none the less its an idea.
@@garynaccarto8636 there are times for primitive and times for fun
There are also chuckers that use a fork and cord instead of the spur. I don't know how common they were or where they originated but always thought they looked cool.
So cool!
I've often wondered about that design. If you could get it to throw rocks as accurately as it throws darts downrange, you might have quite the launcher.
You mean like a shepards sling?
You can't not like a hobby when it's got a name like that.
GREAT!.. your co-star (the cat) deserves note also
I have wondered about the same thing, having no feathers but adding more weight to the front. a heavier point would make it more like a shotgun slug as far as the weight forward keeps it stable. at the ranges they were used I am sure a seasoned atlatl thrower would be just as deadly.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sch%C3%B6ningen_spears
ia802204.us.archive.org/25/items/artofattackbeing00cowpiala/artofattackbeing00cowpiala_bw.pdf
for spears alot of the time im finding its almost completely unnessary to do the same amount of processing that i would do for an arrow.
very cool thrower, I will have to look for the water sprouts for darts.
I'm getting ready to get some river cane for darts, arrows, cane poles,frog gig, fish spear etc. there will be many videos! Liked' and sub'd!
Here from JRE launch point
Nice
Awesome! what s your experience 3 years later regarding the efficiency of cup vs spur ?
Nice, bud.
👍