My Latest Atlatl

Md 25v

Md 25v

Joined
Jun 11, 2008
Messages
1,409
Here is an Atlatl that I finished today. It has a red oak spine and the rest and pin are antler.

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Here is the first throw with the new Atlatl. The dart is a 6 foot ash shaft with bleached turkey fletching tied with artificial sinew.


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Overall, I'm happy with this one. I will make the next one about 1/8in thinner but with a triangle cross section for a little more flex.
 
Nicely done. I had the chance to throw some atlatl darts this summer, and it was a blast!
 
thanks guys. This one is kinda unique to me. I was making a 35lb bow and broke it yesterday due to an imperfection in the wood. I had already tillered the bow and didn't want to waste it so I made the lower half into this atlatl. I'll make the other half into one for myself tomorrow or Wed. This one has been promised to a friend.
 
Nice work! We have been an atlatl throwing family for the last 12 years or so. we haven't made any from scratch like you did, but we have modified and made some from kits. I like your dart rest out of antler. Sweet idea! I would shorten the height of it some. I like to put my trigger or middle finger around the dart when moving or setting up for the throw. Now to find some woolly mammoths to hunt with these things!
 
DavidZ said:
I like your dart rest out of antler. Sweet idea! I would shorten the height of it some.
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Yeah, I know what you mean! it's a big stretch to get a finger onto the dart. I'm not new to atlatls by any stretch but I prefer the southwestern style with the scoop and point to hold the dart and a leather thong to hold your fingers in place. This is the first one I have made with an elevated dart rest and its easily twice as high as it should be. I may cut it down before giving it away tomorrow. Here is the style I usually make.

This one is made out of a seasoned maple branch that I split with antler wedges. The grain split out deeply and I thought it looked kinda cool so I left the ripped up grain in place and set some coals on it to burn the designs in place.

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This is something else I came up with. Its a way to make longer 6-7ft darts that can fit into the trunk of a small car. They are made of bamboo with a "splice" in the center so they can break down for transport.

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I also make bone field points for most of my atlatl darts. Here is one.

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AWESOME! We will have to go Atlatl iguanas in the Keys!
 
I like that you didn't let a broken bow get you down and throw it away, instead you improvised and got two for one. That is a good example of what survival mentality is all about.
 
Thanks Barbarossa, I just couldn't throw it away after all the time I put into tillering. Fifteen years ago about a third of the bows I made broke before reaching full draw. Ten years ago maybe one in a dozen. Now, I'm so used to things going as planned that I am totally caught off guard if I break a bow. I found that there was a dead spot three rings from the back on this one. It was only about 1/8in long but that's more than enough to ruin the bow. I made the other side into an atlatl today with a much lower dart rest and a thinner spine for more flex. It throws a little farther than the one in the pic but it is much more pleasant to aim and has a smoother release.
 
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