http://www.instructables.com/id/Atlatl-Caveman-Spear-Throwing-Device/

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Atlatl Caveman "Spear Throwing" Deviceby craz meanman on April 27, 2008

Table of Contents

intro: Atlatl Caveman "Spear Throwing" Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1: Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 2: Grind them... ANNDD their gears! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 3: This step is called laziness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 4: The how to throw page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

http://www.instructables.com/id/Atlatl-Caveman-Spear-Throwing-Device/

intro: Atlatl Caveman "Spear Throwing" DeviceOk. since you probably don't have the best idea of what an atlatl is, here is a nice link to get you learned some stuff about the thing you are about to make. This guyseems to know what he is talking about in terms of Atlatls but he seems a little crazy.

Ok so now you DON'T THROW THIS AT ANYONE. sorry about the caps lock, but this is important, and I don't want anybody getting hurt.

Image Notes1. phwwwoooooshsh. you can do this too.2. big looking caveman guy.

step 1: MaterialsYou'll need your...dremel (NOT really)broomstick (NOT really)doweling/driveway markers (Really)duct tape/ feathers for fletching/ something to fletch it with (Really)

The way I will be making the atlatl is to take an old broomstick, and dremel it to shape. However you will be able to carve all of this on your own, I am just using thedremel so that it doesn't take so long. You also won't have to use a broomstick to make the Atlatl, you could go and cut your own branch if you wanted. Also, yourdoweling ought to be about the same size as a driveway marker and 5-6 feet long.

Image Notes1. NEEED these... no not really2. probably need this.3. a way to grind it to shape is required.4. Waaayy easier with your dremel5. Very very poor dart. I highly recommend that you get some doweling.6. broomstick. nothing more to be said.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Atlatl-Caveman-Spear-Throwing-Device/

step 2: Grind them... ANNDD their gears!So in this step you will be grinding the wood, to make it look like an atl atl. Oh and btw, you should cut it around 2 feet long.

Image Notes1. Broomstick with the beginnings of some sanding.2. dremel wrench3. Stain on my mothers carpet.... (don't do this in your room)4. dremel bit kit. not neccesary to have polishing stuff... ever. Why did they includethat crap?5. Other end of the broomstick6. I have no idea.

Image Notes1. Handle2. body... nothing much here. just like half of a broomstick.3. Spur. I maked mine this way.

Image Notes1. little indent for the dart to go in.

step 3: This step is called lazinessI call this step laziness, because it is all about not going to the store and getting doweling. I just used what I had in the garage which was driveway markers, they aren'tvery flexible, they're too short, and they can shatter on impact. NOT GOOD. lol.

But anyway, this step is about adding fletching, I used duct tape, and i would use something different, but i didn't. if you wanted to you could use some hair from thebroom that you just broke, but I just stuck with duct tape.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Atlatl-Caveman-Spear-Throwing-Device/

step 4: The how to throw page.Now this is difficult because you have to have proper form. For now you will just have to experiment, because I have yet to take a video of it. Youtube should have acouple good videos on it though, and I think atlatl bob has some too. (Achtung! he does swear in some of his videos). The picture below should show you how to hold itcorrectly, and im sure you should know when to release it.

I promise to make a video if you will just bother me enough. see i already maked and instructable!

Image Notes1. Held with thumb and first finger. released mid swing.2. OH NOES! thats supposed to be holding the atlatl so that you don't throw it with the arrow.

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Atlatl-Caveman-Spear-Throwing-Device/

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Comments50 comments Add Comment view all 64 comments

15zhangfra says: Jun 24, 2009. 4:12 PM REPLYyou could also use paperclips to make a rest, so you wouldn't need to hold it

craz meanman says: Jun 24, 2009. 8:13 PM REPLYvery good idea!

tidlibitz says: May 17, 2009. 1:10 AM REPLYthis is the first time i have heard about atlatl apart from Australian aboriginal woomera eg. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woomera_(spear-thrower

Tribeman says: May 8, 2009. 7:03 PM REPLYMaybe not all Atlatl bolts could pierce Armour, but a chronicler of the De Soto expedition(in the Florida area if I'm correct) actually said that in an Indian-Spaniard skirmish, an Atlatl bolt pierced straight through a Spaniard man wearing a coat of mail. Personally, I think this is a great weapon/tool equal(if notbetter) to that of the Bow and Arrow. It's believed that the Mayans as well as the Aztecs not only used but were very proficient at using the Atlatl. While mostwould argue that the Bow and Arrow is a superior tool, I would disagree. The Atlatl is not only a great hunting tool but a weapon that the Spaniards fearedgreatly due to its power and(in the hands of trained warrior) accuracy.

Great tool/weapon that I enjoy throwing/using.

Wasagi says: Oct 26, 2008. 7:08 AM REPLYDidn't the Aztecs use these?

hyrulianshinobi333 says: Nov 19, 2008. 3:23 PM REPLYthe only aztec weapon that could kill through spanish armor

kola says: Jan 4, 2009. 2:59 AM REPLYaztec atlatls couldn't really penatrate spanish armour coz the arrowheads of their atlatl arrows were made of flint...ive seen a show about atlatls ondiscovery science wich proved this..

thapropguy says: Mar 22, 2009. 4:35 PM REPLYDont discount the hardness of some rocks! Greenstone, a hard rock found in rivers, has the durability of iron!

Also, given the expertise of the warriors, since they had probably been trained from birth, and given the thousands of years that they adapted it, Idon't doubt that more than one Spaniard was killed by an atlatl through the chest. Or again, they could've just gone for the face.

Aklash, The hunchback says: Feb 18, 2009. 4:29 PM REPLYI'm watching that show now, i watched it this morning and was inspired to build my own

craz meanman says: Feb 19, 2009. 2:29 PM REPLYhere's a tip. don't make it like mine, make it so that there is a hollow bowl shape at the back of the dart, and create a pointy projection on thethrower that fits in there.

Wafflicious says: Jan 18, 2009. 3:12 PM REPLYOoh I saw something like that. I also saw mythbusters using boom sticks to blow holes in Spanish armor.

Wasagi says: Jan 11, 2009. 10:53 AM REPLYBut they could cause internal hemmoraging!! :D

craz meanman says: Nov 19, 2008. 4:49 PM REPLYa spear coulden't?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Atlatl-Caveman-Spear-Throwing-Device/

hyrulianshinobi333 says: Nov 21, 2008. 4:22 PM REPLYno, even atlatl bolts usually couldn't pierce the plating, they killed by damaging internal organs, a spear was like trying to do the same thing with abroom handle, not enough kinetic force

Aklash, The hunchback says: Jan 2, 2009. 9:09 AM REPLYyeah, the atlatl could get through spanish armor but it left a nasty dent but im not sure if that might have enough blunt force that the imactcould still kill you though, who knows? even so, why try to get throu the armor, there is a nice round soft target right above that, the face.

Wasagi says: Feb 19, 2009. 1:03 PM REPLY

And internal Hemmoraging!!! :D

craz meanman says: Nov 21, 2008. 6:39 PM REPLYohhhhhh.

cowscankill says: Nov 8, 2008. 9:22 AM REPLYArchaic Indians that lived in America between I think... 6,000 - 2,000 BC...

craz meanman says: Oct 26, 2008. 1:10 PM REPLYnot sure. according to atl atl bob they have been found on every continent so it doesn't seem unlikely at all.

cowscankill says: Nov 8, 2008. 9:23 AM REPLYArchaic Indians that lived in America between I think... 6,000 - 2,000 BC...

craz meanman says: Nov 8, 2008. 10:39 AM REPLYalright

thapropguy says: Mar 22, 2009. 4:30 PM REPLYAtlatl bob wasnt kidding around there. Atlatls were found around the world, albeit in different styles and shapes, they all operated the sameway. In fact, they pre-dated the bow and arrow for a few thousand years (up until about 10,000 BC). Back then, they used it to take downlarge game (aka mammoths).

So it wasn't just the Aztecs who used the atlatl. They did, however, adopt it for warfare and adjusted it for the hundreds of thousands of yearsthat they were out of contact with the old world. Even the word "atlatl" comes from the language of the Aztecs!

Wafflicious says: Jan 18, 2009. 3:14 PM REPLYIf your making the arrows by hand use a fire to straighten the arrow.

mynameisjonas says: Jan 10, 2009. 7:10 AM REPLYIve always wanted to build one of these! Post a video! and I would also like to see a full instructable about how to make the darts.

craz meanman says: Jan 13, 2009. 3:53 PM REPLYuh, well i never went further than those road stake darts, but the process would be like making an upscaled arrow. i probably won't post a video, becausethe thing is at my cabin and im super busy until like the summer. but, i know for certain youtube has a lot of good ones. and you will be able to learn a lotabout how to throw just by watching.

waffleman says: Jan 10, 2009. 11:31 PM REPLYi saw this in a history book when i was in like 3rd grade once.....

coolz says: Jun 23, 2008. 10:02 PM REPLYonce, in the third grade, A man showed us how far it could go with tat

http://www.instructables.com/id/Atlatl-Caveman-Spear-Throwing-Device/

craz meanman says: Jun 23, 2008. 10:19 PM REPLYand were u impressed?

coolz says: Jun 23, 2008. 10:24 PM REPLYno, it went half a mile

cowscankill says: Nov 8, 2008. 9:23 AM REPLYAnd you weren't impressed?!

craz meanman says: Nov 8, 2008. 10:38 AM REPLYyeah wtf

Loveofchaos says: Jul 17, 2008. 10:37 PM REPLYooh i love atlatls! ive made a few.... ive found that the best dart for me is a 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 foot stick (rough cut square thing, dont ask, its woodshop scrap) withan added metal tip. I generally add fletching or at least a ribbon on the back, when thrown properly id say it flys a good 100 yards.

Gjdj3 says: Jun 12, 2008. 7:22 AM REPLYHaha, Atlatls rule. Did you ever see the Daily Show thing about the atlatl? It was really funny.

craz meanman says: Jun 23, 2008. 9:13 PM REPLYdidn't find it.

Gjdj3 says: Jun 24, 2008. 5:12 AM REPLYOh well, it was pretty funny. Basically, the Daily Show correspondent refused to pronounce Atlatl correctly and other stuff like that. It was pretty good.

craz meanman says: Jun 12, 2008. 10:03 AM REPLYno, but I'm looking it up now!

Dr.Professor_Jake_Biggs says: Apr 27, 2008. 3:02 PM REPLYOooh.

You killed anybody yet?

craz meanman says: Apr 27, 2008. 4:49 PM REPLYno.

sgt.paper says: Jun 17, 2008. 8:24 AM REPLYyour commet was posted on my b-day!!!!!!

craz meanman says: Jun 18, 2008. 2:54 PM REPLY...April 27? thats cool...

craz meanman says: Jun 23, 2008. 9:13 PM REPLYbut not really

theburn7 says: Jun 21, 2008. 11:21 PM REPLYa dart and arrow all in one, nice

http://www.instructables.com/id/Atlatl-Caveman-Spear-Throwing-Device/

ker-boom101 says: Apr 27, 2008. 2:04 PM REPLYOMg i was just going to make my first ible on the atlatl...but instead of using a dowel as a thrower i used a y shaped branch

craz meanman says: Apr 27, 2008. 4:48 PM REPLYGo for it! i won't hold you back! you could make yours themed on surival, so if you needed to build one of these (a much better survival choice than abow and arrow) you could! or if you just wanted to add a segment to mine, say so, and i will add you as a collaborator.

ker-boom101 says: Apr 28, 2008. 5:00 AM REPLYheheh i think i wil considering the fact i have a forest two houses down from me. ill prob ad a segment to your XD

craz meanman says: Apr 28, 2008. 1:34 PM REPLYcool i will add you as a collaborater then... make sure that if you want to add that bit, you label who made what... if that makes sense.

ker-boom101 says: Apr 29, 2008. 5:05 PM REPLYthanks but im kinda busy with some school stuff so i wont be able to do it until like next weekish??sorry for the delay

craz meanman says: Apr 30, 2008. 6:39 PM REPLYthats just fine. i need to make a major revision to the instructable anyway.

finfan7 says: Apr 27, 2008. 7:26 PM REPLYmade one of these once by just cutting out a section ouf of a 1x2. amoments chisel work gave me the groove i was looking for. these things are tricky tolearn to use properly.

craz meanman says: Apr 28, 2008. 1:37 PM REPLYI was thinking of adding a bit on how to make the spur of the atlatl a different way, and then you put like an indent in the back of your "dart"

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