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Atlatl dart spine and length

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Hawkdancer:
Ron,
What length would you make the fore shafts?  I have seen some drawings somewhere, but haven't tried to make any yet.  Also would you make them from a different wood than the main shaft, or just go with what is on hand?  Btw, I am still trying to figure out a good design for a dart quiver(?), the mailing tube with a piece of rope duct taped on is not very authentic!  (AT)👹😂.  Thanks,
Hawkdancer

Red Arrow:
I'm using bamboo for my primary and forshafts since I have so much of it right now. Since bamboo is already hollow the foreshaft can be cut at a point big enough to fit snuggly over the primary. I'm making my forshafts 6"-12", plus points.

I haven't tried any other woods yet but I don't think it would matter if the foreshaft and primary were the same wood or not. From what I've been told you want the weight forward in  dart so if using different woods I'd use the heavier wood for foreshafts. Just remember, you have to be able to hollow the end of it or make a sleeve to connect them together.

As for a quiver, I don't know what type was historically used for atlatls and darts but I'd use a bark quiver or bamboo/rivercane quiver. Bark can be rolled and tied into . Some bamboo species are big enough as is, or it can be stripped down and woven into quivers.

I'm still researching. 😀

Jodocus:
The unfletched dart will fly with low rear end ift too hard, high rear end if too soft. This applies within a certain range around good spine. Extreme aberration will produce maybe different pictures. To somenone new with atlatl and dart, the darts seem surprisingly long and wobbly.

Mine are typically just under 7 feet long and about 3/8" in the middle.

You can fiddle around by barreling the dart more or less (more barreling = higher spine), shortening the dart, or adding a heavier tip.

Red Arrow:
More experience atlatl throwers than I who use 72" primaries told me "a foreshaft will change the lb of spine while testing but not alter flight, so if you use a foreshaft test the spine without it first."

High-Desert:
I haven't got a chance to go out an test tyendarts again, but yes, the first time i launched them, they seem overly wobbly, and like was said, those new to using atlatl's, will think the dart is overly wobbly, and I think less than 10 throws qualifies me as a less than amateur.
So if I have to shorten the dart to get a bit more spine, will adding a foreshaft give the advantage of distance and accuracy of a longer dart?

Eric

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