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wooden javelin (Read 6803 times)
xxkid123
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wooden javelin
Jul 20th, 2009 at 11:52am
 
yesterday i was reading my second favorite book, High Rulain, and there is A LOT of stuff on the sling, as well as  wooden javelin. i was wondering, how do you throw a wooden javelin? i mean, most javelins have a head to it to make it front heavy for better throwing (but I'm not sure)
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Paleoarts
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #1 - Jul 20th, 2009 at 12:08pm
 
actually, most javelins don't have a head at all, or at least a very small one. the heaviest part of a javelin ideally should be one third the way down from the tip. they can be thrown by hand or with a becket or baton de commandment (both of which are basically cords wrapped around the shaft to impart leverage and spin. one has a handle and one doesn't.)
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xxkid123
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #2 - Jul 20th, 2009 at 12:24pm
 
hey thanks, so one third the way down should be the heaviest part (i think i'll go for an ovular shape, a sharp point that gets bigger to the 1/3 mark, then smaller again
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #3 - Jul 20th, 2009 at 12:37pm
 
Yep. Stick a point on the front end and then taper the back two-thirds so its balanced right. My javelin has a chunky wrought iron head so it only needed a bit of tapering to balance right.

I saw many wooden spears in the Manchester Museum backroom collections, especially from the pacific islands. They all had long tapered tail ends and were about an inch to an inch and a half across one third back from the tip.
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xxkid123
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #4 - Jul 20th, 2009 at 7:32pm
 
now to find some wood, most of the already fallen wood has fallen for ears, and is too dry and hard. good for last minute bows, bad for shaping. another good thing is that most branches taper anyways, so take a thick one, and just give it a bit more taper, and and smooth out the head and i'll be done. is 5.5 feet too long?
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #5 - Jul 20th, 2009 at 8:19pm
 
not long enough, really. most are around 7' i think.
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #6 - Jul 20th, 2009 at 8:58pm
 
Not sure where you live but at Lowe's hardware stores, you can buy inch-thick broom handles for about $2-3.00. They are 5 feet long, slightly tapered at one end, and do not have the metal thingy to screw into a broom. They also have inch-and a half thick closet rods and stair handrails (prices vary) that can be cut to any length you want.

When I made my first atlatl darts from broom handles, I tapered them with a horseshoeing rasp, but any really coarse wood rasp or file would work.

Hope that helps some.

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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #7 - Jul 20th, 2009 at 11:11pm
 
the closet rods work good. ill 2nd that lol.

thats what i made my lance from. just make sure you get a straight one
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xxkid123
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #8 - Jul 21st, 2009 at 12:31pm
 
will i still be able to cut it with a good knife to taper and point it?
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #9 - Jul 21st, 2009 at 12:46pm
 
yea it shouldnt be any problem as long as the knifes pretty sharp  Grin
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #10 - Jul 21st, 2009 at 1:51pm
 
don't cut or whittle the closet rod! if you strike the wrong grain or cut too deep, you'll split it down the length. scrape it instead. hold the blade straight up (perpindicular) and draw it towards you, taking off a little at a time. it takes longer (but not as long as you think) and you get a much more even suface without risking your entire peice.

one other thing. the trouble with tree branches is they have a soft center or 'pith' as it's called, that makes a lousy point. if you use a branch, make your point off center in the harder portion of the wood.
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xxkid123
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #11 - Jul 21st, 2009 at 9:04pm
 
Paleoarts wrote on Jul 21st, 2009 at 1:51pm:
don't cut or whittle the closet rod! if you strike the wrong grain or cut too deep, you'll split it down the length. scrape it instead. hold the blade straight up (perpindicular) and draw it towards you, taking off a little at a time. it takes longer (but not as long as you think) and you get a much more even suface without risking your entire peice.

one other thing. the trouble with tree branches is they have a soft center or 'pith' as it's called, that makes a lousy point. if you use a branch, make your point off center in the harder portion of the wood.


right, i was actually thinking about using very course sandpaper, take months, but worth it, and scraping i can do too
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #12 - Jul 21st, 2009 at 9:15pm
 
scraping wont take months, just hours. it goes quicker than you think. i use freshly knapped peices of obsidian and they work great. they take off long curly shavings and give the peice a nice 'primitive' look.
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #13 - Jul 21st, 2009 at 10:47pm
 
or you can use a thick  piece of broken glass. thats what i do when i get a tomahawk handle thats to big. just make sure you dont get cut. some leather gloves and safety glasse's would be a good idea
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xxkid123
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Re: wooden javelin
Reply #14 - Jul 22nd, 2009 at 2:07pm
 
Paleoarts wrote on Jul 21st, 2009 at 9:15pm:
scraping wont take months, just hours. it goes quicker than you think. i use freshly knapped peices of obsidian and they work great. they take off long curly shavings and give the peice a nice 'primitive' look.


time to make and test my shell knife then Grin
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