Okay when you're ready. Hi its Tod of Tod's Workshop and Tod Cutler here and today
i'm here with Tod's instant Legolas device. Oh hang on isn't that supposed to
be Joerg Sprave's? No not today. So Joerg sent me this
instant Legolas behind and he was challenged really on YouTube, to say "ah
well it doesn't work with medieval technology" and "they couldn't have done
it back in the day". Well he sent it to me so I could have a go at making it with
medieval technology, And this is what I came up with. Let me show you its
features! (manic Joerg laugh). So here we are. I've used ash for most of it. Ash is tough, it's strong, so
very suitable wood for this. This is box wood at the front the the spring lever
and the main plate here. So horn makes a great spring. The trigger is antler. So
you can see that's an antler trigger there and that's just for the spring. So
the bolts that Joerg sent to me were 14 grams, skinny little things, and I've done
two versions which are considerably longer but heavier (65 and 85g), so these are 12 mm/
half inch diameter shafts. Some nice medieval heads there and some modern ones
on some wooden fletchings and some feather fletched. The reason that I've
done the different fletch types is really I don't know what's going to work so
we're going to try that out. Then what I've also done is I've made the whole
thing field strippable. So all of this front headstock component here this all
dismantles it allows you to remove the bow. There was a couple of issues that
didn't like about Joerg's that the bow was not easy to get in and out it was lashed
on, and you had to brace the bow in the device. So I've made this one here I'll
just show you the bottom of the trigger system; you can swivel these little
catches out the way and you can get the string in and out through that gap there.
That allows you to string the bow separate to the device which is; if
you're dealing with heavy bows and that's kind of one of the things we're
talking about, that's really quite important. I've put these lash cords here
which might look a little bit out of place, I could have done a nice metal
clamp fitting, but then it would only work with one bow and I don't know, maybe
I want a 40-pound bow, maybe 120 pound, 140 pound bow.
It had to be variable, bows are different shapes this cord
system here, with the tightening screw at the back here, that just allows the
whole system to be very, very, variable. I've lined it all with bone, so little
bone runners. They didn't have the words that we have they didn't have the the
maths and the thinking that we had, but they had the same brains. They understood
friction they might not have had the words for it but they understood what it
was about. So it's not wood on wood like Joers was, but what you also need to
remember about Joergs version is it's not really a prototype, it's more a
"proof-of-concept". He's showing the idea and saying it works great. If and when
Joerg eventually makes this, he's not going to make it in plywood, it'll be a
beautifully manufactured item. This here is much closer to a prototype, but a
medieval prototype. I've done a little bit of decoration on the ironwork here
because you know, why not? Nothing in the medieval world was not decorated. A nice
pretty little sight here. So you've got windage on there little marks for
elevation. So really I've approached it by trying to make it a long-lived nicely
made object. This could have been made with medieval technology much more
temporarily if you like, but I think there is a very particular use for this,
by very particular people. And that was well trained efficient, experienced,
competent archers. Those are the people I think would have used this, but under
certain circumstances, not under all circumstances. I would love to be able to
shoot this for you, but actually I'm not the man for the job. Because this is my
ninety five pound bow and I can shoot it, just about, but what I can't do is shoot
it fast. And if the instant Legolas is about anything at all, it really is about
the speed of shooting those arrows out. So I need somebody who can shoot a much
heavier bow and doesn't have to worry, struggle with shooting ninety five and
that man is Joe Gibbs. Some of you may know who he is, for those who don't, Joe
Gibbs is the only person I know on the planet who can shoot and does shoot
regularly a 200-pound longbow. He has a company called Hillbilly Bows, makes
beautiful bows, but he also shoots fantastically. So he shoots accurately
and quickly, heavy bows. But he worked with us last year on the Arrows vs.
Armour video where he shot hundred and sixty pound bow at a very accurately
made breastplate and we watch the results. If you don't know that film go
check it out. Really interesting and also you'll really see with the traditional
longbow Joe's shooting style, which is needed for the heavyweight bows. Simply it's different to the modern style but he's going to shoot this 95
pound he's gonna cycle the arrow through fast we're going to see what happens. So
first of all we're going to give him Joerg's original device with a whopping 35 pound
bow on it and just see what he makes of it. He's not come across one before, I
mean how many people have? And then we're taking this down to the range and we're
gonna shoot. Right Joe, I have just handed you Joerg's original instant Legolas that he sent
to me. First shots. "Okie dokie let's try this" so we're a 30 pound bow
or 35. Yep quick, very quick. "Lets see whats its like with a bigger one" let's feed a big bow in there. So
what we'll do then is I'll introduce you to the one I've built, "okay" and we'll put
my one in which is about a 95 something like that and let's do that. Right Joe
first time with Tod's version of the instant Legolas. I don't know, I've not
shot it with a bow this weight so I don't know what's gonna happen.
"Let's see how she goes then", yeah lets see. All right good luck!
right yeah cuz this comes back and then pushes your thumb was it design flaw
okay "okay"
Hard Work?
Right so well I mean tell me about it? "So just the last last bit, making sure
you can reach that trigger" we use thumb okay "maybe a little
bit short so when you're you're pulling on it you'll like this
because...."okay because you're using like first crease of your fingers " yeah like this" okay
Because on the light bow it didn't matter
"yeah and the second one is when you normally pull a bow you're holding it
like this, so it's getting used to that was an open grip
coming around" Okay well we could we could try an experiment actually and
lose that front piece. This time we've moved to the feather fletched bolts
just to see how they work I haven't actually shot them out this yet so we'll
have a look at that. What we've also done is taken off the foregrip on here, I'll
come and talk about that but Joe wasn't entirely comfortable with it so we're
going to lose it because he doesn't need it and see if that makes his shooting
any easier with it so let's have a go. Take it away Joe
"Okie dokie" Nice "yes oh that's much better" Interesting because I kind of liked it,
but I liked it on a much lighter bow "okay" and actually you know what
you're saying there is that you grip the bow, "that positive grip on it" you can't
do it with that handle "yeah that works a lot better that time definitely" So the
instant Legolas medieval style with a 95-pound bow is possible, so we'll do
that a few more times and then we'll see if we can up the bow weight if we're all
comfortable with it. So last year Joe and I made another film longbow vs. crossbow
and it is it to do with the rate shooting and accuracy, so it's another
film go check that one out, but in that one Joe did a speed trial
with six arrows fast as he could and what we're going to do now, we've only
got five here, but we'll put side by side the first five shots that he did last
year and then we'll look at it with the five shots here, so Joe's going to run for
speed here on this one as well.
Let's go okay in case you are curious eight seconds, five
shots that's not bad "that's pretty quick" " makes you work for it" Yeah? I
mean in terms of accuracy just gonna pan the camera... does it make you work you say?
"yeah yeah" Oh thats interesting. Okay so if we look at accuracy there so you know this is what third
time Joe's ever shot this thing, and thats three out of the
five are gonna be on somebody's chest yeah ten yards so say you know not
stunning but....yeah Joe's laughing there.... so yeah sorry about that Joe I did say I
did say not stunning shooting but this is what third time you shot "yeah yeah
yeah" it was it's fairly hard work to do the five shots, you're in a slightly
different position so it makes you work a bit harder" I mean I'm guessing that
with a little bit of practice you would be fine switching between two techniques
doing this it's just this is like moment one and its a little bit weird. We've got a set of sights on there
so let's use the sights and you go for a bit of accuracy. "Okay let's try that" Take
it away Joe
so he's not going superfast you know he's going a good pace. All right let's
just spin it around see what we got. The last one is the one bottom left but the
top four are certainly within a dinner plate so they were within a guy's chest.
It's not very far here it's 12 /15 yards 15 meters something like that, but again
as we said you know sights are not Joe's thing. I can tell you now, if he's shooting
his own bow without sights on it, it would be more accurate than that at this
distance. I mean what would you expect actually for you, for yourself at this
six-inch group at least maybe bit tighter you know something like that.
I mean this is this is interesting because it's all these things that we've been
chatting about actually partly that you've missed off-camera, that we'll have
a little chat with and we'll expand that in another film. Who would use it? where
would you use it? Well we'll deal with all this in another film. But brilliant
thank you very much. So what we're gonna do now, we are going to move up
from the 95 to... what weight are we gonna go to now? "120, 125 about that
sort of draw weight and see if I can do that" So this is another Hillbilly Bows special?
"Yeah another Hillbilly Bows yeah"
So it'll be a Hillbilly Bows, Tod, Joerg Sprave concoction.
Right let's do it. "Lets crack on" 120-pound bow, Joe's going to take it a little
bit steady, because you know it's a big bow by anybody's standards and
cycling through really fast.... you know we'll see how we go.
Right lovely so go for it when you're ready Joe, well when I'm out the way.
"That's hard work" You look like you're struggling right the end? "Yeah that was
much harder I would say the bow feels 20 30 maybe even 40 pounds heavier than it
it should do" I see that there's two reasons. one physiologically you're in
the wrong position you're not in the position you used to shooting. The other
is of course friction. "Yeah I think maybe a bit of both to be honest" On the lighter
weight bow I I was fine with this whole setup and the one that Joerg sent to me
felt fine, I haven't shot a heavy one so I can't really comment but it
might be that if the whole system was flipped over... because I did it this side
because I thought it needed to be, but actually after making it maybe it
doesn't. Thats prototyping for you. "Yeah it could be that or the fact that it's just you've
got your hand in a slightly different position so then you're on your muscles
and your arms are slightly different then they've not trained to be here" Because its here not here
But all of this might be stuff that you get used to, I mean we can't we
can't know until you shoot this for a week or two weeks. "I definitely
wouldn't want to shoot anything heavier" This is hundred and twenty and that's enough? "Thats enough definitely" But equally I mean that is enough equally it was enough I mean they're
hitting hard you know, you can see it, and hear it. All right
great. The instant Legolas is intriguing seeing
one guy shooting, but watching five guys? Well, with the magic of editing here we
go, check this out! Okay
I'm back to sum up. And it was really good actually working with Joe on this
because he gave me some really good insights that I wasn't expecting, but we
have changed some things. Like removed this targeting handle this front handle
for instance which works with lighter weight bows, it doesn't really work with
the heavy weight. Joe felt he had to grip it. He felt the sights were superfluous. I
kind of feel that a little bit too, because I think, and we're going to come
back to talk about this, I think this is all about a really good existing Archer,
a competent soldier, not about people who don't know anything about anything.
Competent archers don't need sights, they shot instinctively, so I think that's not
required. He could shoot a hundred and twenty pound off it and we saw it and he
shot you know pretty fast, but it was tiring for him. It was not as easy. Well
we can't quite get to the bottom. Is it friction? is it a different position? I
don't know, but he could do it and he could lay down a good suppressing fire
for the five shots there's certainly no problem with that with a good weight bow.
Both him and I feel that it was better suited to slightly lighter bows maybe a
90-pound worked really well you know Joe could do that I can do a 40 without a
problem I imagine I could do a 60. And here we are so thanks so much to Joe
from Hillbilly Bows there's a link to his webpage in the description go check
it out he is amazing, his bows are amazing. And then the last thing is
there's more to come on this actually. I hope haven't bored you with you know
another instant Legolas film, but the bottom line is it makes you think about
history, it makes you think about technology and how they built things and
how they use things. So Joe and I are going to sit down in the next film and
have a "how would they have used it?" discussion and then I'm going to come
back for a super geeky look at this machine looking at every little element
just how it's done why it was done so that'll be long and boring and only for
the Legolas fans out there or the medieval technology fans. And then of
course you guys have come back with the assist films, you know the assist
challenge about how you can do that with medieval
technology at the front and there's been some good stuff there and there's one
absolute forerunner which i think is brilliant. And all of this, it's teaching
us stuff and you know what that's why I'm here and hopefully that's why most
of you are here as well. But in the meantime "thanks and bye bye"