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"
Cool but fatigue, bulky aiming, small clip, and the craftsmanship required kinda make them impractical for anything except Medieval SWAT teams. Or those fucking Khurgit horse archers.
Joe Gibbs is a fucking beast. He makes 160lb bows look light. That guy has been firing a bow since he was a young lad. Look at his channel where he draws a 200lb bow.
If only real Legolas had "Legolas" in his possession...
He looks and sounds like he could be Peter Windsor's (F1 guy, ex-Williams) brother.
(Chucles in Ogrish)
That’s really cool
This has been such a cool innovation, I do think it would have been possible to make in medieval times, and that it actually would have been as successful as it looks.
Didn't Jörg Sprave do this first?