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spear making (Read 3099 times)
lord_of_destruction
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spear making
Jun 3rd, 2006 at 4:18pm
 
i was wondering if anyone could give me tips and guidance in making a spear as in length; equipment; point type and wht do use for point thanks
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CanDo
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Re: spear making
Reply #1 - Jun 3rd, 2006 at 5:00pm
 
for melee, hunting, or throwing? Or all I suppose.  Roll Eyes
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bigkahuna
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Re: spear making
Reply #2 - Jun 3rd, 2006 at 9:38pm
 
Bamboo makes great fishing spears.You can carve the point right out of the end of the bamboo.
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Re: spear making
Reply #3 - Jun 3rd, 2006 at 10:21pm
 
Depends on the type of spear. Longer spears are good for thrusting or using as pikes, shorter ones are better for throwing, like javelins. I can buy a length of 1 1/4 inch diametre wood in as long as 9 metre lengths which is enough for me to make almost 4 2.46-metre long thrusting spears. Only problem is, at 9 metres, the poles tend to warp a bit so the usable material is slightly less than the whole 9 metres. I can just sand a conical point on the end of the thing and use it as a simple thrusting spear or I could go so far as to cut a head out of sheet metal and haft it onto the wooden shaft. Smaller, light spears could be made out of smaller diametre wood, really. I just like to use stuff I can get at the local hardware store because it's already sanded and shaped and primarily worked for me, which is great as I have neither the materials or means of cutting 9 metre lengths of wood or forging metal myself. What can I say? I'm primitive.
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Re: spear making
Reply #4 - Jun 4th, 2006 at 5:37pm
 
As I stated on a previous thread my current (Combat) spear is a threaded harrow spike ( Try Farm and tractor supply stores) that originaly was threaded into a hoe handle. I removed the head and screwed it into a 7.5 foot  1.25 inch in diameter fir shaft to create an armor piercing thrusting spear.

I have also seen spike and blade SKS bayonets pined into handles and used as throwing javelins ( Thats what a lot of the SCA spear throwers in this area use)

I have three fish and frog hunting spears that are made from commercially available heads on 9 foot bamboo shafts

During Katrina (According to an article in Newsweek) one of the strandees took a shovel handle split it a bit and placed a descaled butcher knife into it. ( This is just another example)

Basicly a spear is nothing more than a knife/dagger with a very long handle so as long as the head can pierce your intended target, pretty much the construction is only going to be limited by current technology and your imagination and/or budget

Now assuming you are going to be using this for thrusting the english fight master George Silver wrote in 1599
"To know the perfect length of your short staff or half pike,forest bill,partisan, or glaive, or such like weapons of vantage and perfect lengths, you shall stand upright holding the staff upright close to your body,with you left hand,reaching with your right hand your staff as high as you can, and then allow to that length a space to set both your hand, when you come to fight, wherein you may conveniently strike,thrust, and ward,&that is the just length to be made according to your stature."

My apoligies for the 16th century  syntax

Marc Adkins
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Re: spear making
Reply #5 - Jun 12th, 2006 at 8:23pm
 
well, i make lightweight throwing javelins in the backyard by

cutting a sapling of suitable length and width, as well as straighness.  i do this with a retired kitchen knife that has been introduced into a new workfield after spending untold years in the attick.

i bring the wide end to a rough point with my knife and split it a little down the middle as though i were to haft a tanged blade in there.

let it dry for a couple of days.  you will brobably notice that the two halves have warped away from eachother a little, which is good.

now for the tip;
take a six inch peice of 3/4 inch metal pipe(any metal will do for starters)
get a hammer, a rock or anvil, goggles, earplugs, and pliers or heavy gloves.
grip the pipe in the pliers or your gloved hand(the vibration hurts after a bit) (assuming you have already put on your safety gear)
lay it on the rock or anvil and start bashing it with a hammer(but only along half the length, so there is 3 inches of flat pipe and 3 inches of round pipe)
now this is the hard part: bang one of the corners over into something that resembles a right angle and flatten this.
do the same  with the other corner, but fold it over onto the other side.
now, you should have  a metal point.  you can grind the final tip on  a rock or a file or a bench grinder or a belt sander or...well you get it

now back to the shaft.  hack at the pointed end until it will fit into the uncushed pipe part of the tip.  be carefull not to make it so that the split will be taken apart.

now gather the to parts of the split together and shove the tip down over the end as far down as it will go down.  you can glue the tip in place or whatever, but it is not really needed because of the split holding the tip on.

feel free to experiment with different metals and pipe sizes, according to your needs.

i will perhaps post pics later.
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