Got a cool idea a while back and I've been toying with a few possibilities.

I want to make a spear.

I have a Mosin Nagant M44 folding bayonet for the head and I am considering aluminum tubing for the shaft.  I have a piece that is 3/4 OD 1/8" wall and would have to sleeve the inside to fit the bayonet shank (.460 OD), but have a piece of thin-wall brass tube that might do.  I'm planning on using JB Weld to fit the point and filling the shaft with expanding foam for added rigidity and possibly counterweighting the butt end for balance if needed.

I have a blade-type SKS bayonet hanging around somewhere that I was going to turn into a throwing knife or the basis for a cool trench knife but may use that for a spearhead instead.

What are you planning to use for a shaft? That's every bit as important as the spearhead itself

I want to use thick-wall aluminum tubing for a shaft, and thrusting would probably be the most applicable description, although "toad stabber" is what a friend called the bayonet, and I immediately thought "frog gig".

I was considering bamboo, but I couldn't find a piece that didn't have any cracks.  The piece of aluminum tubing I already have is drawn-over-mandrel structural-grade seamless tubing, 1/8" thick wall 3/4" OD-1/2" ID and is really strong stuff.  In addition I was going to fill the shaft with rigid two-part expanding foam for added strength.  Competition (Olympic) javelins have been made from aluminum for years, as well.

In all honesty, I don't trust hardware store dowels for these kinds of applications.  They are made from a wood called ramin, from SE Asia.  It is a hard wood, but tends to be brittle, and when ramin dowels break, they always seem to break into a very sharp point.  I friend of mine made a replacement ramrod for a black powder gun and ended up with a piece of dowel piercing his hand.  I didn't want to be the guy to say "I told you so", but I did advise him to invest in a length of straight-grain hickory ramrod stock from the Log Cabin Shop, or just buy a synthetic rod (my personal choice).  I would rather deal with a bent shaft that a broken dowel through my hand.

if you haven't already made the spear i would look up waxwood staffs used for martial arts, it might be an exageration but every time i see it it says its unbreakable. im sure it would do good

slingbadger wrote on Oct 30^th, 2008 at 6:39am:


I wholeheartedly agree. You can't use metal for a spear shaft, that goes completely against the grain (no pun intended). There is a reason that ash was traditionally used, its the best thing for the job. I know there are modern materials that will perform well but in my opinion using anything other than wood takes the heart (again no pun intended) out of the weapon.

Hardwood broom handles are about 5 feet long, and can be found in most hardware stores. Closet rods are usually made from maple, and work well. They come plenty long too. Make sure they are hardwood and not pine, though.

Museum Replicas sells 1 1/4" poles for spears and lances. I actually bought a 2-foot spearhead from them, but I think I'll just go to the lumber store for the wood.

For light throwing spears, I have three ash broom handles, and some garden trowels I bought from a dollar store that was closing. I have some grinding to do to shape the trowel blades into a shape I like, but at .50 a trowel, I can handle that. I like the idea of the bayonet blade though. A hunt through the local thrift stores might get you some good steel fof both throwing and hewing spears.

K'Jev

another option is find a young pine or spruce that has died recently and dried while still standing.  Cut it to shape and you have a shaft.  Its light, straight, and has good integrity cause it is whole rather than a section of a tree.

Jae