Spear Build Help
Jun 29, 2020 23:55:27 GMT
Post by alsmithie on Jun 29, 2020 23:55:27 GMT
Hello everyone!
I'm attempting my first spear build, nothing too difficult. I'm custom building a fishing spear and need to splice two walnut dowels to make a 6-foot shaft. I couldn't find any dowels that length in my area, and having a few shipped would've been very expensive.
Right now I'm experimenting with "Vietnamese hardwood" dowels from a local store. I spliced a 1-inch diameter 2-foot and 4-foot dowel together with a 1/2-inch diameter 8-inch dowel sunk in the middle of both pieces as a connection. I did this flush at 90º (one dowel directly on top of the other) with water-proof wood glue. I wrapped the splice in jute twine (it lies at the perfect spot for me to hold on to when standing relaxed). The connection is strong! No flexing, bending or creaking. My next prototype will have the splice at a 45º across the center to see if there there is any difference in strength. My feeling is that the splice will be stronger as there is more surface area making contact. We'll see.
But...
My question is impact. Spear fishing off a boat, jetty or in the shallows I will inevitably hit a rock. The spear head I can replace, but I want the shaft to be as strong as possible. Should the splice then be at the foreshaft, or should I put it at the bottom? My thinking is that the splice will have some give to it and be able to absorb shock better. The inner 1/2-inch dowel would act like a bone and absorb shock. Or, should the splice be at the bottom, with impact on the more solid foreshaft?
I have looked at ancient, clovis designs with detachable heads and at least this way I can replace a broken foreshaft. But as I'm splicing the dowels for a permanent connection, my end goal is to prevent any breaking whatsoever.
I think the most I'll throw or thrust this spear is about 10 to 15 feet, so perhaps I'm overthinking the amount of impact all together. Any advice/experience you can offer is greatly appreciated!