Lets talk spears, need to source a spear shaft--

C

christcl

Joined
Apr 13, 2004
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438
Got a Windlass 24" hewing spear and then had Creger leather works put a convex edge and make a good leather sheath for it.

Need input from folks on what kind of wood to use for a spear shaft, how long, how thick, etc.

So far I have a 8' poplar dowel from Lowes of questionable durability.

I seem to have an itch to have a melee weapon that can be used to keep multiple human opponents at bay and be capable of killing dangerous fauna if needed

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Fantastic sheath from Creger Leatherworks!
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At 24" inch, by itself it can be a short sword!
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Wow! What a cool piece. I didnt know they made them? Id use a natural piece of wood with the large diameter at the front and tapered down to the back like a javelin. I would think like an arrow or Atlatl dart you want it front heavy with an appropriate FOC. Im no expert as you already know but I think they would fly much better that way. Im thinking dogwood, hickory, yew, oak... I think if it was a straight dowel id taper the tail end of it down a bit to move the CG to the front. Looks like a copy of a Zulu spear. Thats cool. Ill be following this thread:thumbup:

Uh...Thinking for just a second...I dont think you have to worry bout being front heavy. Looks like its going to be that way anyway being 24 inches. Dohhhh!
 
christcl said:
7-8 feet is length I'm thinking of.
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Thats what im thinking too. See that point i have in my signature? Thats what I want to do with that. Same thing. I have an 8 foot Ragweed stalk drying out now and if its strong enough after drying I will haft it with sinew and pitch. Its pretty light tho. I would think with that much steel on the front you would want something a bit stronger like cedar, oak or something like I mentioned before. A heavy hardwood might make the whole weapon too heavy to handle. Just my thoughts. I got to get more educated on spears myself.
Look into Zulu spears. They are common at that length. There has to be plenty of info on that. Ill look into it too.
 
I'm thinking like the preacher, nothing like a good piece of hickory but finding one that length and straight might be a major challenge.
 
I have the same question for this made-in-China spearhead that I recently acquired. It's 14" long and weighs a hefty 18 oz. Obviously machine-made, but very high quality. (Probably done as a side business using some fancy industrial equipment during "off time".) Fully convex edge (no secondary bevel) and sharp! The photo is from the auction listing, but the one they sent me is polished from head to toe.

SpearHead14in-China18oz-01.jpg

The opening for a handle is 2.5" deep (less than I would like), and 7/8" diameter at the end, tapering down toward the blade.

I'm think of adding a short, thick handle, but I'm not sure if epoxy would be strong enough. I hate to drill screw holes, and it would not be trivial, as the walls are about 1/8" thick. The balance point is right at the rear of the cutting edge.

By the way, the backward-facing points at the rear of the blade are quite dangerous to the user; I already stuck myself on one of those points, luckily not hard enough to penetrate the skin. I'll probably file them down a bit, based on the principle that a weapon should be more dangerous to the enemy than to the wielder. I think that's in Musashi's Book of Five Rings, somewhere. :)

Any and all ideas about how to do the handle will be welcome.
 
Poplar is relatively lightweight and used for rake handles (which don't have to be very strong), for example. I wouldn't want it for a spear. Hickory would be a lot stronger for striking tools, but heavier. Ash is lighter than hickory, not as strong but is still used for striking tools (like axes), especially in Europe where hickory doesn't grow. I'd look into Ash.

Just searched for Ash Spear Stave, and it looks like these are widely available online. 7-foot by 1-1/4" seems common. I'd try to buy one in person to check for continuous wood grain along the whole length of the stave (avoiding grain runout where fractures could be more likely). Then when installing the handle, I'd align the grain in the same plane as the 2 edges of the spear. This is based on my experience with axe handles (I've never put a handle on a spear).

This photo shows axe handles, one with (good) continuous grain, and the other with (bad) runout:

300Six said:
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AxehandleII003Medium_zpsd70d2b81.jpg
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white wax wood, Ligustrum lucidum, Practically unbreakable in the 6ft ish length in the width that would fit that head
 
Shavru said:
white wax wood, Ligustrum lucidum, Practically unbreakable in the 6ft ish length in the width that would fit that head
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She beat me to it. I would also suggest wax wood, flexible and strong. You need to use it on a regular basis though, there are sometimes bugs in the wood, that will try to bore through the wood, thus, weakening it, but the vibrations from using it, somehow keeps the bugs from eating through the wood.

You would want a piece that starts at about 1.25 - 1.5 diameter at the base, and tapers to the tip that can be cut down to fit the spearhead. The length of the pole should be from the floor to just past your wrist (holding your arm/hand straight up over your head)

I will try to add pics later today with pics of my spear that I practice with at home. Assuming of course, that photo bucket stops crashing on me.

Spear 01.jpgSpear 02.jpgSpear head 01.jpgSpear head 02.jpg
 
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Any recommendations on where to source good white wax wood?

A random Google search brings up generic martial arts supply vendors.
 
christcl said:
Any recommendations on where to source good white wax wood?

A random Google search brings up generic martial arts supply vendors.
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Any reputable martial arts supply company will work. If they supply staffs for the shaolin arts, get the northern shaolin staff, it's longer, tapers, and is thinner. Southern shaolin staffs are shorter, thicker, and heavier.

My Sifu recommends the vendor below (link is below), we use Brendan Lai's Supply in SF, but his shop is now closed, and he only sells to past customers on a personal basis, out of his home.

http://www.martialartsmart.com/32-84.html
 
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Steve Tall said:
Poplar is relatively lightweight and used for rake handles (which don't have to be very strong), for example. I wouldn't want it for a spear. Hickory would be a lot stronger for striking tools, but heavier. Ash is lighter than hickory, not as strong but is still used for striking tools (like axes), especially in Europe where hickory doesn't grow. I'd look into Ash.

Just searched for Ash Spear Stave, and it looks like these are widely available online. 7-foot by 1-1/4" seems common. I'd try to buy one in person to check for continuous wood grain along the whole length of the stave (avoiding grain runout where fractures could be more likely). Then when installing the handle, I'd align the grain in the same plane as the 2 edges of the spear. This is based on my experience with axe handles (I've never put a handle on a spear).

This photo shows axe handles, one with (good) continuous grain, and the other with (bad) runout:
Click to expand...

It's amazing how many people pay no attention to that. Having spent many years with post hole digger in hand and sledge hammers and axes and such and working in the industrial supply trade I pay close attention. Even stuff like wheelbarrow handles can suffer by poor grain. Don't know how many times I helped folks at the local Lowes and steer them away from bad handles.
Even enlightened a sales person last set of wheelbarrow handles I got. They were too high and I couldn't reach them. Told salesman I wanted some and he handed down a set. Had to go to the third set before I found good ones. He asked what I was looking for and walked away a bit brighter for the conversation.
 
Thanks all for the input. This probably won't be my only spear.

We are starting to see a coyote and mountain lion encroachment issue here even in Orange a county California.

If I need to defend my family and yard from an attack, I'll probably have a longer shaft and lighter (faster) spear head.
 
christcl said:
Thanks all for the input. This probably won't be my only spear.

We are starting to see a coyote and mountain lion encroachment issue here even in Orange a county California.

If I need to defend my family and yard from an attack, I'll probably have a longer shaft and lighter (faster) spear head.
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I head down to SoCal every so often for vacation, and my brother is in SD, and he travels back and forth often, sometimes by vehicle. I have relatives that do so as well. If you can't find anything, I can always pick you up some staffs, and anyone traveling to SoCal can drop them off to you. Just PM me to arrange.
 
christcl said:
Thanks all for the input. This probably won't be my only spear.

We are starting to see a coyote and mountain lion encroachment issue here even in Orange a county California.

If I need to defend my family and yard from an attack, I'll probably have a longer shaft and lighter (faster) spear head.
Click to expand...

Try bamboo. It's a traditional haft for your type of spear.

n2s
 
Heck that's a great idea. No wonder I didn't think of that......???
 
hey Cul, that sounds great! Maybe you can teach me a few basics and I can show you Chinese archery if you'd like. The range we go to is pretty chill and no one has given anyone any trouble for having weapons other than bows and arrows. I've made plenty of equipment exchanges there.
 
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