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Topic: Speargun design  (Read 2383 times)

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bluekayak

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I see the wood stock spearguns and have an urge to shoot again and maybe design my own Would even consider investing in the necessary equipment like lathes

Any advice I’d be interested but in particular any opinions about the wood guns is what I’m after

Also curious what woods they’re using
« Last Edit: January 22, 2022, 07:28:47 AM by bluekayak »


lucky13

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I don't know why you'd need a lathe in making a wood gun.  Maybe a mill. You might need a router. You will need a table saw for cutting planks.

Here's an old thread where I made my first gun. You might find some useful info there...
http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=34297.msg366208#msg366208

A few videos I posted on the few guns I built...




Making a wood gun is time consuming. If you add up the time and material cost, it is cheaper and quicker to just buy an aluminum gun. Aluminum guns are more convenient and less maintenance. You would make your own wood gun because you enjoy making your own.

As far as the type of wood goes, most guns are made of Teak wood. It is oily, so it helps to prevent water penetration. You want to buy the old-growth teak because they are denser and more or less neutrally buoyant. Young wood floats and would require you to install ballasts to make it neutrally buoyant. Good old-growth teak straight stock is hard to source. I went to Neptonics when it was still in Santa Cruz and saw the the wood blanks they sold were young wood. Young teak has a light beige color. Old teak is deep brown/orange.

Feel free to PM or call me if you want more details.

ernest


Otis

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AB Biller wants you to know:

The A.B. Biller Speargun, built in the U.S.A. and in use all over the world, has proven itself as the foremost production speargun on today’s market. The stainless steel trigger mechanism is unsurpassed in reliability and smooth action. The high grade grooved mahogany, teak or padauk barrel provides pinpoint accuracy, easy underwater maneuverability due to its neutral buoyancy and absorbs 80% of the firing noise the gun will create.


Otis

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“Big Jim” Christiansen designed an aluminum tube speargun with teak pieces on the front to achieve neutral buoyancy when the thing is underwater with the spear in place. It was a hybrid metal and wood speargun. You can hold the handle at arm’s length and point the speargun in any direct without the tip trying to float up or sink down. You might want to search for pix of his Viper spearguns to see the design idea appeals to you.


capo

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https://abellansub.com/denton-110/
This used to be my favorite speargun when dived in Turkey. There are some good local options here but you can get some ideas on nice details on the website above.


bluekayak

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Very nice Lucky13. Amazing skill set involved there

When I think of all the hours I spent in my grandad’s workshop..not paying attention… while he built some of the most beautiful rifles ever built

And whatever else needed building


sandwg

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Great videos Lucky13.  I'm always amazed at the depth and breadth of skills of the folks on this forum.  Heck, I have a garage full of wood working tools that I use for... well, collecting wood working tools that never really get used.  Time for a spear gun! 

Along those lines, anyone with a home dentistry set and video?   :smt044

sandwg
TRS-80
Apple II
IBM AT
IBM XT
etc, etc...
Stealth Fusion / Hobie Revo 13 / NuCanoe Flint  (yeah my wife is a bit peeved)


scorpaenichthys

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Lucky13 is right on the money about speargun building being a commitment, especially if you want to do it right. But if you just want to screw around and scratch an itch (even just to test out the waters and see if it's for you), you can do a lot with very little.

Routing a straight track and trigger mech pocket are the hardest parts. Once you get that out of the way, you can use hand tools for the rest. I made the gun below with a drill, a Stanley Surform, a chisel, and a Leatherman. It's a little janky, but it's killed fish for almost 4 years. The hardware and shaft ran me about as much as a pipe gun; blank was free. I'm forgetting the exact type of wood at the moment but it's popular for decking and is similar to teak (maybe a little denser).

One other thing worth mentioning is that wood guns are significantly heavier than pipe guns, especially when you get into the longer sizes. Unless you're inclined to lug a telephone pole around or need something big for pelagics, I'd strongly consider poaching a design from Hatch, KAP, or anyone else who does thin little Euro-style guns.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2022, 04:26:02 PM by scorpaenichthys »
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