In search of a spear

Yes, eventually you'll get close to round. Easy peasey from there, imo.

Cheers
GC
 
The spear head came in the mail today, quicker than I expected. As best I can tell it doesn't look like a factory second. Everything looks straight and uniform, but my eyes have never been good at detecting odd or slight angles.

The depth of the socket measures 5.5", 30 millimeters across at the mouth, and tapers down to approximately 20 millimeters across at the very bottom of the socket.

Basically this means a tapered bo staff, 1.25" in the middle down to 1" on the ends, can be made to fit with a bit of work, and fit snugly at that.

Now I guess I just need to look around for a bo staff, red oak or ash, from a distributor that won't charge as much for the shipping as the staff itself.
 
I got the bo staff today. And I made a horrible mistake on my calculations. Even if I sand down the end to 20 millimeters to match the inside of the socket, the mouth is still going to be significantly wider than the shaft at the 5.5" mark. There's simply no way to actually make it work.
 
A rasp (surforms are excellent examples), or grinder. The taper on the big black one in my picture started a couple/few inches back on the pole and then was to very near the end of the socket (1/4"). Measure the mouth ID and shoot for that as to where the socket will seat and taper to suit. Wood pushes around pretty easily. I blended my taper instead of determining a flush (or greater) seat. I did that as described. Stroke, turn, stroke, turn. Yes, it took some time. Work an angle at the pointy end for awhile, then progressively move the angle back. Once you are getting close, spin/turn the haft in the socket and the high points will show shiny.

R96yVM1.jpg


Cheers
GC
 
It sounds like you are saying the spear head is rattling around on the shaft. That means you will end up losing length off the end of the staff in order to bring the socket back to a thicker part that you will have to taper to fit. That’s why I use/recommend staves that are tapered on a single end, they tend to be thicker overall which allows for more discretion on placement. Unless your staff is quite thin it should still be doable, just with a lot more elbow grease.
 
Well, in this case, the bo ordered is the socket diameter at the center of the bo. Start over? Just get an untapered 1.25" and taper to fit.
 
horseclover said:
Well, in this case, the bo ordered is the socket diameter at the center of the bo. Start over? Just get an untapered 1.25" and taper to fit.
Click to expand...

That's the case I'm up against. My math was way off this time around.

But on the bright side, Windlass produces a javelin head that's about the right size for the end of the tapered bo. So I can make either a long javelin or a lightweight thrusting spear.
 
As it turns out, finding a 1-1/4" diameter staff is much more difficult than one would initially believe. So far the only thing I'm finding in stock is 1-1/8", which is just a little too small across/around for a tight seal at the mouth of the socket.

Meanwhile, does anyone know if Lord of Battle is a good quality manufacturer for spear/javelin heads?
 
The Lord of Battle stuff generally are blunted stuff for reenactment.

Diligent searching will find online sources for staves, bo and poles etc. Call KOA, as their ash are listed as 1.25. Purpleheart, Bruce Lee, Karate Supply are just three I have browsed over the years. The red oak bo on the big black was listed as 1 1/8" but was actually 1 1/4" . That was from Martial Art Mart iirc but that was a long time ago and may have been someone else. Lumber yards in your area. Purpleheart has been around forever. I have an 8' octagonal I bought online that was cheap and was a pruning pole extension. That was from Amazon but was direct from some company. Might have been amleo.com (Leonard) has 7 1/2' and 12' hemlock pruning poles that are listed as 1 1/4". Home Depot lists Waddell hardwood poles and an oak 8' 1 1/4" for $16. Flag poles, as mentioned.

Happy hunting
GC
 
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horseclover said:
The Lord of Battle stuff generally are blunted stuff for reenactment.

Diligent searching will find online sources for staves, bo and poles etc. Call KOA, as their ash are listed as 1.25. Purpleheart, Bruce Lee, Karate Supply are just three I have browsed over the years. The red oak bo on the big black was listed as 1 1/8" but was actually 1 1/4" . That was from Martial Art Mart iirc but that was a long time ago and may have been someone else. Lumber yards in your area. Purpleheart has been around forever. I have an 8' octagonal I bought online that was cheap and was a pruning pole extension. That was from Amazon but was direct from some company. Might have been amleo.com (Leonard) has 7 1/2' and 12' hemlock pruning poles that are listed as 1 1/4". Home Depot lists Waddell hardwood poles and an oak 8' 1 1/4" for $16. Flag poles, as mentioned.

Happy hunting
GC
Click to expand...

Well that certainly shows the limitations of my thinking capabilities. I honestly didn't give much consideration to tool handles.

So I checked Amleo to see what they have in stock, like you said it's mostly hemlock stuff, which rates a 500 on the Janka hardness scale, whereas red oak is 1,290, ash is 1,320, and hickory is 1,820. Although I know hardness isn't the same thing as durability, and a spear isn't going to be used like a hammer with a hickory handle.

I guess the most basic question I have, since you've got the most spears, is if you would select a hemlock pole for use in a spear, if you thought it might actually be used for serious purposes rather than display purposes?
 
I've never used hemlock but it seems it would be ok, unless trying to chop down a tree.

There are the other sources.
 
I now have a new staff to work with. 6' long, 1.25" thick all the way from one end to another. Now I just need to sand/shave one end down to the inner dimensions of the spear socket, try to keep everything straight, and I'll finally have a spear like I've been after.
 
After a lot of procrastination I finally got to sanding the staff to fit the socket. Sand some, trial fit, sand some more, keep addressing the contact marks stemming from the surface grease inside the socket, until it's finally all the way down.

The end result isn't perfectly straight, although it's decently close. But at the same time, the staff itself isn't perfectly straight either, it's slightly bowed.

Was that something common in medieval times?
 
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Nice spears! Yesterday I ordered a medieval spearhead (AH7226H) from Kult of Athena, this will be my first real spear since I was making them out of tobacco sticks some sixty years ago.

I started forging out one from a truck leaf spring about a year ago, a few weeks later I decided to hang it up due to my tennis elbow acting up.

Anyway, if mine comes out looking half as good as these four I'll be happy!
 
I like purple heart armory. They sell HEMA stuff and training weapons but their staffs are very nice. I use one as my walking stick and it could fashion as a great spear haft
 
So Charlie_k got me interested in making a spear. Always wanted a legitimate spear since I was a boy so after seeing him try and all the information from everyone helping I decided to give it a try.
I acquired a “Viking spear head” from a website called Grimfrost that looked legit.

After exhausting my luck at local hardware stores I purchased an 8ft Ash Pole from a website called medieval collectables. I watched this video on youtube:
And felt confident.

I got some nails and a ball peen hammer, sand paper in 60 and 100 grit and set to work.

The inside taper was wonky toward the end and about 2.75inches deep.


I secured the end of the pole in a chair and straddled it using my thighs to hold it tight.

I figured I’d try hand sanding and if all else failed then get a belt grinder.
I first attempted to sand paper over the pole but the force was wrong and kept tearing the paper.

I found that Sanding from under the pole was more effective and easier on the paper itself.
I cut the pieces lengthwise to conserve and better utilize inventory. I wore gloves, a mask, and had an air purifier running. I started in my basement and if I was smart I would’ve done this in my garage...
After about an hour I felt I was getting close only to see that I was still about a quarter inch shy of my mark. I used an old piece of wood to hold the sandpaper on its edge to get areas with more focused sanding. I wanted to use a sharpie to paint the inside and see where the hot spots were but I couldn’t locate one so I ended up using my spit and finger... it sort of worked.
Long story short I nearly gave up after two hours of failure. Then I said F this and began sanding the end smaller and eventually cutting off the wonky distal taper piece and voila the shaft fit much better.
Now I seated the head onto the pole. Drilled the holes a little larger ( they were ridiculously small) and drove a nail in and out the other side. After peening (?) one side it was pretty snug and I was happy. But after peening the other side there is a little wiggle.

I am unable to remove the peened nail now. It is secure for thrust motions.


Thank you Charlie, and everyone who helped give feedback on this thread.
 
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