Making a simple spear

[mitunnelrat]

Well, I got it in to "bake" last night.

Now I just need to figure out where I went wrong

[Metrocruiser]

Holy crap what went wrong??

[mitunnelrat]

I'm pretty sure this is a product of being in a rush when I first cut the sapling down, and "felling" it (broke it off the stump) after I chopped through most of it with my knife.

I'm going to cut cleanly through the next one with a saw. That should produce better results

[bacpacker]

How long has that been drying since you first started working on it? Where was it stored? it almost looks like the fire may have taken it to dry to quick and it split.

[mitunnelrat]

It's rode in the back of my car, tied to a length of oak, since I grabbed it mid November.

[4suchatimeasthis]

I think Backpacker might be right, it's possible that the heat from the stove was too much. It would be interesting to see what the result would be if the spear was kept in a dry environment with moderate heat, for say a few months. Do you think bamboo would be any good for spear making? I was wondering because I know my dad stores a bunch of bamboo (for fishing poles, I guess) above the log beams in their cabin. That wood heat in there is very dry, gave me tons of nosebleeds as a kid!

Ha, too bad you couldn't fit one in a dehydrator, lol.

[bacpacker]

I would think Bamboo would work fine for a spear. Having said that, I've never worked with it so don't know for certain. I do know they were used a spikes back during the Vietnam war, so I assume they would be pretty rigid and strong.

[4suchatimeasthis]

Thanks, BP, good to know. Cause we have a patch of it along the road we live off of, growing in the ditch. It's a good 20-25ft square section of bamboo, just growing......kinda random for TN, lol. I think it's pretty

[mitunnelrat]

Drying out too fast makes as much sense as my initial thought. Guess I'll go for a clean cut, and a longer drying period in a more consistent climate.

I still wonder though, Indigenous peoples didn't have the creature comforts we do. Maybe I let it cure too long and the extra heat from the fire took it over the edge?

[4suchatimeasthis]

Well, and I am trying to think, I know there are things you season with oil (wooden objects) as they cure....trying to remember....I am too lazy to go look it up, I could probably google it and figure it out. I would imagine that it might be a good idea to season the raw wood with some type of clear, foodgrade oil, it would probably help it from absorbing blood, etc, when it was used. Also, if it absorbed a good bit of oil periodically, once it was dry, it wouldn't absorb so much water, if you used it for spear fishing, etc.

I know that temperatures and humidity have an effect on wood, some types more than others. You can easily see that in the changes a wood floor makes, how the spaces get smaller or larger, seasonally.

This "Homemade Bows and Arrows" looks like a helpful site. I did find this, about arrows, but I imagine it would be similar for a spear shaft:

Seasoning: Lay the bow down in a warm dry spot (but not in the sun) and let it dry for 2 days. After 2 days, warm the bow near a fire and rub it down with oil or animal fat. Rub the bow with a cloth for an hour. Then let it dry near the fire and then rub it down with more oil or animal fat. Continue drying and rubbing oil into the bow until the wood is saturated. The bow is now ready for use. In the future, about once a week, rub the bow down with oil (or animal fat) and let it dry. The oil (or fat) will make the wood more flexible and keep it from cracking.