DIY Making a wood handle for a wood speargun

  • I've made this style handle for three guns already so I think I'm set on doing it this way.


    Here's my first one on a Riffe competitor 3.





    Another speargun.




    This is the speargun I'm currently using.





    I'm working on another gun and it will have the same handle.

  • Pics of the construction.






    Mostly it's self explanatory. All using hand tools except a jig saw to cut the outline. I use an Ipe plank and a template that I made after making a few adjustments to the shape. I trace it on the wood and cut it out. I use a mortise tenon joint with epoxy to secure it. You can use a pin instead. With the epoxy however it feels like it's all one piece.


    The trigger guard is made from a piece of stainless steel from west marine. It costs $12 and I don't know what it's used for. It's the perfect length and has a hole at each end which I use for the screws. I enlarge the hole though for the head of the screw to be flush. Bending it into just the right shape can test your patience.


    I'm right handed so I add a little contour to the right side with two part epoxy putty. You can do this with more wood. I then coat the whole thing with Herculiner to make it grippy. There are other methods that can be used to achieve this like epoxy and salt or something along those lines.


    If you're doing this on a thin stock like a Riffe competitor reduce the thickness of just the tenon or you won't have enough wood on each side of the mortise to hold it.

  • Dan - I seem to remember that you investigated a couple of different "grippy" coatings for the handle. What did you settle on?


    Also, could you show a shot of how the handle fits your hand? I have no doubt that you tuned it exhaustively to suit you :D , but at first glance the shape looks unconventional.

  • It was tricky to get a good grip with the right hand and at the same time taking a pic with the left.






    The handle comes into its own when the arm is fully extended to shoot. It really sandwiches the top of my hand against the stock and I feel I absorb the recoil very well. The bulge at the bottom makes tracking up easy as it provides leverage without having to grip the handle with force. It is also at a perfect distance from the trigger, it rests on the first joint of my index finger. The coating is Herculiner.

    Would you make one of those for me?

    I could but consider that the handle is made for my hand. Also you'd need to do most of the work yourself anyways; make the mortise, glue, build up the palm swell, cover with coating and bend the trigger guard to your gun. Might as well do everything, that's why it's DIY :)

  • Those are three different guns? I know the Riffe and the other one(I'm guessing you made) but there's a third? How did you make the U shape of the Riffe handle(Just the Liner)?

  • There are three different guns.
    1. Riffe C3.
    2. A speargun blank with enclosed track that I bought and finished.
    3. A gun that I built from scratch. What's throwing you off may be that I used the Riffe red butt for it.


    All guns had the handle mounted with a mortise tenon joint as shown in the pics. As such the rounded contour of the Riffe C3 stock didn't matter. I did use some putty on the C3 to blend the handle with the stock and fill the safety rod groove, then painted the Herculiner over it. That's why it looks like one piece.

  • I'll start a thread in a bit, but here are a few pics of my stock. He makes laminated stocks to whatever size you want, with laminations usually about 3/8" thick. Most stocks range from $130 to $180 depending on the size. All Burmese teak, and laminated under pressure with West Systems epoxy.


    Edited once, last by Guest ().

  • Tin, those look great. What are the dimensions. 1 7/8" x 2 3/8"?
    Can you also give info for poured track(enclosed), and regular enclosed track? Thanx.

  • My gun wasn't quite that large. I think it was about 1-11/16" wide by 1-7/8" tall before shaping. He doesn't do the poured epoxy tracks, but he can do a regular wooden enclosed track. He can also include a short dovetail delrin section about 6" long at the muzzle end to protect the wood track from breaking out if the gun falls over or something strikes the shaft. I should also clarify that the prices I mentioned are just for the stock, with a 1-1/2" wide by 2" tall stock going for around $150. Tracks, trigger pockets, tapering, and other cutting/machining are all possible, but cost extra.


    He is not really out to build guns. We just noticed that laminating the stock and then aging and staightenning were the parts that most people would prefer to avoid, and are MUCH easier with the right tools. His stocks are all hung vertically, aged, and guaranteed straight to within 0.015" on top and sides, and usually they are closer to 0.010". This way, when you get your stock, it's time to start the fun part!

  • I'm finishing a new gun and took some pics of how I make the palm swell on the handle. It's two part epoxy and sticks very well onto the wood. Over this will go the Herculiner coating. This time I have a router so rounding the edges of the handle only took a couple of minutes and is more consistent. Before I did it with a sander and files. I still had to use a file for the places where I couldn't use the router, where the handle joins the stock.



  • Looking good Dan. I have an idea for a material that might make a very nice butt pad, if you don't want to use the standard Riffe style. I don't want to hijack this thread, so just PM me if you are interested. I hope to have something to show in a week or so.

  • Very good! The butt is the one thing I'm undecided on. I really would like to get away from the conventional look of the butt pad as everything on the gun, except for the trigger mech and line anchor, is made by me. However I don't want to lose on the ease of use and I'm looking for alternatives. I don't like the idea of building up the back with more wood.

  • I got to say Tin the color of that stock after a layer of penetrating oil is delicious. I hope your dad keeps making them.


    Not sure what you mean monster. I pressed it with my bare hand but I made sure the contours are pretty shallow. After the herculiner covering up most of the fine detail it should feel pretty good in a glove. I use thin fake leather gloves though, thinner than the ones I sent you and tight fitting.

  • I got to say Tin the color of that stock after a layer of penetrating oil is delicious. I hope your dad keeps making them.


    I'm very glad to hear that you are happy with it, Dan. I've come to appreciate your eye for detail, so if it looks good to you than it must be a winner. :thumbsup2: He made about 15 or so earlier in the summer, but then interest kind of waned. He was glad to take a break, and we figured that things might pick back up when some of those stocks get shown off as finished guns. I think that he would like to do more from time to time, but it certainly goes faster if he has orders to make up a batch of several stocks at a time.

    Edited 2 times, last by Guest ().

  • Damn, I knew it was too good to last as with all things. Spearfishing I believe is not a big market in the first place and even less people today are into making guns when everything is available in a store. But nothing can replace a gun built to your own specs.

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