homemade polespear

    SO ive been kicking around making my own version of a ray odor spear for some time now, well last week I gave in and ordered the parts I didn't already have. My polespear will consist of 3/4" hollow aluminum tube with 2" of solid aluminum at each end. overall it should weigh 30%-40% less than the ray odor and be stiffer. Also it will have a larger outside diameter making it easier to grasp... initially the plan will be to use the ray odor band and 30" tip for comparison purposes but if I think it can be tweaked/improved then I will proceed to do so. Pics and progress to come later this week.

    ok so first progress has been made: I got one end almost finished but I found out the hard way that even though its stated as 1/2" ID tube and 1/2" OD rod somewhere 1/2"ID ≠ 1/2"OD. but with the proper amount of heat and force all things are possible. just need to weld the seam and drill the band hole. on the other end its far more precise so I will be buying a 1/2" ream hopefully friday. between now and then I hope to finish the butt end and drill/tap the threads for the tip.

    Quote from mrmike

    SO ive been kicking around making my own version of a ray odor spear for some time now, well last week I gave in and ordered the parts I didn't already have. My polespear will consist of 3/4" hollow aluminum tube with 2" of solid aluminum at each end. overall it should weigh 30%-40% less than the ray odor and be stiffer. Also it will have a larger outside diameter making it easier to grasp... initially the plan will be to use the ray odor band and 30" tip for comparison purposes but if I think it can be tweaked/improved then I will proceed to do so. Pics and progress to come later this week.


    your TIG welding it,1/8 wall ?

    Quote from mrmike

    yes the wall thickness is 1/8". the tube will be cross drilled and the 1/2" solid rod will be plug welded in place as well as the ends of the tube. only tig welding because we dont have a mig gun.


    yeah,Its better to TIG a small round piece like that anyway.Good luck,cant wait to see end pics.

    Quote from mrmike

    yes the wall thickness is 1/8". the tube will be cross drilled and the 1/2" solid rod will be plug welded in place as well as the ends of the tube. only tig welding because we dont have a mig gun.


    ''Only Tig'' I'll take a artist with a TIG torch over Shotgun any day.;)
    Cheers, Don


    PS...If you want to have some fun. Do a 1'' 6061 t6 thin wall tube with a 1/2'' band and no tip.
    Hunt shallow and go for head shots, the throw wt of the hollow tube will shock fish in the 5lb range.
    Just pick them up and string them before they wake up. No need to rip big holes in pan sized fish.
    Yes I have done it and also have a gun that shoots 1/2'' 17/4 hollow shafts with a flush mounted flopper
    I'll dig out of the attic this fall for a story later this year.
    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    Good thread....and way more technical then I do it, which is actually something I admire about people.:)I'm kind of Devil May Care in throwing parts together. They work, and often times are preferred to Odor or my Gat-Ku spears.... they are also "disposable " . I can find fencing tension bars anywhere.:)

    Quote from LunkerBuster

    nice Don, a "tube" gun :D



    You can build a model with a plastic architects scale, a stiff plastic straw, a rubber band and a bath tub full
    of water. You will be surprised how fast and hard the straw projectile hits the far tub wall.:D
    Than you can find a raw potato and drive the straw completely through with enough speed.
    There is a guy in Canada that has a large pvc throwing tube gun too, with out ever seeing mine.
    Now back to the pole spear.;)
    Cheers, Don

    "Great mother ocean brought forth all life, it is my eternal home'' Don Berry from Blue Water Hunters.


    Spearfishing Store the freediving and spearfishing equipment specialists.

    OK so progress has been really slow... I need a 1/2" ream (if anyone has one) but there like $30+ and I had/have fathers day, my dads bday, and the truck needed some things, plus the usual bills. anyway hopefully soon I will be able to get one and continue. until then I found a boogie board at a place called wings near hollywood blvd and it was only 15 bucks so im going to be making a diving platform similar to dans design.


    back to the polespear... Ive been thinking about 2 different ways to make the grip. 1) just wrap self amalgamating tape around the tube and call it a day. the second would require cutting the tube and insert rod then wrapping the rod in tape, making it more streamlined. the weight is constant either way(I thought about that and calculated it out). let me know your thoughts guys, just fyi: time/labor arent an issue.

    Edited 2 times, last by mrmike ().


    Wonder why more people don't utilize a hollow shaft concept ? No engineer but my understanding is the benefits would be outstanding.

    OK I ordered a 1/2" (.500") ream today. I took some measurements of the inside of the tube and outside of the filler rod.... the tube ID is .495" and the rod is a true .500", grrr makes me mad. anyway after a $12 investment I should be able to completely finish this project. Hopefully sunday I will be able to pull out the drill press and crossdrill the tube for the plug welds. When the ream gets here I'll get it all finished and ready for welding and hopefully test this thing out in about 2 weeks!!!!

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