Custom wood speargun build with pics

Hi Y'all,

CORE and I have been discussing his getting a blank from me, and after discussing several options, I will be doing more than building the blank. Being from Puerto Rico and being in the US Military, he doesn't have access to the tools to build the gun since he is currently stationed in Georgia. So, I will be doing most of the build here in Alabama, with participation from the Tin Man on some parts of the gun.

I think the three of are going to end up with a pretty interesting build, some of which I haven't seen the likes of anywhere so far.

We'll start with one of my blanks (what else?). It will be FEQ (Burmese) teak, 56" long overall, tapering from 2" wide at the butt to 1.75" wide at the tip, and tapering from 1.75" high at the butt to 1.5" high at the tip. It has 6 vertical laminations and 1 horizontal lam across the top. After planing the excess glue off the blank, it is dead square and absolutely straight across the top and sides (I can't get a .005" feeler gauge under any of the blank while it's sitting on a straight edge.)

I'll cut an enclosed wood track with a 6" dovetailed delrin muzzle reinforcement for the 5/16" shaft The gun will use a Neptonics trigger mech and handle, with the mech and handle being mounted 2-3" from the butt end.

The blank was finished today, so now I'll hang it for about 4 weeks, checking it each week to see if there is any warping or bowing along the sides or top. After that, the fun part starts. I'll start with the track and go from there.

Now comes the hardest part- waiting a month before we can get to the fun part! I'll post the progress as we go!

Bill

As you may know, awhile back on this post I mentioned that after much discussion with Alvin I had agreed to make a gun for him, rather than just the blank. I have been watching with a great deal of interest as Alvin laborously repaired the wetsuit and repeatedly tried it on to get it right. I figured I'd better get going on the gun since he now knows where I live!

The blank has been hanging for over a month now, and is still within the .005" of being perfectly flat along the sides and top that it was when I first finished it, with no warp whatsoever. The gun will be a euro style rear handled gun that will be 56" overall, will be 2.0" wide x 1.75" high at the butt end, and 1.75" wide x 1.5" high at the muzzle. The blank has 6 vertical lams with one across the top. West system 105 was used.

I had left the blank slightly oversized, so the first thing was to plane it to final dimensionns. Alvin opted for an enclosed wood track with a dovetailed delrin muzzle reinforcement. This makes the track at the end of the gun a lot more resistant to breaking out if a fish is shot at close range. I had already made the delrin section so the next step is to cut the dovetail in the wood. Then I'll cut the track through both the delrin and the wood at the same time.

Finding the center and depth for the dovetail:

Next I cut the dovetail, tested the fit of the delrin, and shaped the end of the delrin to match the start of the wood track.

So far, so good, Amigo! In the next post I'll continue with the track.

Continuing with the delrin installation:

Next comes the cutting of the track. First I cut the sharkfin slot, then come behind it with the ball cutter. I use a 3/16" spiral downcut router bit to get a nice crisp edge on the slot, and a 11/32" ball cutter, which gives a 1/32" clearance for 5/16" shafts but still lets Alvin shoot smallet diam. shafts if he wants.

Now I'll pin the delrin with a #4 x 6" screw that I turned the head down on, and open the first 3" of delrin to make the gun easier to load.

The next post will show the finished track

So far, so good, Amigo! I'll try to get the trigger mech installed this afternoon, then tomorrow head to the Tin Man's in Baton Rouge to celebrate a grandchild's birthday and do the handle with Jeff.

Hey Amigo!

Tin Man got the handle done. I can tell you one thing- nobody will have one like it! It actually isn't quite as bright as the photos show, and the colors look blended together a little more after he did some more shaping.

Hope you like it. I got the trigger pocket cut before I left for Jeff's, but I didn't get a chance to pin it or do the line release. I'll do that when I get back, then I'll route the recess for the handle and install it, then cut the band slot and drill the hole for your float line.

Bill

Hey Alvin,

I got back from Tin Man's and finally got a chance to do some work on the gun.

I got the trigger pocket cut before I went to Jeff's but the track was a little deep for the sharkfins, so I planed the blank a little until the mech was flush with the top. That gave a little more reveal on the fins, which I think is better.

Next, I pinned the mech. There are lots of ways to do this, most probably a lot faster than mine. But to me this is the most crucial step in the whole build, so I go slow. As Tin Man says, "measure twice, cut once. Or in this case, measure twice, drill once.

First, I laid out the mech on the marks I made from the pocket location, then clamped it even with the top of the gun.

Then I drilled the two pin holes through the trigger mech and into the mech cavithy but not into the wood on the other side. I drilled one hole, then pinned it to hold the mech in place while I drilled the other.

Then I put the mech in the pocket, inserted the pins, and tested the fit with a shaft- perfect!

Then, after clamping a backup piece of wood on the bottom, I pulled the pins one at a time and drilled through the existing hole, through the mech. hole and out the other side.

Next post- The line release.

Hey Alvin,

I got a good bit more done this weekend.

First, I finished the line release. I measured where in the blank the slot needed to be, then how thick the release lever was. Then, I cut the slot.

The mechanisn Josh sent was not the automatic line reset one, so I'll install the manual version and use Tin Man's design for a resetting feature on the pin that goes through the lever. I'll have to get a little tension spring so I'll do that later.

While I had the blank in the mill, I drilled the float line hole and relieved the edges with a 1/4" roundover router bit. Then, I moved to the muzzle end of the blank and cut the band slot. I like to use my spiral down cut router bit (1/4", then finish the ends with a 1/2" end mill.

Next post, the long awaited handle!!

Ok Alvin, the long awaited Tin Man Handle!

I wanted the handle as high in the blank as possible, so I measured down from the top and allowed 1/4" of wood between the bottom of the trigger mech and the top of the handle. Then I cut the pocket for the handle frame with the 1/4" downcut router bit. It looks deep but that's because I haven't removed the excess wood yet. I'll do that when I shape the blank.

That is definitely a "one-of-a-kind-handle", Alvin!!

Next, I'll taper the blank. The blank is 2" wide x 1.75" high. Alvin wanted the muzzle to be 1.75 wide x 1.5 high. I ended up with the muzzle being 1-5/8 wide x 1.5" high after tapering. Since we weren't taking too much off I used my joiner rather than the table saw. More control that way and the further along you get the more you have at risk if you screw things up.

Next post will show the shooting line anchor pocket and the round over of the edges.

Once the blank is tapered, the shooting line anchor can be installed. I used a 1/2" end mill to route the pocket for the Neptonics line anchor.

Now comes the part that, in my opinion, starts making the blank looking like a gun- the round over of the edges. I went with a 1/2" roundover on top and, because of the band slot location, a 1/4" round over on the bottom.

In the next posts I'll finish shaping the muzzle nose, cut the butt to length, and remove the excess wood from below the handle flange. Then I'll cut the wishbone slot and make a piece to go in the slot, and install support screws to reinforce the band slot. Then all that will be left will be to ballast the gun out at the dock, and finish sand it and apply oil.

Looking more and more like a real shooting stick, Alvin.

After talking to Alvin, I made a few minor modifications, then I talked to him again, and I made a few more.

I started with removing the excess wood under the handle flange. After our second conversation I removed an additional 1/2" from the forward and rear of the recess.

I had originally used a 3/8" beading bit on the top, and a 1/4 roundover on the bottom. Alvin was looking to make it look more streamlined, so I went back and used a full 1/2" roundover along the entire top. Then I used the 1/2" roundover along the bottom, starting just behind the band slot. After blending it with the muzzle it's hard to tell the muzzle is a little bit more square. The 1/2" rounding really helped streamline the gun and give Alvin the look he was after.

Then I tapered the muzzle.

The hunk of teak is becoming a weapon!

Tomorrow I'll cut the butt off at length and ballast the gun so that it will barely sink with the 9/32" flopper, and be slightly muzzle heavy. Then I'll cut the slot for loading the bands and make the spacer, and the gun will be ready for more sanding. After that all that will be left will be the butt pad, making the auto line release, and finish sanding and oiling. We're getting close, now, Alvin!

For the tapering I did of the blank in general, I used my jointer since I was only taking 1/4" off the bottom, and 1/8" off each side. The further along I get with a blank (or any furniture related project, for that matter), the more careful I get. Using my long bed jointer I'm less likely to screw up than the table saw, but there is no reason the table saw won't work for tapering. I marked lines on the blank where the taper would be, then I just planed off the material until I got to the line. I got the taper by lifting the butt end of the gun off the table while I was planing. By taking small cuts I could tell where I needed to take more off, and where I didn't need to remove as much.

If you're using a table saw, the best way is to use an angle gauge.

For the little recess I used a small drum on the drill press. I cut a hole in a piece of plywood the size of the drum so the bottom of the drum could project a little ways below the blank. I also used this to shape the rubber butt pad Ill show in a later post. I'll show a picture of it then.

My goal for today was to do the ballasting and the butt pad.

I had left the butt of the blank long on purpose, until we could see what it looked like with the handle mounted. Originally, Alvin wanted the butt to end 3" behind the trigger mech, but after looking at the handle placement, he decided 3.75 would be better. I put tape over the blank to prevent tear out, and cut the blank.

I originally planned to ballast the gun without the pad, but when I realizrd how heavy the pad was , I decided to cut it out and put it on the blank temporarily while I ballasted the gun. Alvin decided to go with a butt pad made from an oversized rubber stopper (yet another Tin Man idea). It's just the right amount of firmness to give support without pain when chest loading, and the price is right at about $6 from Mcmaster. I cut out the pad on a bandsaw and shaped it using a belt sander and a drum sander in a drill press (the little drum sander is also how I cut out the recess for the handle.

I fastened the pad to the butt temporarily because until I knew where and how much ballast I would need, I didn't want to drill holes in the end of the blank.

I rigged the blank with a mesh bag and headed out to the dock. It was too cold to get in the water so I used my litle fishing skiff. Good thing I didn't predrill the hole in the blank. Because of the shaft overhang, I expected the blank to be a little nose heacvy, allowing me to put the ballast right in front of the butt. Not so. I ended up with 10 oz. of ballast, 36" back from the muzzle end. The gun barely sank with the 9/32" shaft, and floated without the shaft, just the way Alvin wanted it. I marked the spot with the orange cable tie.

Next, I made a mold by screwing two pieces of wood together and milling out a recess. I calculated I would need a 3/4" wide by .7" deep "ingot" 3" long for the 10oz. weight so that's what I milled out for the mold.

Next post: Installing the ballast.

I mounted the blank in the mill, and milled a pocket to hold the little ingot. I also milled a 1/8" deep shoulder for a cover plate. After drilling the ballast, I inserted it into the milled pocket and fastened it with 2 ss screws.

Next, I took tape and marked the opening. Then I transferred the tape to a 3/16" thick piece of teak that I ripped. After cutting the shape out on the bandsaw, I sanded it to fit.

Cervases time, Amigo!. Tomorrow, I'll glue the cover in place and finish the butt pad. Then it's on th the slot for the band loading.

We're getting close now, Amigo. I decided to finish the butt pad first, then work on the band wishbone slot, then glue the ballast cover on last so it could dry overnight.

I placed tape on the butt of the gun and marked where I wanted the screw holes. Then I transferred the tape to the butt pad and drilled the screw holes. Then I turned the pad over and countersunk the holes with a forstner bid about 1/2" into the pad.

Then I mounted the butt pad onto the gun.

SWEET!

Next, I cut the slot for the band wishbones. My plan was to cut a slice from the piece of stock that I cut off the butt. I cut the slice and sanded it but decided to wait for Tin Man to come over this weekend. He's bringing his slotting saw attachment for the mill and I'll be able to trim the slot much more accurately that way rather than sanding it. He's also bringing a 1/8" piece of delrin that we can use for the spacer in the slot. So I'll finish the slot then.

I glued on the cover and put the blank away to rest for the night.

I needed to make a butt pad for my own gun, and I liked the round overs on Alvin's gun so well that I stripped mine and rounded over the top and bottom, then made a butt pad similar to Alvin's. Tomorrow I'll sand the ballast cover and file the little slot in the muzzle for the shooting line. Then I'll finish sand it and get some oil on it.

Almost ready, Alvin.

I got the ballast cover sanded and the little slot cut in the muzzle for the shooting line. Then I finish sanded the gun and put two coats of teak oil on it. All that's left now is to finish the band loading slot and fabricate and install Tin Man's auto setting line release, both of which we'll do when he gets here Sat. pm.

This is some of the most highly figured FEQ teak I've seen- sure makes for a pretty looking gun. I don't think the pictures do it justice.

Here's the handle that started it all- Tin Man's original multi colored shapelock. It's what got Alvin thinking about the multi colored red, white, and black handle.

Next post- Tin Man's auto setting line release and the finished product.

Hey Tin Man, shame to see that gun sitting here while we're diving. Think he'd know if we shot something with it and cleaned it up really, really good? I mean, we have to know it shoots straight, right? We wouldn't want Alvin to shoot and miss because we didn't build an accurate shooting gun, right? It almost seems like an OBLIGATION to try it out, right?

Rained all day- perfect weather to work on a speargun.

First, I finished the muzzle slot and spacer. I had cut the slot but the thin piece vibrated when I cut it on the table saw, so I put it in the mill and cleaned it up with a 1/8" extra long end mill. Then, using a forstner bit, I drilled a 3/8" hole through both parts of the band slot and installed the screw in insert, bedded in epoxy.

Next I cut the 1/8 delrin piece that Tin man had brought a little oversized and inserted it into the slot and clamped it. Then I cut a teak plug from a section of the blank I had left over when I cut off the handle, and glued it into the top portion. The delrin acts as a plug on the bottom, keeping the epoxy from getting down into the threads. After the epoxy had dried, I recessed the hole with an end mill, then drilled the hole for the screw.

After I put the screw in I used the 1/2" end mill to trim the inside of the slot. I used a file and sandpaper to shape the outside of the delrin to the shape of the muzzle and remove the ezcess epoxy. A little teak oil and the muzzle is done.

Next post- Tin Man's auto resetting line release.

Tin Man brought most of the stuff and all of the know how we needed to build and install the auto resetting line release he developed.

The release consists of the tab that holds the line, a torsion spring, a sleeve that holds the spring, and the screw that holds the assembly in place.

I had started making the sleeve out of 5/16" ss rod earlier, so I finished making the sleeve on the lathe. I cut the shoulder first, then bored a hole for the screw, then bored the countersink for the flathead screw.

Then we cut a tiny slit in the sleeve to hold the spring. Next I made the shooting line tab out of a piece of 1/8" ss plate that Tin Man had brought. He designed it on autocad to match the trigger mech, then I drilled the hole for the sleeve, a .030" hole for the spring, and cut it to shape. Then I sanded it smooth and rounded the edges on a belt sander.

Then I drilled a 5/16" hole in the gun down to the line release slot, then followed that with the pilot hole for the screw.

Next we trimmed the length of the spring ends and installed the assembly. First, we put the tab in the slot with a washer under it. Then we inserted the sleeve with the spring on it. The end of the spring needs to be in the small hole in the tab, and the other end needs to be in the slot. Then the screw goes in partway while the tiny slot in the sleeve is used to turn the sleeve and preload the torsion spring. Then the screw is tightened to hold the sleeve and spring in the pre-loaded position, and if we've done everything right we're good to go. We tried it with a shaft- perfect! A little more teak oil, Alvin, and your gun is good to go!

Tomorrow, I'll install the "funky handle" and the gun is ready to rig out and kill some grouper. The weather forcast calls for clearing weather for the next 3 days starting tomorrow, Alvin. I think your luck has run out!

Here you go, Amigo. The finished, and so far, dry gun. I think you're gonna like it.

More pics.

I like this gun! If I shot a long gun, I might just keep it for myself!

Bill