Hello gun builders
Can anyone offer advice on an "ideal" specific gravity for building guns? Teak is a very popular material which has a listed S.G. of .55 to .66. Is this an optimal range for a gun which is slightly buoyant minus the shaft?
I have access to many exotic woods, and am considering Parota for a reef gun. Anyone have experience building with Parota, which has a S.G. of .34 to .44? Is this too light?:crazy:
No experience with that wood but you can always lead the gun down
Yes, I can weight the gun, but getting close with the material saves a lot of work. There are many species of wood available, but Parota is cheap and easy to find.
Many of the less dense woods have poor strength. I would be concerned with the strength and the hardness. There are a lot of woods that can be used. Teak is very popular mostly for it's durability. Other woods can require much more maintenance and don't hold up as well or require more complicated finishes to protect them.
All that being said you can come up with the overall specific gravity of a gun based on rough dimensions of the stock and the weight/densities of the components. It takes a little math but isn't too hard to play with once you have the equation down.
In my opinion, you should look more into water resistance than density. A speargun will always be beaten and no matter how good you seal it, will have water intrusion. You don't want it to rotten after all your work and love. Teak is the best for that. I've seen teak spearguns that look white and still go strong. And if you put a couple layers of oil, they look like new.
How much can you save overall using an inferior wood? One tank of gasoline? It makes no sense to me.
Thanks Marco
I am really just looking to use local materials both for availability and for their beauty. I've been a woodworker all my life, so working with new materials is a source of pleasure.
I own several teak guns, and they are awesome. Now I am looking to try something different.
Sounds reasonable. Just make sure that the wood you'll be using will withstand sea water. AND POST A LOT OF PICTURES! :thumbsup2:
I picked up some Tzalam that looks nice. The SG is about the same as Teak. I plan to glue it up some time next week.
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