Tzalam and Satine gun build

A while back I posed a question of specific gravity of wood for building guns. My plan was to build a slightly negative (when loaded) gun, with positive buoyancy without the shaft. Looking through locally available hard woods I came across a source of Tzalam, a dense tropical hardwood frequently used for flooring and furniture here in Mexico.

I glued up a 60" blank with two vertical laminations of Tzalam and a horizontal top sheet of Satine I had laying around. I let the blank hang for one month, then squared it up yesterday. My parts should be here in a few days and I can start cutting. The gun will be a 110 cm "Amero" style open track with a 5/16 shaft and two 5/8" bands, with the option for a third.

After looking at available handles I decided on the full mortise AR-15 rear handle that Neptonics sells. As a lifetime woodworker and furniture maker I have developed a preference for a full mortise connection as opposed to relying on fasteners, so this made the choice of handle obvious for me.

I will post pictures as work progress, and I hope to have the gun finished for the long Xmas break.

I got my parts via Fed Ex yesterday, and built a router table this morning out of my chop saw stand. This weekend I will be routing in the mech, track, handle and band slot.

The blank has been hanging for a month now and is dead straight. If everything goes smoothly, I will be ready to epoxy next week!

Here is an update on gun progress:
Yesterday I cut in the trigger mechanism and track on a router table I made from my old chop saw stand. It worked great and the mechanism and shaft align perfectly. This morning I pinned the mech, and installed the line release.I am off to Home Depot (they are all over Mexico) to get a new 5/8 router bit, then will mortise in the handle, an AR-15 rear handle type.

In general I find it pretty basic shop work, with setup and layout being the critical parts.

One of the first rules of woodworking states that it is easier to take wood away than to add more. I started out oversize and made most of the critical cuts. Right now the stock is 1 7/8' X 2 1/16". With the handle installed the stock depth at the grip is now 1 11/16. Today I will take the sides down to 1 5/8" and taper the height towards the muzzle.

I plan to use this as my go to gun for inshore and light blue water. It ended up having 115 cm of band stretch, so should be plenty of gun for medium range. I am looking forward to getting it in the water soon.

All cuts are done! Tomorrow I will sand and apply the 1st coat of epoxy:thumbsup2:

Here is the nearly finished product minus sanding and epoxy. I will try to get the first coat on this afternoon.

An ancient Golden Retriever and a Jack Russel.

The gun ended up 1 1/2 X 1 11/16. It was a fun process. I can see building many more.

The first coat was applied yesterday and I sanded it down to 320 this morning. This afternoon I will apply a second coat. Pics will follow.

Thanks Dude

I can't wait to get it in the water! The second coat of epoxy was dry this morning. I will do a third this afternoon, tie up some bands, and put it to use. I hear the Dorado have just arrived offshore

Nice fish. I wish I could get out more. Especially now that the water is starting to cool off and the pelagics are starting to show. Oh well, I have ten days at the beach starting on xmas day, until then I just have to dream

Getting close. I applied a 3rd coat of epoxy this morning. I will let it cure for a few days, then wet sad the track with 600gr paper. Should be ready to go in a week.

I am already planing my next build. I have 2-54' shafts that need a gun to drive them.

Four coats of epoxy and the gun is pretty much ready to go. I just need to wait for the epoxy to full cure, add a loading pad and tie up some bands