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All About Guns What's your weapon of choice, and why? Discuss the beloved speargun here! |
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08-07-2017, 12:46 AM | #16 |
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Victoria Australia
Posts: 367
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Re: Help with wood
Mate,
Your cover info indicates you come from Sydney. All you need to do is to walk into the nearest Bunnings and select a strip of Tasmanian Oak from the indoor timber section. Its far superior to the timbers you mention: - Its a lot cheaper. - Tassy Oak has an optimal density (SG ~0.6+). - Its very dimensionally stable. - Nobody is looking over your shoulder, so you can sort through the entire rack to get the straightest stick with the straightest grain. Tassy oak does have some drawbacks - There tends to be a bit of tear-out when you plane it - Its a little harder than teak, so if you want to make some pretty compound curves, you might need to sand a little more forcefully - Its not an oily wood, so its better finished with epoxy or varnish. But these are minor issues.
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Ric Fallu started spearfishing on the southern coast of Australia in the 1960s, and never really stopped. His other passion is building wooden spearguns. |
08-07-2017, 03:35 AM | #17 | |
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Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,292
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Re: Help with wood
Quote:
I have yet to have a problem with any of my CF skinned wood guns, but I think the first one I did was maybe 4 years ago ... so who knows how this holds up after 10 years or so. But during the 4 years that gun has travelled around the world ... been left days at a time on an open boat in hot humid climates. Only problem I ever had was with some light corrosion on the mech and screws. I think if you do it properly the CF skin is going to last a lifetime. Remember that there is a full epoxy coat under the CF skin. Then you sand the epoxy properly ... clean it off and then put the CF skin and vacuum bag it. I think it is very important that your wood has an epoxy coat on it before putting the skin as raw wood might bubble out under vaccum and you probably would get voids between the CF and the wood. I also oversize drill out and seal every single hole where there will be a screw ... and after finishing the gun I drill again a pilot hole and insert the screw with epoxy dipped in it. No way water is coming through there. I have yet to see someone not drool over one of the CF skinned guns. Of course that first gun looks like crap now as every time it gets a scratch or ding ... I just mix up a little 5 min epoxy and fill in the hole or scratch .... so out of water when dry, it looks like it has been through hell as you can see the epoxy patches all over the place. But I never really care how my guns look like and I care more about how they shoot. Nothing I hate more on a boat than a guy who babies his gun and eyes every little scratch with horror. A speargun is a tool not an ornament! If I wanted it to look new again I would just light sand the entire stock and give it one or two layers of clear UV resistant epoxy coat ... it would look brand new! |
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08-09-2017, 04:52 PM | #18 |
the deeper the blue.....
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 498
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Re: Help with wood
thanks for the feedback Majd!
that 140-ish bandstretch Denton of yours, what does it weigh? My 142 twin band made from Vitex build is 4kg [heavy!] but feels superb in the water, and i travel by sea not air so weight's not an issue. made the gun for three bands and 170 x 8.5mm double flopper shaft, but with a little shaved off have found it sweet for the lighter 160 x 7.5mm single flopper shaft, and with twin 14.5mm bands at 4X range is pretty damn impressive, even dragging two wraps of 1.4mm cable |
08-10-2017, 03:11 AM | #19 | |
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Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 3,292
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Re: Help with wood
Quote:
That looks nice! The back of the trigger does look a little high ... did you check that it is perfectly parrallel to the track? Put the gun on a flat surface then put a level meter on the track and prop it up till the track is perfectly parralel ... then see if it matches the levelling of the track. If it is too high ... just groove out two sides for the trigger to go in. Check shaft to trigger seating ... you want the shaft to just barely make it into the mech with the absolute minimal clearance. If it is parralel, on your next build you could build the back of the gun up a little more so that the trigger can nest into the wood. The more wood you have back there the better. If possible, take a picture of the gun with your hand holding it and pointing it. I want to see if your thumbridge has clearance and how the alignment is. |
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08-14-2017, 07:39 PM | #20 | |
the deeper the blue.....
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 498
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Re: Help with wood
Quote:
Still mucking around with a couple of practice stocks to do integral handle a la Dr P, and also higher loading butt with better shaped V to make sighting easier on those looong shots what weight is that twin band 140-ish Denton of yours? |
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08-15-2017, 07:01 AM | #21 |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Big Island
Posts: 5,098
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Re: Help with wood
Kavachi, that thing looks real nice. I like the honey coloring. 8.5lbs for 2 band gun shooting a 7.5mm shaft without a reel? Careful, Richard Simmons might get on your case.. Ofcourse I know that big girls need lovin too and they make for some sweet shooters, but man... if it was me showing a gun with those specs would I get an earful from the usual suspects.
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08-15-2017, 03:42 PM | #22 | |
the deeper the blue.....
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 498
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Re: Help with wood
Quote:
stock's from a particularly dense Vitex from mountainous weather coast [tree under significant wind stress with poor footing], chosen for extra mass to shoot that [relatively] heavy 8.5mm x 170 Hunt dbl offset flopper shaft and three hot bands. I stupidly shot large GT which noodled that shaft, decided to try 7.5mm x 160 shaft on the gun, and was amazed at the range and penetration got with just two bands and lighter shaft. that extra mass really boosted efficiency, incl much less recoil than my previous two band rig. the flattened ovoid profile swings well, and as mentioned above, additional weight out of water isnt a problem for me. So certainly not everyones cup of tea, but for me its extended what i can do with two bands |
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08-15-2017, 03:46 PM | #23 |
the deeper the blue.....
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 498
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Re: Help with wood
guessing spec grav of this stock is a tad north of 0.8. hope to get some decent scales so can work out exactly on next build
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08-16-2017, 07:07 AM | #24 |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Big Island
Posts: 5,098
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Re: Help with wood
"that extra mass really boosted efficiency"
Interesting.... My read on this would be that Recoil is the great robber of both Range and Accuracy. I've made a few guns with similar specs. My guess is that if you are happy with a 19/64" (7.5mm) you would be most happy with a 5/16". This takes away a little from the heavy handedness of an 11/32" or 8.5mm. There is a very significant reduction in Recoil switching from a heavier shaft to a lighter one. This in turn Robs less energy from the reaction allowing for a more efficient transfer. Similarly, you are dropping a band. One thing I would suggest on that gun. That grip is nice to look at. But I can't help but think you would benefit from a Grit coating for those higher loads and heavier shafts. Is that smoothed grip at all slippery in your gloved hand? You could probably still maintain a nice look by scuffing that grip up with 60 grit brushing on a thin coat of Epoxy and then sprinkling some of that White sand on there.
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08-17-2017, 05:48 AM | #25 | |
the deeper the blue.....
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 498
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Re: Help with wood
Quote:
one day will get hold of some epoxy and carbon and go nuts |
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08-17-2017, 07:04 AM | #26 |
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Location: Big Island
Posts: 5,098
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Re: Help with wood
No Epoxy? Doesn't anyone surf on that rock?
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08-17-2017, 03:38 PM | #27 |
the deeper the blue.....
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 498
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Re: Help with wood
polyester mate
surfed firewires for a few years but have gone back to polyester/PU boards cos love the feel. and the timber boards i shape are just oiled, Gmelina doesnt seal well. |
08-21-2017, 02:01 PM | #28 |
Dicentrarchus labrax
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Croatia
Age: 39
Posts: 166
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Re: Help with wood
Nice gun.
If you will treat your gun with resin don't use polyester. Try to find epoxy. West System have Junior pack I think. Packing contains all that you will need. It will be more then enough for one gun. Epoxy will go deeper into wood making composite layer. Your gun will be protected for years. |
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