Spears

[Vuk]

Hello all, I have some questions about spears, and was wondering if someone knew some good sources or helpful information.
I want to try my hand at making some fighting spears (real ones that would work on a medieval battlefield), but am not sure where to start. I have made fighting sticks before (so that I did not have to buy real ones) out of some heavy hard wood. The problem with them is that they split in a few months as they dried out. I was wondering how you avoid the splitting.
Also, which part of the tree do you get the wood, and how? I am guessing that you get it from the trunk of a tree, and do not just use a branch, but if so, how do you make a spear out of it? Do you split it out down the trunk?
Also what wood work best, and which are ones to avoid at all costs?
If anyone had some info or sources on this, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Fisherking]

Spears and pole arms were traditionally made from Ash [Fraxinus excelsior (European Ash or Common Ash)]. The pole was made from the whole tree selected for its diameter. The bark was removed and the shaft would be turned to a uniform diameter and straightness. The typical length was about 8 feet.

The treatment of the wood would vary due to location and time. It may have been fire hardened and or impregnated with oils, risen, or bee's wax(melted). In any case the end is heat treated as the smith would shrink the iron collar with the point onto the end of the shaft, for a tight fit. Then two to four short spikes would be driven in to prevent it slipping off. Rivets all the way from one side to the other would only weaken the shaft at the head.

Square spikes work best as the hold better in the wood. They might have even been hammer welded to the head but don’t try this. Modern Steel can not be hammer welded. If you want them permanently held in place a small band of steel shrunk over the heads would work best.

Hickory is another excellent wood for shafts and is most often the wood of choice today. That is if you can find it in an 8 foot length. If you make the shafts your self from hickory, the bark can be left on. It does not split off and will last for years.

Don’t use pine, fir, or poplar. It is best to use the whole tree and not split and turned shafts as they would be more prone to split or crack.

Chances are that you may need to make the shafts yourself.




Channeled from Ottar Ragnarson, master weapons smith...

[Vuk]

Spears and pole arms were traditionally made from Ash [Fraxinus excelsior (European Ash or Common Ash)]. The pole was made from the whole tree selected for its diameter. The bark was removed and the shaft would be turned to a uniform diameter and straightness. The typical length was about 8 feet.

The treatment of the wood would vary due to location and time. It may have been fire hardened and or impregnated with oils, risen, or bee's wax(melted). In any case the end is heat treated as the smith would shrink the iron collar with the point onto the end of the shaft, for a tight fit. Then two to four short spikes would be driven in to prevent it slipping off. Rivets all the way from one side to the other would only weaken the shaft at the head.

Square spikes work best as the hold better in the wood. They might have even been hammer welded to the head but don’t try this. Modern Steel can not be hammer welded. If you want them permanently held in place a small band of steel shrunk over the heads would work best.

Hickory is another excellent wood for shafts and is most often the wood of choice today. That is if you can find it in an 8 foot length. If you make the shafts your self from hickory, the bark can be left on. It does not split off and will last for years.

Don’t use pine, fir, or poplar. It is best to use the whole tree and not split and turned shafts as they would be more prone to split or crack.

Chances are that you may need to make the shafts yourself.

Hey Fisherking, thank you for the info. I am just curious, what do you mean by turned to a uniform diameter? I am sorry, I am ignorant on the subject of wood work.
Also, how would one get resin and how would one treat the wood with it?

[drone]

Hey Fisherking, thank you for the info. I am just curious, what do you mean by turned to a uniform diameter? I am sorry, I am ignorant on the subject of wood work.

I imagine he means the tree shaft is put into a lathe. The ends are centered on the longitudinal axis and spun, while chisels remove the excess down the length as it spins to get a smooth, even shaft of wood.

[Vuk]

I imagine he means the tree shaft is put into a lathe. The ends are centered on the longitudinal axis and spun, while chisels remove the excess down the length as it spins to get a smooth, even shaft of wood.

Ahh, thank you very much. Do you think that one could get satisfactory results with a plane?

[drone]

I don't have any experience making spears, but I imagine it would be difficult with a plane. In wood- and metalworking, lathes are used to create symmetrically round pieces, like stairway banister supports, table legs, baseball bats, etc. You could make a fairly round shaft with a planer, but it would be difficult to make it straight. Since the lathe spins the piece on the longitudinal axis and the material is removed at the same distance to that axis the entire length of the piece, you are guaranteed (if you don't screw it up...) a straight, consistent diametrically, staff.

Of course, once you have the straight pole, you would need to be careful it doesn't warp on you. I suppose the resins/oils would help prevent that, but I don't have any clue about that.

[Fisherking]

As you might have to build your own wood lathe to handle a spear shaft and learn the crafts of wood straightening you may be better served just buying a 7 foot ash shaft off of the internet.
If you want 8 foot or longer shafts you will still need to make them or find some specialty lumber company in your area where you can get them.


A quick search for ash spear shaft should get you one. You will need to taper the ends to take the head and butt cap though. Chances are it is white ash that may not be as strong but will be lighter.

Your best bet for finishing the shaft is either to lacquer it with some over the counter lacquer or to dip it in hot bee's wax, which will give you a good grip that should not slip unless you are in a hot climate, something you won’t find in Northern Europe.

I hope that helps.

[Vuk]

Thanks, do you think that Oak would work well?
Also, what would I need to make a lathe.

[Fisherking]

While almost any hardwood will work ash was the preferred wood because it was straight, light, and strong. Oak is quite hard but not always straight and not light.

If you learn to straighten wooden shafts then most any is fine.

The tougher woods, like hickory, Osage orange, or black locust might be better. That is if you are in North America. European woods are not a varied.

The concept of a lathe is simple. Basically it is a spike at each end to hold the pole secure and some way to spin it. There are a lot of videos and sites on the web about pole lathes and pole turners. That should give you some ideas how to make one. For you though it is a matter of scale. Most of these can handle something a few feet long and you want one that can handle something 8 feet or so. Of course what you will do with the wood is very simple and should only take you a few minutes with a wood chisel once it is set up.

edit:

If you are making fighting spears then you might consider attaching a couple of iron strips below the spearhead to prevent the pole being chopped off by sword or ax cuts.

These would be about an inch wide and perhaps 18 inches long.

If you are fighting spear and shield then a shorter 7 foot spear would be better as it can be used one handed.

8 foot spears would be for a spear wall and used two handed and in a massed formation or in the second rank of the shield wall to jab at the faces of the enemy. In my experience it is the second rank of the shield wall that dose the killing. There is no room for swords in the front rank to use swords and only hand axes are of use, to pull down enemy shields so the spears in back can do their job.

Spears have the advantage of reach over swords but are not as quick except at a lunge.

After the club it would be the oldest weapon and is still in use today, in the form of the bayonet. Not a bad run for such a simple weapon.

[Tuuvi]

I know from reading books on bow making that in order to stop the wood from cracking it needs to be seasoned properly. When you first cut down the tree, coat the ends with Elmer's glue or latex paint to seal them off. Then you need to let the wood sit and dry for a while before you start working it. If you leave the wood in log form, it will take many months or even a couple years to season properly. If you split the log it won't take nearly as long.

Another thing I just thought I think the best approach would be to cut down a whole tree and then split the log, what you will end up with will be pie-slice shaped pieces that you could work down to a rounded shape once they're seasoned. To split the log, chop it at the end with an ax to make it crack along a grain line (preferably in the middle). Then drive stakes into the crack to make it split further until the log is completely split in half (length wise). Repeat the process with each new half until they're the right size for a spear shaft.

Also I think you'll want to cut down a tree that has straight grain. Having straight grain probably isn't as important a with spear shaft as it is with a bow because a spear doesn't have to bend but I think it would make your project easier because then your shafts will be automatically straight. To see if a tree has straight grain, just look at the pattern of the bark. It should run vertically up and down the tree and not twist or bend or anything like that.

Just so you know, I haven't made a spear before, this is just stuff I've read in bow making books or I just thought of, but I hope it helps.

[Vuk]

I know from reading books on bow making that in order to stop the wood from cracking it needs to be seasoned properly. When you first cut down the tree, coat the ends with Elmer's glue or latex paint to seal them off. Then you need to let the wood sit and dry for a while before you start working it. If you leave the wood in log form, it will take many months or even a couple years to season properly. If you split the log it won't take nearly as long.

Another thing I just thought I think the best approach would be to cut down a whole tree and then split the log, what you will end up with will be pie-slice shaped pieces that you could work down to a rounded shape once they're seasoned. To split the log, chop it at the end with an ax to make it crack along a grain line (preferably in the middle). Then drive stakes into the crack to make it split further until the log is completely split in half (length wise). Repeat the process with each new half until they're the right size for a spear shaft.

Also I think you'll want to cut down a tree that has straight grain. Having straight grain probably isn't as important a with spear shaft as it is with a bow because a spear doesn't have to bend but I think it would make your project easier because then your shafts will be automatically straight. To see if a tree has straight grain, just look at the pattern of the bark. It should run vertically up and down the tree and not twist or bend or anything like that.

Just so you know, I haven't made a spear before, this is just stuff I've read in bow making books or I just thought of, but I hope it helps.

Thanks much. I have a nice oak one now and I am going to split it tomorrow.

[Fisherking]

While using splits for bows is the way to go it is not the best way to go with a spear shaft.

Spears are made from green wood and treated. Bows are made with seasoned timber.

A self bow of yew has to be split so it contains both the heart wood and the sapwood.

For a spear, the nature of using a sapling for the shaft also reduces the likelihood of cracking and warping.

Fire hardening is actually a drying process that dehydrates the areas treated, usually the ends. The wood is not burned but the sap is cooked out. This is the last process before affixing the spearhead and possibly a butt spike.

With a bow, after it is shaped it would be boiled or steamed and shaped to hold curves for added power. Then it would be allowed to dry by seasoning so it loses its moisture slowly.

These methods make best use of the mechanical properties of the wood’s intended use.

It may not make that much difference but don’t be surprised if you get results you were not looking for.

[Tuuvi]

Oh ok yea Vuk you should probably listen to Fisherking, as I said before I've never made a spear before so I didn't know any better.

[Fisherking]

As long as the work...lol

Maybe Vuk will share with us how it all turned out.

[Vuk]

I will, and I will respond to your post in detail Fisherking, but not for a few days. I have finals until Friday, so I have had to put things off until they are over. I can tell you now though that my attempts at making a spear have so far proved unsuccessful. On the bright side though, I have learned many ways to not make a spear. When I tried splitting the oak (The log had a 5-6" diameter on one end, and a 3.5-4" diameter on the other) it split, but it ripped into fibers and the wood itself started falling apart. I am not quite sure what I did wrong. Maybe I should have used a pull saw? What I did was make an initial split with an axe, and then drive steel wedges in with a sledge hammer. The grain was almost straight, but wasn't quite. At the very middle it waves to the side noticeably, even though the log itself was completely straight.
Should I have used a thinner or thicker log?
As I am sure you have heard on the news, we got about 2 feet of snow here in central WI, so taking the truck out to the woods is out of the question. This means that I will not be able to get logs much bigger than the one that I got unless I split them in the field.
(I used Oak because I could not find any Ash on my property.)

[Vuk]

While using splits for bows is the way to go it is not the best way to go with a spear shaft.

Spears are made from green wood and treated. Bows are made with seasoned timber.

A self bow of yew has to be split so it contains both the heart wood and the sapwood.

For a spear, the nature of using a sapling for the shaft also reduces the likelihood of cracking and warping.

Fire hardening is actually a drying process that dehydrates the areas treated, usually the ends. The wood is not burned but the sap is cooked out. This is the last process before affixing the spearhead and possibly a butt spike.

With a bow, after it is shaped it would be boiled or steamed and shaped to hold curves for added power. Then it would be allowed to dry by seasoning so it loses its moisture slowly.

These methods make best use of the mechanical properties of the wood’s intended use.

It may not make that much difference but don’t be surprised if you get results you were not looking for.

So much for me waiting to reply in detail.
Thanks for the advice Fisherking. I have heard conflicting advice about that. Some have told me that it is best to use saplings (gained by coppicing), and others have told me that it is best to split the shaft out of a log. I was wondering if you knew what the arguments on both sides were? For me another problem is that I can never find a sapling of suitable length that is straight and strong enough. I was told to search in the thickest parts of the woods to find ones that shoot up for sunlight, but I have still been unable to find any. (most of the trees in the woods on my land are very young growth.)
Thanks,
Vuk

[Fisherking]

Since you are looking at your own property, selecting your best hardwood is not a bad idea.

Knowing all the types of trees you have could be important. Particularly oak. There are more types of oak in North America than there are types of trees in Europe. There are literally hundreds of verities. There are some 60 major varieties in three major groups but they will crossbreed and form new types easily. They are not so uniform in properties that you can just say oak is oak. Verities of white oak have tighter grain than red oak verities and are less likely to split apart. Splitting green woods can be problematic though.

Coppicing is a good way to insure you have a supply on hand but it will take some years to establish.

It would be best just to top a larger tree rather than depend on shoots just from a stump. You may get fewer shoots, but those you get will tend to be straighter. You know the tree will live and it is not so hit and miss.

Crooked shafts can be straightened by steaming or boiling the wood and forming it to the shape you want with clamps.

If it is a long term project planting and coppicing are good ways to begin, setting up your lathe, and building a steamer for the follow-on of production but if you just want a couple of good shafts I would be temped to just buy some 7 foot ash staves to get started. Once you have the head and perhaps butt spikes mounted you will be getting close to 8 feet anyway.

I looked up the tree varieties for WI and it lists 32 broad-leaf and 10 conifers that are native. That is not to say that those are the only types you may have on your property and likely you don‘t have all of the native trees, either. About a quarter of those types would make decent staves. Just stay away from the softer or wetter types.

If you have tamarack (larch), that also makes good poles and staves. It is much tougher than fir and pine or many of the broad-leaf trees for that matter. As it is a deciduous conifer, it shouldn’t be too hard to find this time of year.

Keep us posted when you can get back to it.