woods

WOOD LAMINATES

The following are descriptions of woods I've used for building speargun stocks. I've included my experiences with their characteristics and photos of finished stocks where possible. The costs are given relative to each other on a scale of 1-4 (1 is least expensive and 4 is most expensive). The actual cost of each depends on the supplier.

Teak

Origin: Burma

Machining characteristics: Very easy on the tools.

Water resistance: Excellent.

Weight: Light. Requires lead to properly ballast.

Cosmetic appeal: Fair to good depending on the grain patterns. Predominant color is dark amber when finished.

Relative cost: 4

Notes: By far the most commonly used wood in the higher-end speargun market.

Teak Grain

Teak Gun

Padauk

Origin:

West Tropical Africa, Burma, Thailand.

Machining characteristics: Easy on the tools, but creates a very insidious fine orange sawdust that may be carcinogenic to significant inhalation.

Water resistance: Good. Has a fair amount of natural oil, but color is degraded by water intrusion.

Weight: Light. Requires lead to properly ballast.

Cosmetic appeal: Very good. The deep rich red/burgundy color when finished can be quite striking particularly when used in combination with other woods for contrast.

Relative cost: 3

Notes: I don't enjoy working with it due to its fine orange dust, but the beauty of the finished product makes it worthwhile. Deep dings or gouges will leave a permanent discoloration if water intrudes, even when refinished. Until sealed, the color is susceptible to bleeding onto other woods with which it is laminated.

Padauk Grain

Padauk Gun

Lace

Origin: Australia

Machining characteristics: Hard on tools. Chips easily if milling too fast. Requires very sharp cutting tools. Excellent resistance to denting.

Water resistance: Fair to good.

Weight: Very heavy. Requires little or no lead.

Cosmetic appeal: Very Good. Has variable grain patterns which (depending on size) resemble snake or fish scales. Color ranges from blonde to dark amber with a red hue.

Relative cost: 3

Notes: Very unique.

Dark lace grain

Light lace grain

Dark and Light Lace Guns

Zebra aka "Zebrano"

Origin: Africa

Machining characteristics: Hard on tools. Splinters easily if milling too fast. Requires very sharp cutting tools. Excellent resistance to denting.

Water resistance: Poor.

Weight: Heavy. Requires little or no lead.

Cosmetic appeal: Very Good. Has an eye catching and exciting striped grain pattern. Color is usually a dark blonde.

Relative cost: 3

Notes: Very unstable wood which will warp aggressively if not properly cut/planed and laminated. Zebra is probably the most popular of the guns that I make simply due to its spectacular cosmetics.

Zebra Grain

Zebra Gun

Cocobollo

Origin: Central America

Machining characteristics: Hard on tools, but cuts cleanly with good tools. Little or no splintering.

Water Resistance: Good

Weight: Very Heavy

Cosmetic appeal: Good. It has Beautiful dark red to brown exotic wood with veins of purple, black and yellow throughout. It is very dark when finished.

Relative cost: 4+

Cocobollo gun

Ipe Heartwood

Origin: Amazon and is exported primarily by Brazil.

Machining characteristics: Very hard on tools. It is somewhat difficult to work with, especially with hand tools. It can have quite a blunting effect on cutting edges. It is recommended that you use a reduced cutting angle, keep edges sharp, and always predrill for screws. It finishes and sands quite smoothly.

Water resistance: Excellent

Weight: Extremely heavy, in fact too heavy to use alone in a gun, but in combination with a lighter wood like teak or padauk, it will make an excellent ballast.

Cosmetic appeal: average

Relative cost: 2

Notes: The Trees may grow to 140 feet in height with trunk diameter of up to 6'. It is one of the tallest trees of the Amazon region. Color varies from reddish brown to blackish, often with lighter or darker striping and can be covered with a yellow lapachol powder. Much of what I have seen looks similar to a teakwood. The wood comes in good long lengths with limited warp. It has a fire rating similar to concrete.

Ipe Heartwood

Purple Heart

Origin: Central and South America.

Machining characteristics: Hard on tools and prone to chatter with router bits. Burn marks are caused by moving too slowly when cutting.

Water resistance: Good.

Weight: Heavy. Requires little or no lead ballasting.

Cosmetic Appeal: Unique in its purple coloring, I most often use it in combination with another wood grain such as lace. Color fades to grey if not properly sealed.

Relative cost: 4

Wood combinations

Combining woods of contrasting color, grain patterns and densities can create uniquely aesthetic appearances, aid in ballasting, and help off-set deficiencies in any single given wood.

Purple heart and lace

Padauk and Zebra

Padauk and Cocobollo

Padauk and Lace

Purple heart and Zebra

Wenge, Purple Heart, Yellow Heart

"All-in-one" skateboard deck I made from my scrap speargun lumber for my 9y/o little brother Michael Merlo

Other woods to consider

I have less experience with these, but have seen them used by other speargun hobbyists and consider them worthwhile options to consider:

Mahogany

Mahogany has origins in North and South America, Africa and S.E. Asia. It is very light and easy on the tools. Color ranges from quite blonde to medium amber or brown with light grain when finished. It is used primarily in the lower-end market for speargun stocks due to it's relatively inexpensive cost.

Koa

This golden reddish-brown wood with dark brown streaks is from Hawaii. It's other uses include decorative veneer and musical instruments.