What different types of wood can be used to build a speargun?? I'm sure there are several.....

im not sure of the spelling of all these but here are a few I can think of off the top of my head. m sure there are more

Teak
mahogany
padauk
lace
Cocobollo
purpleheart

Also I just laminated two pieces of brazzilian cherry to either side of a stock I just put together, we'll see how it turns out...

Ash
Jbl has Zebrawood and Tigerwood that look nice

thanks...I'm suprised some of them are good stock material..I guess treated correctly they'll work well..

thanks...I'm suprised some of them are good stock material..I guess treated correctly they'll work well..

I forget which is which, but I've been told some of them aren't really very good stock material at all- they just look pretty. If the finish gets broken, they absorb water.

I know one guy who got two or three beautiful Scott Merlo guns with laminations of various exotic woods. They looked great when they arrived, but later he said that if he had it to do over again, he would go for straight teak.

I know one guy who got two or three beautiful Scott Merlo guns with laminations of various exotic woods. They looked great when they arrived, but later he said that if he had it to do over again, he would go for straight teak.Thank you for posting this, I suspected that it was so. When I build a gun it will be all teak. I think Ipe is pretty much indestructible, I've used it before, too bad it's so heavy.

I was going to use ipe for my dock..lifetime dock..it is VERY heavy I found and interesting site today www.internet lumber.com
leopardwood lumber is beautiful...They also have the rare Pink ivory wood..even considered it for the "PINK STICKER II"

I forget which is which, but I've been told some of them aren't really very good stock material at all- they just look pretty. If the finish gets broken, they absorb water.

I know one guy who got two or three beautiful Scott Merlo guns with laminations of various exotic woods. They looked great when they arrived, but later he said that if he had it to do over again, he would go for straight teak.

This is absolutely true.

The "next Gun" I have will have a handrubbed oil finish

I also agree that teak is the best wood for spearguns. However I was assuming that threw-er-back wanted to use something other than teak or he wold not have asked the question.

I was going to use ipe for my dock..lifetime dock..it is VERY heavy I found and interesting site today www.internet lumber.com
leopardwood lumber is beautiful...They also have the rare Pink ivory wood..even considered it for the "PINK STICKER II"

If you use Ipe for your dock be sure to pre-drill for any nails you try to put through it otherwise they will bend. Best of using stainless nails, not sure how galvanized will work with it but they do stain mahogany, teak and cedars. If you plan on using screws I would still do the predrilling, that stuff is pretty unforgiving

My good friend made this gun out of pallet wood from the sea port. Ya this thing can shoot like 40+ft. It was made all with hand tools. 8 5/8" bands, 3/8 shaft, homemade slip tip and trigger mech, and one hell of a craftsman.
If you have money tree in the back yard you can use Teak or the less expensive alternative like my buddy is doing would be Mahogany.

http://a579.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/84/l_13f33ad34ca269fe590d4007c00db612.jpg

Deep, I was considering something other than teak..I'm SURE there are exotics with the same characterisics
Breathless...That's a friggin cannon!!!!!!!!!!
If you had been wearing a big belt buckle Ida wondered about your having some sort of complex or "shortcoming"...:D
Just kiddin brutha...Thats a beast! Is it heavy??

I was going to use ipe for my dock..lifetime dock..it is VERY heavy I found and interesting site today www.internet lumber.com
leopardwood lumber is beautiful...They also have the rare Pink ivory wood..even considered it for the "PINK STICKER II"

IPE is great for a Dock, but it would be too heavy and make the gun very negative.

IPE can not be laminated either, the only way to fasten is with screws or hidden fasteners, there is a fastener that is installed by cutting a slot in the side of the deck board with a biscuit jointer, then you screw the fastener into the joist, once the deck is done, you have to look for the fasteners.

Deep, I was considering something other than teak..I'm SURE there are exotics with the same characterisics
Breathless...That's a friggin cannon!!!!!!!!!!
If you had been wearing a big belt buckle Ida wondered about your having some sort of complex or "shortcoming"...:D
Just kiddin brutha...Thats a beast! Is it heavy??

The thing is so heavy he carries it on his shoulder. He even has carrying handles on it. I think its like a 9ft gun or something.

i've used iroko on my first gun, and used watco teak oil as a finish, still going good 1 year later.

Although there are plenty of woods out there that may be suitable to use for building a speargun, nothing will compare with the properties of teak. That is why teak has been used as the primary marine wood for hundreds (thousands?) of years.

Excuse me while I build a new 120 inch bluewater gun out of a crisoe rairoad tie. :D