dory

[John Conyard]

The simple answer you need to build a spear with the correct heft for you. I tend to the view that all spears were tapered. You are in effect buliding a large snooker cue, something responsive and fit for purpose, not just a stick. The over all length will depend on the weight of the head and the weight of the but spike. A large heavy head looks great but is hard to weld for any length of time overarm on a long shaft. You want something in the 6'-9' range, and if it is short it's reach will not be that much better than a sword, so in that case it better have a good long head with nice cutting edges. But a long 9' weapon with a light head is a thing of beauty. It can be perfectly balanced, still carry a good overall weight to aid penetration and out range most other weapons. Just make sure it still fits in your car.

Giannis, tapering a shaft is easy to do well in under an hour.I sometimes use a side axe to get started, but certainly a draw knife does the job easily. Something like http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/anglo-saxon-vikin ... 3a614ee514 would do the job for you. Just follow the grain of the wood and do not work against it and it is a very enjoyable task.