Robstyley
New Member
I'm making a Gaffi stick out of solid hardwood. I decided to do it this way because I want it to have as few seperate parts/joins as possible and have an authentic feel and weight to it. I did a bit of research and looked at stills from ANH, other peoples sticks and Fijiian war clubs and worked out roughly what size I wanted it and did some drawings. I then went and bought three bits of Sapele to make two sticks and two pineapples. I marked out the shapes on the wood and then had a joiner I know cut the sticks out and turn the blocks for the pineapples into my required size and shape.
I then bevelled the sticks slightly with a jigsaw to start them off and marked out the lateral lines on the pineapple by stretching elastic bands round and following them with a pencil, I drew the bisecting lines by eye. Then I just used a dremel to make a shallow groove where the lines were and cut through the grooves with a handsaw.
The next stage was to sand the sticks with a small vibration/electric sander. This was hard work but in doing it that way they look a bit more natural and not perfectly cylindrical which I wanted. They are not finished, need to do a bit more shaping and then make them smoother with finer grit. The pineapple I have filed with a square file. That's not finished either, it looks too uniform, I want to do some shaping and tweaking with smaller files.
This is currently where I am.. I will get the shaping on these parts complete and then get some more wood for the pineapple spike part. I'm going to join it all together with 20mm dales/holes and glue. Massively enjoying doing this, it's very satisfying seeing them start to take shape. I don't even want to start thinking about the other end! I would like to make it out of metal and have a 10mm thread cut on it and then screw it into the wooden pole, not sure yet. Will post again with further progress, questions, discussion, advice welcome.
Andy
I then bevelled the sticks slightly with a jigsaw to start them off and marked out the lateral lines on the pineapple by stretching elastic bands round and following them with a pencil, I drew the bisecting lines by eye. Then I just used a dremel to make a shallow groove where the lines were and cut through the grooves with a handsaw.
The next stage was to sand the sticks with a small vibration/electric sander. This was hard work but in doing it that way they look a bit more natural and not perfectly cylindrical which I wanted. They are not finished, need to do a bit more shaping and then make them smoother with finer grit. The pineapple I have filed with a square file. That's not finished either, it looks too uniform, I want to do some shaping and tweaking with smaller files.
This is currently where I am.. I will get the shaping on these parts complete and then get some more wood for the pineapple spike part. I'm going to join it all together with 20mm dales/holes and glue. Massively enjoying doing this, it's very satisfying seeing them start to take shape. I don't even want to start thinking about the other end! I would like to make it out of metal and have a 10mm thread cut on it and then screw it into the wooden pole, not sure yet. Will post again with further progress, questions, discussion, advice welcome.
Andy
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