How to Make a Homemade Spear Out of a Dowel

Soak the rawhide thong in water for 24 hours.

Put the large dowel into the vise vertically and clamp it down. Drill with the 1/2-inch bit into the center of the dowel to a depth of 4 inches.

Use sandpaper to smooth the bottom of the large dowel and round the edges.

Lay the dowel down flat. Make a mark on both sides of the ½-inch dowel 3 inches from the top. Clamp the dowel into the vise with the mark you made on the side facing up. Use the drill with a 3/8-inch bit to drill all the way through the marks.

Put on safety glasses and use the jigsaw to cut from the top of the ½-inch dowel down to the hole you drilled. Place the dowel under the saw blade and lower the blade into the previously drilled hole. Turn the saw on and cut to the end of the dowel. Slide the dowel a half inch over from the first cut and saw back down to the drilled hole. Turn off the saw and remove the dowel. These cuts make the slot for your spear point.

Test the fit of your Clovis point in the slot. If necessary, use a chisel or file to make the slot bigger.

Take the thong out of the water and squeeze it in a towel to eliminate excess water. Pour some hide glue into a plastic bowl and soak the thong in it.

Put on your plastic gloves and slide the spear point onto the ½-inch shaft. Start just below the bottom of the spear point and tightly wrap the rawhide thong around the dowel and point from the bottom of the point to the top of the dowel. Tie the throng off and lay flat to dry. As the thong dries it will shrink and get hard. This will keep the spear point firmly attached.

After the glue is dry, sand down the base of the ½-inch dowel and round off the bottom.

Stain both pieces ivory with the sponge brush. This will give them an aged look. Slide the smaller dowel into the hole in the larger one, and your spear is ready.