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Posted By: northern_dave spear house project - 12/25/12
Well this is new for us, I've never speared northerns from a dark house but it used to be kind of a big deal in the midwest.

My oldest boy wants to have his own spear house and get started in the sport of dark house spearing.

He saved his money from a job he had last summer working on a farm, purchased all the materials himself and I'm just helping him build it all.

He decided to go old school and heat the spear house with a small wood stove. So, we started by building a wood stove.

We had this old 30# propane tank with a pinhole and an outdated valve. We cut it apart and turned it into a wood stove.

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Triple rinsed and filled to the top with water before I started cutting.

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I'll fit this flat steel plate to the top for a nice cooking surface.

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Top cut off, door cut out, chimney hole cut, door opening framed..

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Top on, chimney stub too.

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Door

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The draft uses gravity to close and a thunb screw to fine tune the opening of the intake air.

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Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
4 legs with big round feet that we can bolt to the spear house floor.

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I put a spine gusset inside the door to help it hold it's shape, handles are valve springs from an old pickup engine.

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stove pipe damper.

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cleaned up for paint.

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Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Building the floor, it's a plywood/styrofoam sandwich with 2x lumber laid flat.

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The little stove sitting where it will be in the house.

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3 walls up.

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Spear hole is 24" by 40"

My dad donated these old decoys for the project. He purchased them in 1978 and never used them.

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Lots of work involved for the front wall, we put 2 doors on so each guy has his own door.

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Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Fit and fastened a ceiling collar for the chimney, welded a storm collar on said chimney, plus an old metal camping plate for a weather cap... and a bunch of red paint.

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Steel skid frame is next.

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Skid frame not done yet but we tossed the house onto it and pulled it outside to see how well the stove heats it at 10 degrees below zero.

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Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
My project for today, a spear for the kid.

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The strap plate was drilled and slotted for a huge plug weld on both sides where it clamps the tines.

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barbed tips.

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Shank welded on, drilled and handle plug welded into place.

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Ring on the end of the handle for the rope.

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That brings the project up to date.

More soon I fear.



Posted By: shoot4fun Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Way cool! Love the stove! Thanks for sharing another family project with us, Dave.
Posted By: jpb Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Guys like Dave with mad skills make the rest of us look really, really bad!

Awesome stove!

John
Posted By: Teal Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Sawheet.

Still LOVE that stove.

I've never done the spearing thing, even tho it's big for Sturgeon here in WI.
Awesome ND, thx for sharing

Merry Christmas my friend

Dober



Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Thanks, back at you Mark.
Posted By: Teal Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Telling you - this would look AWESOME on the side.

Intimidate other fishermen off your spot too...

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Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Nay.



lol!
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
The boy scored a Fish's sporting toys ice saw, a pair of lakco decoys, a big scooper, the spear I made him and a couple of sucker harnesses.


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Christmas booty.

grin
ND-when's the debut? With the temps you guys are getting now there's gotta be some ice being made big time!

Dober
Posted By: Whelenman Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Dave you amaze me!!
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/25/12
Thanks guys. Mark, the ice is ready, we just need to finish a few details on the house and buy a license for it and Nate will be good to go.

Little more frame/ski work, benches, hole cover, tow hitch... it's close.

Posted By: Rooster7 Re: spear house project - 12/26/12
Originally Posted by northern_dave
The boy scored a Fish's sporting toys ice saw, a pair of lakco decoys, a big scooper, the spear I made him and a couple of sucker harnesses.


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Christmas booty.

grin


Nice haul Nate!!! But you're still missing one of the most important tools for a spear fisherman....Ice tongs to pull them big 'ol blocks out of the hole after you cut it. Also, (and I'm sure you probably know this) but the blocks need to go back in the hole when you move your house and the hole should be marked with vertical sticks or something so snowmobilers and pedestrians don't hit them or fall in them. Good luck spearing buddy!

Oh and one more suggestion. If you have an old silver scoop shovel laying around, drill it full of 1/4" - 3/8" holes so water can drain from it. It sure makes cleaning out that big spear hole faster. Then you just have to clean up the "little stuff" with your ice dipper.

Big Jelly over and out.

grin
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/26/12
Hey big jelly, I didn't know anybody hauled the blocks out any more? I thought the modern method was to just shove the block down?

Posted By: Rooster7 Re: spear house project - 12/26/12
Originally Posted by northern_dave
Hey big jelly, I didn't know anybody hauled the blocks out any more? I thought the modern method was to just shove the block down?



I may be old school but putting "obstructions" in the way of the pike that are coming right underneath the ice may cause them to veer off and not even show themselves. To me, spearing is a lot like bowhunting when you think about it. You don't get a lot of chances so you want to make sure everything that you possibly can is in your favor.
Posted By: Rooster7 Re: spear house project - 12/26/12
That includes painting the interior walls of the house flat black and making sure that when you bank the house there is no sunlight coming in whatsoever. A little beam of light from above will spook fish.
Posted By: FishN4Eyes Re: spear house project - 12/26/12
ND, you are the effing man!

That is some cool stuff.

That stove is amazing, love your projects, nicely done!
Posted By: tipmover Re: spear house project - 12/26/12
Well done Dave and crew!
Looking forward to seeing some action shots.
Few things are as relaxing as watching the Ol' Norweigan TV!
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/28/12
Skid frame done

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Posted By: Rooster7 Re: spear house project - 12/29/12
"Ol' Norweigan TV"

I LIKE THAT!
Posted By: Rooster7 Re: spear house project - 12/29/12
Thats really nice Dave. I like how you made the hitch swivel.
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/29/12
some black paint on the skid.

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Big loops in the back to lift with a handi-man jack if it should freeze down. Also some skate plate sections welded to the insides of the runners in back, to help it track straight.

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Posted By: rattler Re: spear house project - 12/29/12
but does his have a name Dave? here is my buddy's boy's spear fishing shack they finished up Christmas day and broke in today:

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Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/29/12
They stabbed a walleye!! lol!!!

Awesome!!

Well, everybody loves the name "stabbin cabin"

We gotta come up with something new.

grin

Posted By: rattler Re: spear house project - 12/29/12
you can spear fish northerns, walleye, sauger, ling and non-game fish on waters in the eastern district in the winter through the ice....
Posted By: rattler Re: spear house project - 12/29/12
BTW i sent him and his dad both this thread and your other ice house thread you bumped up recently to show them what your doing.....the stove on this one is genius.....
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/29/12
Originally Posted by rattler
you can spear fish northerns, walleye, sauger, ling and non-game fish on waters in the eastern district in the winter through the ice....


That's very cool. And ling, (we call burbout or eelpout) are delicious.

Originally Posted by rattler
BTW i sent him and his dad both this thread and your other ice house thread you bumped up recently to show them what your doing.....the stove on this one is genius.....


Thanks. I think we're going to try Nathan's house out this weekend.

Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 12/29/12
I'm calling it done, It's out of my garage lol!

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Posted By: bruinruin Re: spear house project - 01/08/13
That's awesome, Dave.
Posted By: mikeymjr23 Re: spear house project - 01/08/13
Well...how did it go this weekend???
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 01/09/13
Too many winter activity options... The spear house hasn't hit the ice yet frown

Posted By: Pointbock Re: spear house project - 01/09/13
I was thinking on this the other day - With the goal of a dark house being as sealed up as possible, hanging a battery-operated CO detector in there wouldn't be a bad idea.

And did you mention making room for Pam's truck when this was out of the way?
Posted By: mikeymjr23 Re: spear house project - 01/10/13
Originally Posted by northern_dave
Too many winter activity options... The spear house hasn't hit the ice yet frown



I hope that you're able to get it out this weekend?
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 01/10/13
Originally Posted by Pointbock


And did you mention making room for Pam's truck when this was out of the way?


Done! grin

Originally Posted by mikeymjr23


I hope that you're able to get it out this weekend?


I sure hope so.
Posted By: ironeagle_84 Re: spear house project - 01/16/13
Originally Posted by northern_dave
They stabbed a walleye!! lol!!!

Awesome!!

Well, everybody loves the name "stabbin cabin"

We gotta come up with something new.

grin



How about the Chickenbuck Shank Shack? grin
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 01/16/13
not bad. smile
Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 01/27/13
Doing it.

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Posted By: JDK Re: spear house project - 01/27/13
Great job.

Really liking those decoys.

Posted By: northern_dave Re: spear house project - 01/28/13
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