how picky people are about accuracy does depend on why they want the spear. If they are wanting a piece for a particular period, then yes it has to be correct (or at least plausible within known shapes/sizes). But i they just want a cool looking pointy thing, then whatever appeals really
The generic spear head of the Anglo Saxon period (give or take a few centuries) is not a throwing weapon. The little heads of only a few inches are the throwing variety, but not the 7-14" blades! The long narrow heads tend to be referred to as lances in the texts and are thought to be for mounted use rather than foot combat, but I doubt the warrior would see much definition between which weapon they use.
I made some throwing spear shafts for an iron age friend using both willow and hazel and they worked just fine, no more prone to snapping off than ash. Also a thrown weapon that breaks on impact can't be thrown back at you, hence the Roman Pila having built in weakspots for that purpose. There are writings of the Celts catching spears mid flight and chucking them back at the thrower. When it comes to the larger spear heads then 20-30mm thick wood of any variety is going to be tough to snap anyway!
The generic spear head of the Anglo Saxon period (give or take a few centuries) is not a throwing weapon. The little heads of only a few inches are the throwing variety, but not the 7-14" blades! The long narrow heads tend to be referred to as lances in the texts and are thought to be for mounted use rather than foot combat, but I doubt the warrior would see much definition between which weapon they use.
I made some throwing spear shafts for an iron age friend using both willow and hazel and they worked just fine, no more prone to snapping off than ash. Also a thrown weapon that breaks on impact can't be thrown back at you, hence the Roman Pila having built in weakspots for that purpose. There are writings of the Celts catching spears mid flight and chucking them back at the thrower. When it comes to the larger spear heads then 20-30mm thick wood of any variety is going to be tough to snap anyway!