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So you've just seen the latest gladiator movie, and you want to emulate your on-screen heroes. Here's how to make a wooden sword that will look great in your trophy case or serve you well in pretend combat.
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Sword Making Tips
- Draw from the history of swordmaking for inspiration.
- Design your sword before you start cutting.
- Using rich hardwood gives you beautiful results.
- Put your sword together in a way that will keep it together during combat.
- Stain or paint your sword to fit your personality.
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Introduction
- Whether you're heading out to the local Renaissance Fair or just want to learn more about bladed weapons, making a wooden sword can be rewarding. There are endless possibilities, limited only to your imagination. You can choose a rich mahogany and emulate a broadsword from the past. You can even make a futuristic-looking sword out of balsa wood so you can engage in safer combat.
Step 1: Research the Evolution of the Sword
- Humans have been building swords for thousands of years, so it's probably a good idea to try and borrow some knowledge from the past. Technology limited the length of sharp, pointed weapons until the processes used to make copper and bronze were developed.myArmory: An Introduction to the Sword After that, swords evolved along with the defenses against them. Wielding a big, heavy broadsword doesn't make much sense if your opponent is using a rapier. Here are the parts of a sword.SwordWiki: Sword Parts
- Blade: The cutting edge of a sword. When building your wooden sword, you need to think about the balance between weight and strength. A larger, thicker blade will do more damage, but a thinner blade is easier to handle.SwordWiki: Center of Percussion
- Some swords balance these two concerns by adding a fuller, a grove in the blade, to make the blade a little lighter.Reliks.com: Learn About Medieval Swords
- Guard: The piece that protects the sword wielder's hand. This can be a simple crossbar, or a larger, rounder shape to direct an opponent's blade away.Tsuba: History of Tsuba, Japanese sword guard
- Hilt: The handle by which one grips a sword.Sword Information: Sword Parts: Hilt Information
Step 2: Design Your Sword
- Before you build anything, you need to have a plan.
- Brainstorm to decide which features you want your sword to have.suite101: The Art of Brainstorming
- Make lots of drawings until you decide on the final design.
- Consider designing your sword to fit an era.
- Recreate a Bronze Age-era sword.Orkneyjar: The Grotsetter Bronze Age Sword
- On the other hand, you can look to the future and imagine what a sword might look like hundreds of years from now.
- Design your sword to fit your purposes.
- If you plan on engaging in safe, friendly combat, make sure you will be able to manipulate the sword the way you want. Make sure it will be light enough for you.
- Select the kind of wood you will use to build your sword.Oldandsold: Different Kinds of Wood
- Balsa wood is much lighter than mahogany, but not as strong.
- If your sword is meant to be a beautiful conversation piece, think about going with rich, beautiful hardwoods.
Step 3: Cut Your Pieces
- Now that you know what your sword is going to look like and have selected your wood, it's time to cut some lumber.
- Use power tools to get your basic shapes.Instructables: How to Make a Nice Wooden Sword
- A circular saw is good for breaking down large pieces.
- Using a jigsaw gives you more control and mobility for finer pieces like the guard.Reader's Digest: How to Use a Jigsaw: Cut Any Shape
- Cut larger pieces first and work your way down to the smallest.
- Remember, you're trying to transform the lumber into the shapes you've designed.
- Err on the side of caution. You can always remove pieces from the wood, but you can't add them back once you've made a mistake.
- Don't worry about making perfect pieces. You can refine them later.
- If you're going to make lots of wooden swords, you might consider making a number of blanks. If you do this, it will be easy for you to customize a number of similar wooden swords.Instructables: How to Make a Nice Wooden Sword
Step 4: Put it Together
- Assemble your sword so you can make sure everything fits together properly. Even though it will look a little rough, you want to identify problems sooner rather than later. You can join your pieces with one of the following methods:Extreme How To: Do-It-Yourself: Joining Wood Made Simple
- Wood glue is an easy way to make sure your sword stays together. The tradeoff is that it doesn't look quite as good and the bond is not as strong as other methods.
- Metal fasteners are L-shaped ridges of metal you can pound into two pieces of wood to make a joint. Using a mallet protects the other wood from the rigor of pounding in the fasteners.
- Doweling is a very secure way to put your sword together.
- First, you drill holes in the wood where the pieces meet.
- Then you slip in a dowel with some wood glue.
Step 5: Add a Striking Finish
- With your sword in one piece, it's now time to concentrate on its appearance.
- Sand your sword.eHow: How to Sand Wood With Sandpaper
- Start off with coarser sandpaper to remove the larger flaws.
- Then use finer sandpaper to get your sword smooth.
- Stain or paint your wooden sword. As with any kind of woodworking project, you have a number of options:BenchMark: Wood Finishing
- Oil stains bring out the rich beauty of wood. Stains also come in a variety of colors.
- Consider staining your blade one color and your hilt a different hue.
- Lacquer is a shiny, protective finish for your sword. It's also easy to apply; some lacquers even come in a spray can.
- Water-based stains are easier to apply and dry faster. Their finish, however, may not be as durable as other stains you can use.
- Paint is a more expressive way to go. Whether you use oil or acrylic, the fact that paint comes in a vast range of colors lets you put more of your personality on the sword.
- Oil stains bring out the rich beauty of wood. Stains also come in a variety of colors.
