How to Make Wooden Swords
The plastic swords you see in toy stores might look good, but they are junk. Anyone who has ever had a rambunctious kid knows that these things break with a few swings. Why not make your own wooden swords?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Initial Preparations
-
1
Find a suitable stick. It should be springy, free from rot, and thicker at the end then you want your handle to be (since you will be whittling it down.) Depending on the length of the sword you want to make, it should be 3 to 5 feet.
-
2
Remove any protruding branches and cut away any large knots. Use your knife to cut them down to the level of the rest of the stick.
-
-
3
If the stick tapers too sharply, remove the thin end. For the sake of durability. You don't want any part of it to be smaller than 2 inches in diameter.
-
4
Peel the bark off the stick. You may find it helpful to cut a slit down the length of the stick to make a rift in the bark.
-
5
Whittle the handle of the sword into a slightly oval shape. Although a circular handle will do, an oval one will feel more comfortable in your hand.
-
6
With a marker, draw a straight line from one of the ends of the oval all the way to the end of the stick. This line represents the edge of the blade, which should be lined up with the handle.
-
7
Use a scissors to cut away any excess pieces of fabric.
Making the Blade
-
8
Choose a shape for your blade. I prefer an oval shape, because it wears better. Swords that come to a sharp cutting edge are more easily dinged and damaged.
-
9
With a metal rasp, file a groove right past the end of the hilt. This groove should be about 1/2 inch all the way around. that is where the guard will sit.
-
10
Whittle the sword. Carve it so that the blade is an oval shape, or whatever shape you have chosen, and so that the groove you filed is the thickest part of the blade. The important thing now is to get a rough shape, so don't worry about perfecting it.
-
11
Pick up the sword and feel its weight. Swing it around a couple of times to see how it feels in your hand. If it is too heavy, continue to whittle it down until it feels right.
-
12
Sand the sword down. Start with coarse sand paper and work your way up until you have a good enough finish. Many people are happy enough with a rough-looking sword, so don't spend more time on this than you want to.
Making the Guard and the Handle
-
13
Get a small, hardwood board, at least half an inch thick. Use a table saw to cut it into the shape of a hand guard. A five inch diameter circle makes for a good, basic guard.
-
14
Trace the shape of the hilt in the middle of the guard. Then trace another outline, half an inch inside the first outline. This is going to be approximately the width of the sword at the point where it meets the hilt.
-
15
Use a table saw to cut out the inner outline.
-
16
Fit the guard over the blade. Slide it down until it rests against the hilt.
-
17
Glue the guard on. Wood glue or epoxy will work well. Be sure to give it plenty of time to dry.
-
18
Apply a thin layer of glue on the handle. Elmer's Carpenter's Glue, or any similar multi-purpose glue will work fine.
-
19
Wrap fabric around the handle. Use a ribbon of fabric about 2 inches thick, and wrap it diagonally from the bottom to the top of the hilt. Be sure to overlap the fabric slightly as you wrap it.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Use a scissors to cut away any excess pieces of fabric left over after you wrap the hilt.
The guard may not fit quite right the first time, so you may have to go back and trim more off the inner surface.
Make sure that anyone fighting with wooden swords is at least wearing eye gear and padded clothing.
Supervise your kids when they start swinging! Wooden swords can break small children!
