How to Make a Wooden Sword for Kids

Make your own wooden sword for your child's dress up box.

Wooden swords are an integral part of any good dress up box—they can animate a valiant knight, a rascally pirate, a charming prince or even a no-fuss princess. While make believe games are the mainstay of child’s play, you don’t want to give them too much reality by making a wooden sword that can do any damage—sanding and softening edges and points is important to avoid any unnecessary injuries, even if the valiant knight was just defending himself from the rascally pirate, neither deserve a splinter, or worse.

Things You'll Need

• Wood plank, 30 x 2 x 1 inch
• Pencil
• Band saw
• Rasp
• Two wood planks, 7 x ½ x ¼ inch
• Wood glue
• Two wood blocks, 2.5 x 1 x ½ inch
• Drill
• Screws
• Wood putty
• Sandpaper
• Varnish
• Leather strips/material strips

Instructions

1. Trace a rounded point on one end of the 30 inch plank, which is the sword blade. Seven inches from the other end of the blade, trace in two concave curves to form the shape of the handle, leaving a round pommel on the end. Cut out the traced shapes using the band saw.

2. Soften the edges of the sword with the rasp, rounding them so that there are no sharp corners.

3. Center one of the seven inch planks at the beginning of the sword handle–seven inches from the end of the pommel–and glue it in place. Glue the two wood blocks on either side of the blade onto the jutting out parts of the seven inch plank. Glue the remaining seven inch plank over the top of the blocks and blade to form the cross of the sword handle. Let it dry.

4. Drill two holes through each side of the cross portion and the blade, and two holes through each side of the cross section into the wood blocks—there should be four holes on each side, eight holes in total. Screw the cross section down using ¾ inch screws.

5. Fill the screw holes with putty, then let dry. Sand the entire sword thoroughly, then give it two coats of varnish, following the manufacturer’s recommended drying times.

6. Wrap the leather or material strips around the handle, leaving the pommel free. Wrap right up to the cross of the handle, placing a little bit of glue on the underside of the leather or material as you wrap. Let it dry. The sword is now ready for the kids to have fun.

References

• Rod’s Woodworking Corner: Free Wooden Toy Plans