Basic Sword and a Sexy Ass Shield

I improvised these from discarded bedslats. That's my first shield, and I'll be testing its durability to make sure it's safe to use and see how long it lasts. These are made of pine, so they won't be as strong or last as long as any made from oak.

I also made the shield reversible by not fastening the handle to either set of outcroppings on the back. It can be slid up through a large, then a small, hole in those outcroppings. I haven't put a strap on either side of it, either, because I'd like to see more how it handles with the greater maneuverability. I might put straps on it later, though.

The shield also has a hollow track going all the way through it (an inadvertent result of the design, which was itself just accounting for the soft materials I had). I'm in the process of making a dirk that can be stowed in that track, for the purpose of backup armament in case of disarming and any other badass ideas you can think of. I'll post a picture when that's done.

Some Definitions of Mine

If you've never played an RPG of any kind or for any other reason don't know what I mean when I talk about a greatsword or a rapier or stuff like that, this will clear that up. At least with regard to this particular forum.... They're my own definitions of different types of swords. I'll do my best to follow this terminology everywhere in my blog. Bear in mind, though, the true definitions of these things are probably different. This is just for the purpose of establishing standards within this blog.

-Sword: any bladed weapon whose blade is (1) significantly longer than the handle, (2) significantly longer than it is broad, and (3) longer than fifteen inches.

-Knife: see "Sword" counts 1 and 2, with a blade length of up to fifteen inches.

-Dirk: a "Sword" of any breadth with length over fifteen inches, up to two feet.

-Short Sword: a "Sword" whose blade is up to three feet long.

-Long Sword: a "Sword" with a blade length exceeding three feet.

-Rapier: a "Sword" with blade breadth up to an inch and a half.

-Broad Sword: a "Sword" with a blade breadth exceeding three inches.

-Greatsword: a "Sword" that is both "Long" and "Broad".

-Bastard Sword: a "Sword" whose handle can't quite accommodate both hands.

Hope this helps you to know what I'm referring to elsewhere in these posts. Email me if you have any nits to pick!

Codename: the Barracuda

I finished this sword just recently. It's the first in a line of weapons I'm classifying as "diform". I use that word because I'm not sure if there's already one that means the same thing, and it sounds markedly badass, I think. Any diform weapon of mine will have (go figure) two distinct configurations. Above is the bastard sword form. In this configuration there are two handles, which I wrapped in baseball bat grip tape. There are no words for how much I like the grip tape. In addition to providing FAR superior purchase for the hand as opposed to naked wood, which will eventually look dirty and ugly from sweat, oil and dead skin, it fills the hand more comfortably, which I submit makes the weapon feel lighter and easier to use. Anyway, using the higher grip alone will decrease the perceived weight of the sword and provide a handguard, using the lower grip will add range, and using both at the same time gives added control. This configuration is meant for delivering heavy blows that break through direct defenses.

Below is the double sword form. Use this when you need more universal defense and more rapid attack patterns. The rapier has its own handguard and is really very basic and easy to use. The short sword is weighted uniquely and takes a steady wrist to use effectively, but for DEVELOPING wrist strength, it's ideal.

The rapier slides through a shaft in the hilt of the short sword and relies on simple friction to stay in the bastard sword form, so if you swing from the rapier handle alone, the short sword MAY fly off. Don't uhh.... don't do that. It'll get damaged....

This is the first diform weapon I've seen through to fruition, But there WILL be more!

GReT Sword Version I

This...... is one of my most favorite projects. It consists of five separate swords (base, fore, aft, and two identical sides)that all fit together to make something giant and beautiful and overtly badass.

This one is a slight revision of the first Graduated Resistance Training (GReT [a joke for me]) sword I made. It was made of pine, so it was weaker than it could have been and every component sword broke in some place or another, but the plan was solid and the product was good, if a little rough. The method by which the components lock together is a series of pegs that slide through the sections. It works well, it just makes it impossible to interchange stuff mid-match.

The handles of the fore and aft sections are actually not connected to the swords' hilts at all; they're held in place in the hilts by their own pegs, and if you remove the pegs, the handles can be pulled out, allowing the minor hilts of those two to fit into the major hilt of the base sword. That's not my favorite setup, but I got a little more creative with the other versions.

I like getting a workout from my practices, and having a sword whose weight I can increase when I get used to it is a HUGE benefit for me. I love this thing.

A Few Personal Policies

When I first started doing these things, it was just to have tools to practice with. The method I used for my first, more fantastically-shaped sword was to staple two halves of the blade together and to the handle, which was only sanded lightly on the edges... Kinda uncomfortable.

Later I started gluing solid blade to handle, and leaving it at that. When I realized it still didn't work, I went to putting slats across what I've come to call an inverse tang (which basically just means I put the handle partway into the blade, rather than the blade partway into the handle) and nailing the assembly together.

All I mean to establish is that my process has changed to favor comfort and safety. Unless you want it that way, I don't bevel the cutting edge and will instead round it off (I got my finger cut by a sparring partner once, who was using a sword I'd made with a defined, 90 degree angle cutting edge.... Fair amount of blood, still have the scar, felt like a tard.), and I've gotten a lot better about making handles round and super comfy. More recently I've gotten into wrapping them, which I think also makes it WORLDS better. In addition I stopped using metal altogether, opting for glue and dowels at a level of redundancy that essentially means that if a sword breaks, it will NOT be because of the joint. I've had handles break from repeated shear forces from swinging, and blades break or fracture from repeated blows and bang-ups, but a joint hasn't failed for me since I implemented my current process, which I've used for a few years now. I have the utmost of confidence in my finished products.

Simple Boken

This is just a single-curved-edge training sword for use in martial arts. Very basic, but I did include some extra bevels along the back edge to represent more closely those found on a katana, in case the practitioner in question wants to keep those and their functions in mind during practice.

If I'm bein honest, I threw this thing together in a big hurry and without any degree of perfectionism, so the blade on this one is a little uneven... But the handle is small and easily manipulable, and as with most of the things I make for myself, I sanded it up real nice, so no worry of splinters. Until it gets some SPARRING ACTION and gets banged up, of course...

I wrapped the handle of this one in some blue woven strapping, but I think I'm more fond of baseball bat grip tape, honestly. Still experimenting with that, though.

For a Friend

I designed these with a friend of mine in mind. Each is really a two-handed sword, but I made them from pine, which makes them BASICALLY light enough to be one-handers, if you're like me and like the bull-in-a-china-shop approach...

I'm a big fan of the "S" pattern curve and I think it gives these an elegance that nicely contrasts with their DEADLY nature! Though the angulature of the hilts sometimes causes wrist-poking... Not really a problem if you hold an inch or two down the handle, but that causes control issues, and so forth... All in all, mostly decorative. Doesn't mean I wouldn't use them in a fight, though! Course I like a broad sword.