Wooden Swords

[Douglas Robinson]

I was playing with my kids tonight when the neighbors son rang the bell. He and a freind wanted a couple of peices of scrap wood to make swords out of for the play "Robin Hood" they were going to act in.

We picked out some left over ceder and then I asked if he'd like me to make them a little more sword-like. Yes he said sure. So, I trimmed the handles down, rounded the handles with a round-over bit in the router table, cut a point at the end with the Compound Miter Saw, chamfered the edges with a chamfer bit in the router table, made hand guards, cut slots to fit around the sword hilt in them rounded the edges of the guards, glued them on and then drilled, counter sunk holes in the guards, and attached them with screws, while the glue dried.

My kids helped (a first) and they loved them. The neighbors were thrilled as I exceeded their expections (in less than 30 minutes too.) My kids handed them over to the boys and we left.

A few minutes later my bell rings and their son hands me a package from his Mom with a thanks you note and fresh, I mean fresh as in hot, banana bread. Smiles all around.

Now, after I ahve talked it over with my wife, I have to make two more for my kids. The only rule is: if you hit someone with a sword it goes into the fire pit.

Doug

 

[JackLeg]

Good on ya, Doug! No pics?? OK, I'll take your word for it. Enjoy a piece of that BB for me!!

:wsmile:

 

[Glennbear]

Good work Doug, but the swords demise if involved in bad behavior? Shouldn't they "be made into plowshares" ?:gar-La;

 

[JackLeg]

Wooden ones? Maybe plow stocks??

 

[cskipper]

Very cool

 

[McRabbet]

Good on you! Especially the part about playing safely!

 

[JOAT]

Modern times indeed. When i was a kid we never thought about asking anyone to make a toy sword, darts, paddle wheel boats, and so on for us, we just made our own. A sword was a long piece of lath, with a short piece tacked crosswidw. A dart was a clean corncob, three chicken feathers stuck in one end, and a nail sticking out of the other. This was all pre-7th grade (we didn't have kindergarten either). None of us got hurt from any of that stuff. We all had pocket knives too, the safety instructions were, "Don't cut yourself.", and if we did the symphathy usually consisted of merthiolate (?), and, "I told you not to cut yourself.". I don't recall anyone cutting themselves more than once. Times do change.

 

[Sharp Blade]

Doug, what you have made is called a "waster". It's a medieval practice sword. I have been hit many times in my training as a swords"person". (I'm trained in seven different schools of Medieval and Renaissance martial arts.) These wooden swords can also be spray painted silver or chrome to look even more real.

The Japanese use a wooden sword called a "Bokken" and it's a real weapon.
Historically, bokken are as old as Japanese swords, and were used for the training of warriors. Miyamoto Musashi, a kenjutsu master, was renowned for fighting fully armed foes with only one or two bokken. In a famous legend, he defeated Sasaki Kojiro with a bokken he had carved from an oar while traveling on a boat to the predetermined island for the duel.

 

[Bas]

Outstanding! My dad made wooden swords for the kids in the neighborhood, this is when He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was big. I think he ended up making 9 of them, he was very popular and very busy for a while.

This is the reason we get all the stuff for our shops, and set everything up nicely with DC and racks and storage and tables etc. So we can knock out these fun little projects in an hour.

We want pictures!!!

 

[Douglas Robinson]

OK. I just got in from the shop. I have made two for my kids. Cant wait to surprise them when they wake up. These are better than the first two. The hilts have pommels, the guards curve back towards the point od the sword, and there are more curves to the hilt. I have a little more sanding and filing (not in that order) when the glue is all dried.

Sharp blade, it sounds like you belong to the Society for Creative Anachronism.

Doug

P.S. Pics to follow tomorrow.

 

[woodArtz]

Hey Doug,

Here's a set I used to sell at fairs. I have boxes of the shields left over. If you want, I can bring one to the picnic for you to copy. Kids love these little toys... you'll be busy for a while :rolf:.

 

[Touchwood]

Hey Bob,

If you have boxes of them, bring a set to the picnic...I'm sure we can swap something for them (maybe cash?)

My Grandson would love them...and I'm all tied up with recovering from a hernia repair...and trying to build a rocker when I feel good enough to go to the shop.:gar-Bi

Don

 

[Bas]

So Doug, where are the pictures?!!? Don't make me come over there and challenge you to a duel! No, I'm not talking about saber saws. It will be nail guns at 30 paces

 

[JOAT]

This is not quite what I'd am for in a shield for kids, but interesting anyway. http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/olafvanta/Dirk/shields/shields.htm

If I was making one for any of my kin, I'd hit some of the heraldry and geneology sites first, so I could paint it authentically for the family name. Somewhere I've got a site stuck away so I can eventually make a accurate and authentic copy of my family crest - which is nothing like a family shield would be.

 

[Douglas Robinson]

OK Bas here are pics of one sword. Not quite Woodartz, but my son hasn't let his out of his sight.

Doug
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/thumbs/P5030026.JP

 

[Joe Lyddon]

Golly Doug,

Those look like pretty NICE swords... better than I made when I was a kid... long stick with a nailed short stick... that was it!! We had fun...

Your bunch is in 7th Heaven!!

Great job!!

 

[skysharks]

Doug great job bro. Making those kids the envy of everybody, This will be a time not soon forgotten.
shrug off any thoughts on if it was woodartz, who cares, the kids LOVED them and that is all that counts.
You ROCK.

:icon_thum
Mac

 

[woodArtz]

Very cool sword Doug. :icon_thum I bet the kids love it! Ain't it great to see their faces light up when you hand over something you've made in the shop. :eusa_clap

 

[Bas]

Those are great looking swords! Nice, thick blades, and very well fitted with the handles and guard. I wouldn't let it of my sight either.

 

[Douglas Robinson]

Thanks for the kind words. I must say it is very freeing to work without plans and just do everything on the fly. :eusa_danc I really enjoyed tapping my imagination. BTW how do I make the pics bigger? :BangHead:

Doug