Looking for advice on making a stable wooden weapon?
Ive got a bunch of friends, and we’re going to be having battles soon [just for shits] with home made wooden weapons. I want to kick ass, so i’m looking for some woodworking tips to make sturdy weapons that will hit well, but not weigh me down.
The first thing i’m making is a polearm. It will probably be from a young tree, about as tall as i. What i was going to do was skin the bark from the whole thing, and then sand it down. Is there any chemical or material i should put on it to seal it so it doesnt become brittle? Or just make it looks sweet?
The next will be two one handed swords, using pretty much the same technique. Tomorrow is thursday, and the fights are on friday. I’ll be making the weapons tomorrow. Thanks for helping!
Tags: making, wooden, weapon, advice, stableRelated posts:
try and find some rattan.
rattan is like bamboo, except that it is solid. you can usually find it at the stores that supply basket weavers and furniture repair.
rattan is a better idea than wood because it will flex instead of breaking. you can still make it have good stiffness on the striking plane by taking down the sides a bit (also makes it more shaped like a sword). so that way it will behave much like a real metal sword. you can get lengths of the stuff that will be pretty thick.
IF a piece of rattan breaks, it will not be sharp and deadly, like a piece of of wood, but will instead fray into a safer and less sharp end.
for the love of all that is good, please please please wear headgear and eye protection. spinal protection is a very good idea too.
If you intend to make a polearm from a green tree, you’ll need to cut it and suspend it from something high with a heavy bag of sand attached to the end until the wood dries straight. This is a long, slow process. You can’t do it in a few days. Most of the woods chosen for making wooden weapons have been stockpiled to dry correctly for 5-10 years. Why don’t you just go to the hardware store and buy a long oak dowel in the right thickness.
Remember that a lump of wood can kill or can easily break bones, so if you are going to spar with your friends, wear some protection. Minimum would be a fencing mask but I’ve had concussion through one of those practising quarterstaff. Be careful. Teeth and eyes do not grow back.
The best wood for for wooden swords is hickory. Oak is not bad but it splinters eventually. Treat your wooden weapons with either tung oil or linseed oil. Proper care would be once a day for the first week, once a week for the first month, once a month for the first year.