I’ve been working on a fantasy story for quite some time, and along with the text of the story I began to develop some weapons that would be used within that story. I desired to have a physical representation of the swords my characters used, so I began with some scrap wood and ended up with a basic sword and a pair of knives. These pieces were quite crude, not really fit to be used in any way, shape, or form. I began to research the construction of wooden training swords, known as wasters. From that, I came to what I have today.
The weapons I’ve constructed are based on a few different styles I’ve seen online. They are half inch thick blades with inch thick handles, full tanged. I’ve worked with maple because it’s the best hard wood I could find without going to an actual lumber store. As of this time, they haven’t been tested for sparring capability but I do intend to put them to the test.
The two items pictured here are the latest in my works. (A) is a Francesca, or a Frankish throwing axe. It’s actually balanced at a point, and I think you could throw it relatively well if you wanted to, though my first tests weren’t great. (B) is a Scottish Dirk, which is just a long knife. It’s the most balanced piece I’ve made, with the point of balance just above the hilt by half an inch or so.
This is the first of my swords. (C) is a Celtic Short Sword, which has a leaf blade and a small crossguard. The only flaw with this one is that the handle is extremely long, and the pommel is sort of weak. The pommel was a last minute modification because the one I had on was too square.
The second of my weapons. (D) is a Hand Axe of a Nordic variety, with a bearded blade and short handle. It’s not balanced as best as it could be, but it’s good enough for an axe. It gets the momentum behind the head where it should be.
This is the newest sword I've made. It's a model of Hruting from the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf. This was made as a commemorative piece for Mr. Fader, the Steinert AP Lit teacher. It had the name Hrunting in Norse Runes on the blade and on the reverse says "AP Lit MMV" with the maker's mark.
These are only the start of my production. If you have any ideas for any or would like to have one made up, please email me at kboyle@fandm.edu
