Thread: Impact grade timbers

Originally Posted by Ikkyu

Hiya guys i'm new to the forum i have something to ask is there such a thing as impact grade aussie timbers i'm looking into making some wooden swords i already make small wooden daggers and alike but these don't get bashed together but from what i have learned you need impact grade timber in the USA they have impact grade hickory i know of some wooden swords being made of spottedgum but is there such thing as impact grade spottedgum and if so where can i get some

Thanks
Alistair

Mate, if you can dent spotty gum or any of the eucalypt timbers by playing swords, I need to talk to you about this log I need shifting . Look for straight-grained pieces of pretty much any euc and you're away.

Hi,
Graig thanks for the reply in my early days of sword training my thinking was along the same lines but I’m no master of woods or making wooden swords so far I make small daggers from jarrah, red iron bark whatever I can get my hands on I know alittle about wood as for tools I have a pretty good set up water stones, planes, spoke shaves and carving knives. I’ve dent and cracked spotted gum training swords but I feel that maybe the over all quality of the timber was low. To get into what I’ve learn from having to use and wanting to make these swords is that you need a good quality grade of wood that can take some hard impact that won't check as well when training with these things safety is number one and you don't want one exploding into little sharp bits or breaking in half I’ve seen people get hurt and heard some scary stories about losing eyes and so on.
In the USA they have impact grade hickory I know that some timbers can be very hard but also brittle and I would think that there is Aussie timbers as good or even better for making these wooden swords. So i guess i'm also going to ask where can i get good quality Aussie hardwoods like spottedgum but if there is such a thing as impact grade aussie timber i'd love to know. These swords will get alot of use so quality and the right kind of timber important.

Many thanks,
Alistair

Hi,

I know nothing about wooden swords (well OK almost nothing)...

But I do know about bows and hickory ain't all that great. It is a very springy wood, but it is relatively weak compared to woods such as osage orange and spotted gum. Spotted gum is an absolute monster and should be fine for such things. Jarrah is OK, but Karri is much better. Green Satinheart is awesome, but trust me when I say you won't find any... I have tried for so long... Another one worth considering is horizontal scrub from Tassie.

However, all that being said, if you are serious about this, the best way to make a reliable bit of wood for such activities is to avoid crossing the grain. So pick VERY straight grained stuff, choose a growth ring and use that as a basis and cut out the sword from there. You may also want to think about laminating wood as this tends to increase strength. Finally, if your heart is set on hickory (and it shouldn't be) you can buy hickory handles (such as axe handles) from hardware stores...

Cam

I made a sword for a guy here once "Misogi" I think - I used "lancewood". the job wasnt perfect, and it was farking heavy,- but he liked it... lance wood is a good bouncy timber that is a bit like Grunt, dense, thick and hard.

I knew some guys that were seriously into Morris dancing, and were infamous for beating sticks together as part of their performances. So much into it that any stick they used was beaten into pieces, with fragments flying into the audience!!:eek: I suggested to them of changing from what they were using to Privet, because its springy, then Cotoneaster....the latter can be a very hard and robust stick. I don't think any timber would stand up to the conditions they insisted on, so each item was consumable. Is that the case with your swords?
BTW, at least one of the Eucalypts is known as Hickory and is considered an Aust. replacement for handles etc where US Hickory would be used.

Cheers,

"Misogi" told me (Or I read on a web site whilst studying up) that a practictioner of the swooshing sword would use the sword for years....

Originally Posted by CameronPotter

Hi,

I know nothing about wooden swords (well OK almost nothing)...

But I do know about bows and hickory ain't all that great. It is a very springy wood, but it is relatively weak compared to woods such as osage orange and spotted gum. Spotted gum is an absolute monster and should be fine for such things. Jarrah is OK, but Karri is much better. Green Satinheart is awesome, but trust me when I say you won't find any... I have tried for so long... Another one worth considering is horizontal scrub from Tassie.

However, all that being said, if you are serious about this, the best way to make a reliable bit of wood for such activities is to avoid crossing the grain. So pick VERY straight grained stuff, choose a growth ring and use that as a basis and cut out the sword from there. You may also want to think about laminating wood as this tends to increase strength. Finally, if your heart is set on hickory (and it shouldn't be) you can buy hickory handles (such as axe handles) from hardware stores...

Cam

Cam,
Thanks for the reply and the info my aim is to use Aussie timbers only but from what i've learned about hickory is there are many grades and a timber that doesn't flex when it comes to wooden swords it needs to have some flex not floppy to take some of the shock i have a small amount of info on the grade of hickory but i don't want to use hickory but what a few people use in the USA to make bokkens out of is a type called Appalachian Hickory
i've learned that this kind of hickory is 100 times better then the common hickory and to be able to carve a sword out of axe handles is not really the idea i mean my eyes are sore from all the reading i have done as i have said before i make small wooden daggers and so on and i feel my skill level is at the point where i can make a full sized sword one other thing is some hardwoods tend to get brittle i mean the whole carving of these wooden swords is a real art i have so much more to learn i mean i could order this kind of hickory if i wanted to but i wanna use local timbers and i'd rate a few Aussie timbers as the best in the world. I wish to use the best grades of timber as you would with your bow making

Many thanks,
Alistair

Originally Posted by Zed

I made a sword for a guy here once "Misogi" I think - I used "lancewood". the job wasnt perfect, and it was farking heavy,- but he liked it... lance wood is a good bouncy timber that is a bit like Grunt, dense, thick and hard.

Hi Zed
I have seen some pics of lancewood but know very little about balance and geometry of a wooden sword is very important i one have sword from japan made out of a hard wood called sunuke i'm yet to break it this one is heavier then most woodenswords i've used but the blade geometry and balance are beautiful which makes it a fast weapon it has broken 3 swords so far but i will look into the lancewood whats it like to work with any info will do best angle to use on my plane blades and so on and if you have a pic the one you made i'd love to see it

Many thanks
Alistair

Originally Posted by Zed

"Misogi" told me (Or I read on a web site whilst studying up) that a practictioner of the swooshing sword would use the sword for years....

Zed,
Yep very true if it is well made and looked after i store my wooden swords laying flat in special cotton bags and ones that get heavy use get a light sand every now and then and a coat of pure tung oil my first wooden sword i got back in 1998 made out of another japanese wood called Tetsuboku i had to retire it last year after some cracks showed up on the blade it now sits on a rack and i plan to keep it for the rest of my life i still use it for solo training.
So yeah if it is made well the market is flooded with cheap wooden swords pumped out at 100s a day from china these things are junk many things go into making one skill with the hand tools, knowledge of how the sword will handle the how tall the person is using it and so on it really is an art form
Like with anykind of woodworking i've always loved watching those guys make things out of wood by hand its really putting your heart and soul into it and thats why i;m so keen to do this i've spent many years training with them i feel that i have the knowledge and the skill level to give it a try

Thanks
Alistair

Originally Posted by Andy Mac

I knew some guys that were seriously into Morris dancing, and were infamous for beating sticks together as part of their performances. So much into it that any stick they used was beaten into pieces, with fragments flying into the audience!!:eek: I suggested to them of changing from what they were using to Privet, because its springy, then Cotoneaster....the latter can be a very hard and robust stick. I don't think any timber would stand up to the conditions they insisted on, so each item was consumable. Is that the case with your swords?
BTW, at least one of the Eucalypts is known as Hickory and is considered an Aust. replacement for handles etc where US Hickory would be used.

Cheers,

Andy,
Thanks for the reply hehehe good old privet ay in alot of stick fighting martial arts they use rattan cos it just goes floppy when it's time to retire the stick and doesn't send bits of sharp stuff flying arcoss the room. come to think of it my axe has a spottedgum handle on it but it was my fathers and he has had it forever and he oiled the handle with linseed oil it was looked after gets alot of work in the winter time i guess spotted gum might the go but i need a good quality supplie of it

Many thanks
Alistair

sorry no pics.

Zed
Can i ask where you got the lancewood and what tools did you use to make it you said it's very heavy and dense i have also been thinking of making a training tool called a Suburito it is a heavy wooden sword that you use to build up strength as you run through the movements of cutting it also teaches you to keep relaxed being heavy you want to tense up and so on

Many thanks
Alistair

Another choice would be red stringybark, which is very strong, very hard, but quite springy. It's also quite dense. I have a piece of 40mm square about 600 long with a turned handle that I keep by the bed. The edges are still razor sharp 2 years after it was cut.

I got the timber from a place near windsor in SYdeny called trend timbers www.trendtimbers.com.au

used a router table some straight bits and some temples mde from ply - used other swords as template gauges. reasonably easy - I still have the templates - I'll sell them to you if you want them. PM me.

cheers