[Loch-Ruadh] Help with thick wood!

[Ciarlariello, Keith W]

I used to take large diameter rattan and put it thru a planer and parallel
plane it.  The result was a really nice "blade shaped" sword blank, with the
"blade" thickness being the minimum according to regs.  Sort of a "racetrack
pattern" in cross section.  Not being very current with the fighter regs
these days, I am not sure if this is still legal.

These blanks were VERY stout, and strong, and I noticed no difference in the
durability, in fact they seemed stronger than the standard rounds.  They
were however heavier than the rounds and as a result made me slower in my
swing (as if I really needed to be any slower).  I also discovered that they
did make some really nice short swords, and the extra weight helped to pack
a greater punch.

I am not sure what you are attempting to do, but it is Okay to shave them
down just a little, in order to attach basket hilts, etc.  A thinned section
becomes a point of stress however, and I have seen several of them that were
thinned too much and broke at that particular point.

Wilhelm



-----Original Message-----
From: Sluggy! [mailto:slugmusk at linuxlegend.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 09, 2002 2:40 PM
To: loch-ruadh at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Loch-Ruadh] Help with thick wood!


Sam Milligan wrote:

> Have you considered shaving it down with a hand plane or spokeshave?

I have not had to reduce rattan to any major degree, but it seems to me
that much of the strength of rattan comes from the fine grained shiny
exterior. I would think that if you eliminate it completely, the
durability of the rattan may suffer greatly.

On the other hand, I suppose it need only survive one event, and there
is a chance, however small, that I could be wr... wr... wro...
misinformed. :)

Sluggy!

--

A friend will help you move.

A really good friend will help you move a body.

--

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