domestic violence

[morfiend]

 

  The slomo was too funny!


 exactly why I made my post though.   BTW,I just aquired a nice piece of rock maple,it's about 7 ft long and 4 inch dia at the skinny end!   I hope to carve a self bow from it.

   I put my oak bow on a scale,it has a 70lb plus pull at 22 inches,I need to till it down some more......   My scale tops out at 70 pounds.  Now that the nice weather is here I can start work again,after I get the garden in that is!




   

[mechanic]

70@22 is good, perfect little hunting bow. I like short draw bows for moving through the foliage. But obviously the garden must be the priority 

[Saxman]

hey Sax, do you do this sort of thing properly then? I'd like to know more. We are just making it up as we go along. The shields are heavy, made out of fencing gravel boards. Probably around 6-8kgs. It's a lot of fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa5YFJLXG5w

The above fight is my younger brother as a Viking vs a friend as a samurai. Care to critique them? I think they showed some areas of skill in this fight.

I study longsword, and also fight with the padded stuff on the weekends, however most of the historical fencing applies.

I used 1/2" ply for my shield (24" round, though I want to make a full 36" round sometime soon).

[mechanic]

ahh, plywood is not authentic though, planks looks better

[Saxman]

Actually, the construction technique used for shields wasn't too far off from plywood. They were usually constructed from 5-6 thin layers of lime wood laid out in alternating rows (the first layer is horizontal, then vertical, then horizontal again, etc.). Lime was preferred because it resists splitting, but is also very light. Combine that with a facing and backing of linen or leather, and a leather rim, and you now have a shield that even if the planks ARE broken will still be usable, and is also quite lightweight.

[mechanic]

That's good to know, thanks. Were all Viking era shields made that way or did some people just strap planks together?

[Saxman]

Given the professional martial culture of the Vikings and other Germanic peoples (IE, the Saxons) it's probable most shields were constructed this way. They were considered disposable, especially compared to weapons like the sword, but they had to be light enough to use but still strong enough to keep you alive.

[mechanic]

You are right of course, the opposing laminations would be much better at stopping an axe than gravel boards, that's for sure. Against the grain, no problem, with the grain of a single layer, straight through and into my arm. My next shield will be made the right way.

The swords are definitely coming along, here are a two hander and a Viking style one hander I made in the last few days out of hazel saplings. The hand gaurd on the Viking is bigger than a usual Viking sword because we need the knuckle protection.

[Saxman]

Lots of fun stuff here:

http://www.woodenswords.com/Default.asp

[mechanic]

that's cool. I don't buy things like this. I enjoy making things.

[ink]

You are right of course, the opposing laminations would be much better at stopping an axe than gravel boards, that's for sure. Against the grain, no problem, with the grain of a single layer, straight through and into my arm. My next shield will be made the right way.

The swords are definitely coming along, here are a two hander and a Viking style one hander I made in the last few days out of hazel saplings. The hand gaurd on the Viking is bigger than a usual Viking sword because we need the knuckle protection.

(Image removed from quote.)

awesome job on those swords man

[morfiend]

70@22 is good, perfect little hunting bow. I like short draw bows for moving through the foliage. But obviously the garden must be the priority 

  Yes the garden comes first,my wife says so!    However the 70# is too much,it;s flexing in the handle and I'd like a 28 inch pull!  I hadnt thought of making woodenswords but after seeing yours I might just have to look around at some and maybe I'll try my hand at it.  I want to put primitive weapons in the mancave but I also want to make them myself!



   

[mechanic]

awesome job on those swords man

thanks mate, from a weapons lover and artist like yourself that means a lot. I'm going to make a katana next. The hand guard will be tricky to make strong enough out of wood, am working it out in my head now.

  Yes the garden comes first,my wife says so!    However the 70# is too much,it;s flexing in the handle and I'd like a 28 inch pull!  I hadnt thought of making woodenswords but after seeing yours I might just have to look around at some and maybe I'll try my hand at it.  I want to put primitive weapons in the mancave but I also want to make them myself!



   

yeah man, I can't believe I never thought of making swords before. So easy, only takes a few hours from tree to a roughed out weapon. Compared to a bow it's child's play!

[ink]

thanks mate, from a weapons lover and artist like yourself that means a lot. I'm going to make a katana next. The hand guard will be tricky to make strong enough out of wood, am working it out in my head now.

 

real wooded Katana's.... otherwise known as Bokken...don't have Tsuba's.

[mechanic]

 

real wooded Katana's.... otherwise known as Bokken...don't have Tsuba's.

ahh, ok, but I want it to look like a real metal one