wooden training swords

[Piers_Farthing]

i am new so i have this (which i dont doubt to be the last) question about wooden training swords and the types i should buy please respond with suggestions. if you know good ones that are not over about $50 that would be useful too

i have found these as an example i would like to know whether these type of swords are good or not http://cgi.ebay.com/Set-of-2-Wooden-Woo ... dZViewItem

[Kenneth Armstrong]

I'm new as well, and I own two wasters right now. I own a two handed longsword waster made from Windlass Steelcraft that I got from http://www.swordsofhonor.com/index.html. It's under $50 but I can tell a difference between that one and a bastard sword waster that I got from http://www.newstirlingarms.com/woodwasters.html. The New Stirling Arms waster was a bit more, but it feels so much better than the cheap version. I can tell a difference anyway, and I'm a newb. I also have a bastard sword waster on order from Raven Studios (heard great things about them), so I won't know about that one for a couple of weeks yet.

For instance, my cheap waster has too much weight in the blade, and the grip is too thin. But my waster from New Stirling Arms has more weight in the pommel, better balancing out the blade. When I practice the eight cut drill, I can concentrate more on form with my better waster than with my cheap waster. Reason being is that I have to conciously control the blade more with the cheap one.

Not sure about the ones that you see on ebay. The add says that it is made from select hardwood, but not what kind of tree. My waster from New Stirling Arms is made out of hickory, and it feels solid. My other waster feels like it is made out of some kind of pine, and not as rugged.

You should check out this article http://www.thearma.org/essays/wasters.htm for some good general info about wasters.

Hope this helps.

[Piers_Farthing]

yes ive been speaking to others too and they agree i feel i should save my money and buy the more expensive better ones

[Allen Johnson]

we have seen far too many poor wasters to take chances with our money. Companies like New Stirling Arms have proven to be great so at least you know what your are getting.

[Piers_Farthing]

of course new stirling arms is a bit expensive

[Kenneth Armstrong]

It's your choice.

I see that at the top of the page, there is a description about wasters being made out of hickory (which is good), yet the actual product description cites that this is made out of oak. Oak is a bit stiffer than hickory I believe. Check this out for some info on hardwoods used in wasters.

http://www.little-raven.com/RS/MA/AboutUs.html

Also, that sword is a single handed arming sword (from the description of the length). Are you looking to start off with a single handed or double handed sword?

The price is cheap, so I'll give you that. I've never used their wasters at this site, so I don't know how they perform. The only thing I could add is "You get what you pay for."

Ah, the post was deleted.

[blazdir]

Hello everyone.
I've been looking across the net for a manfuacturer of wooden wasters located in Europe and have to date not been successful. Most of them that have webpages are located in the U.S., but I can't believe there's not a single one in Europe.
Anyone from Europe care to share some info or do I have no other choice than trying to make one myself. Shipping a 60+$ wooden weapon from the U.S. is, inspite of quality, too much a premium for me.

Much appreciated.

Blaz Dir

[Kenneth Armstrong]

You could try:

http://www.countercut.com/

http://members.aol.com/craftyjohn/weap.html

http://www.freedomenterprises.co.uk/page4.html

Hope this helps. I'm not in the UK, but this is what I have found.

[Brian Hunt]

You might want to check at Matt Easton's Forum since they are located in England someone there should be able to point you in the right direction for european wasters.

http://www.fioredeiliberi.org/phpBB2/

hope this helps.

Brian Hunt
GFS

[Shane Smith]

Hello everyone.
I've been looking across the net for a manfuacturer of wooden wasters located in Europe and have to date not been successful. Most of them that have webpages are located in the U.S., but I can't believe there's not a single one in Europe.
Anyone from Europe care to share some info or do I have no other choice than trying to make one myself. Shipping a 60+$ wooden weapon from the U.S. is, inspite of quality, too much a premium for me.

Much appreciated.

Blaz Dir

blazdir,
Please re-register with your real and full name as required by the forum rules. Thanks for your cooperation and welcome to the forum.

[Shane Smith]

It's your choice.

I see that at the top of the page, there is a description about wasters being made out of hickory (which is good), yet the actual product description cites that this is made out of oak. Oak is a bit stiffer than hickory I believe. Check this out for some info on hardwoods used in wasters.

Oak is not very good for wasters in my experience making a lot of wasters from it. It splinters easily and is nowhere as durable as hickory for this purpose. Still, it is readily available and can be servicible if well cared for. It will not give you the service-life of straight grained hickory though. Purple heart wood is what I made my most recent wasters from. It is very stout if a bit heavy.

[John_Clements]

[/quote]
Purple heart wood is what I made my most recent wasters from. It is very stout if a bit heavy.[/quote]

That wood is not good for wasters, it splinters easily and can be toxic. It's really not suited for weapons other than those for solo training, where its weight is a good factor.

[Steve Ames]

On the topic of making your own wasters... I have no problem with buying a waster to practice with (either solo or with a partner) but I don't like the idea of spending $70 for a waster to beat on a pell with. This seems like the perfect opportunity for a DIY waster since destroying < $10 in materials is preferable. I bought some straigh grain oak stock, enough for two wasters, but then wasn't really sure what the best tool for the job would be to shape it.

So... for you folks that build your own, what tools would be required to make a somewhat rough waster and approximately how much time? Gotta weigh all that into the decision process. Keep in mind that the pommel doesn't have to be very pretty and cross guard can be almost non-existant... as long as the grip, weight and balance are approximate then I'm happy. Thanks for any info!

[Shane Smith]

I use a skillsaw to cut the blanks. A jigsaw is used to cut the inside corners left at the shoulder by the skillsaw as well as to cut the notch in the one-piece crossguard after I drill holes in two of the four corners of the opening I've laid out to allow the blade to pass until it reaches the square shoulder. I use a router to round the edges or a blockplane will also do that as well as allow you to shape in distal taper.I use 5/16" wooden dowels to pin the cross to the blade blank. I use gorilla glue to adhere fillets on the pommel shape which is intergal with the blade blank as pinned-on pommels have a habit of coming un-pinned. Sand and then seal the finished product with boiled lindseed oil. I usually make two at the time and they take about three hours to have both ready for the glue to dry and apply the finish.

[Shane Smith]

That wood is not good for wasters, it splinters easily and can be toxic. It's really not suited for weapons other than those for solo training, where its weight is a good factor.

I had not heard of toxicity. Can you elaborate? That seems to be a cause for concern.

As for splintering, I have noticed a bit of that, but this waster is holding up to forces that have cracked other wasters made of hickory in my hands. It's actually giving me longer service than the store-bought wasters I've gotten from various sources. I was very particular in getting good grain though as I always am. I may just have gotten lucky with the board I bought to build from. I guess I'll go back to hickory when this one breaks. I sure won't be going the store-bought route willingly again though. That said, of all commercial wasters I've handled though, NSA gets the nod. I've ripped too many pommels off of the Little Ravens.