Making your own Martial Arts Training Weapons
The Seven Essential Steps to Making your own Martial Arts Training Weapons
by Graham Butcher
Introduction: When Ivar Hafskjold started teaching Stav in the UK in 1992 he had just returned to Japan with a 4 th Dan in Jo­Jutsu and Ken­Jutsu. So for our weapon training we used jo and boken as our equipment. This was fine to begin with but since Stav is essentially a European tradition I wanted to train with European weapons such as the axe, sax and spear. Even the European staff is different to a jo or bo being about half way between the two in size and weight. Over the last 18 years I have designed, constructed and extensively trained with the weapons described in the design sheets I am going to share with you. I won't bore you with a complete design and development history of the Stav training axe for example, I might do that as a bonus article sometime, but trust me all previous designs were tested to destruction at some time or another. So when I say this is the way to make it for efficient training, durability and safety I know what I am talking about.
The weapons I will be showing you how to make are specific to Ice and Fire Stav, eg my lineage of Stav teaching, Another Stav teacher may not teach all of them and may use other weapons altogether, if you want to learn all of them then check first that the teacher you have found is actually qualified to teach all of them. If you do a different Martial Art, European or from other parts of the world then I am not guaranteeing that these exact designs are going to be suitable. Of course the basic principles of design, fabrication and finishing can be adapted to making any wooden training weapons and feel free to experiment and apply what you have learned to other design requirements. However I cannot be responsible for how well the resulting weapon performs but I am sure you realise that. So, good luck with refining the design until you get just what you are looking for, it took me well over a decade to get my axe design just right so don't be in too much of a hurry.
Our objective is to make weapons which are effective and enjoyable to train with, durable and long lasting and, very important, safe when in use. Lets consider the seven essential factors in making such weapons.
1 You need the right wood. If you are going to make a staff from ready sawn seasoned wood then I would recommend Oak. You can get a very nice staff from cutting a Hazel wand and you might find an Ash or Yew sapling which is the right size to make a staff but cutting natural staffs and walking sticks is a slightly different subject which I will cover elsewhere. For all the other weapons described you really need Ash. Hickory might be an option in North America but it is pretty heavy and hard to work. You might have to search quite hard to find a stockist who can supply Page 1 of 4
Making your own Martial Arts Training Weapons
what you need. The average timber yard in the UK does not stock hard woods. So ask around and find one which supplies the specialist furniture making trade or similar and they will be able to help you.
When selecting the wood it needs to have straight grain running along the length of the piece and preferably no knots. If you explain to your stockist what you want and why it matters he should be able to help you. If you can build a good relationship with your timber supplier he may even put pieces aside for you which are suitable for your needs.
Last point here, do not train with anything made from softwood. Even if it is good quality joinery grade timber it will not stand up to being practiced with. On impact it will almost certainly splinter and the sharp points resulting will be very dangerous. Having said that the proper hardwood is going to be relatively expensive and harder to work than the softwood so it would be a good idea to test out your skills on scraps of joinery timber to build up your skills, just don't be tempted to do serious training with the results.
2 You need some basic tools. Most households should have the basic tools you need somewhere. If not you can borrow them or if you shop around buy them for a reasonable sum. Once you have a kit for making training weapons and the skill to use them you will be well set up for doing basic woodwork repairs and projects around the house so it will be a good investment. Obviously if you have access to a good range of tools for your work or DIY projects then you will probably have everything you need and more.
Lets divide the tools into categories depending upon what we are going to be using them for:
Measuring and marking out tools ­ Tape measure, set square, rule/straight edge and hard pencil.
Cutting tools – Basically a good saw. If you are buying one for the job then a good quality rip saw with fairly fine teeth is probably your best choice. If you have access to a cut­off saw then that will be useful.
Shaping tools ­ Basically plane and rasp. Planes come in all shapes and sizes. Ideally I would recommend one full sized jack plane and a small block plane. If you are starting from scratch then you will be able to start just with a small block plane. On the other hand if you are well equipped then an electric plane can save a lot of time on the major removal of wood. Get a fine rather than a coarse rasp. Again, if you are just starting out then a piece of coarse abrasive paper wrapped around a piece of dowelling will serve well enough.
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Making your own Martial Arts Training Weapons
Holding tools – Basically a vice and clamps on a reasonably stable workbench. To make a wooden knife you will probably get away with using a workmate type folding workbench. For shaping longer weapons such as staffs and spears I made a vee­block bench which is a piece of two by four which clamps edge on onto a multi position ladder in its bench form. A Vee­groove has been planed into the top edge and a beechwood stop fitted at one end. A long work piece can be laid in the groove and easily and safely planed until it is round. At the least you will need some G­clamps and scraps of wood to make locating stops on a strong table.
Other tools – for making the axe you will need a drill and 8mm bit, any kind of drill will do, electric, cordless or even a hand drill, you will only be making three holes. To cut out the notches in the sword hilt you will need a chisel and an mallet to hit it with. It would also be a good idea to have an oil stone for sharpening the plane blades when necessary. If you are a complete beginner I would recommend taking this article to a friend or relative who does know wood working, ask them to read this section and then show you the tools listed. Then see if you can get them to give you a lesson on how to use them. None of the tools listed are massively dangerous but you can give yourself a nasty cut if you are careless with the sharp ones.
3 Measuring and marking out are essential skills. There is always the temptation to dive in and start hacking away at the wood you have just bought. Don't be. The first lesson is how to mark out your wood using measure, square and rule. Practice this on some scrap wood first and then cutting and shaping to your marks. Details of measurements and marking are clearly explained in the instructions for each weapon and you will only really get the results you are looking for if you follow them.
4 Learn how to read the grain of the wood. I have mentioned this above in the section on choosing your wood. If the grain doesn't run the length of the weapon then it is going to break when used, guaranteed. So check this when selecting a piece to use, obviously the longer the weapon, especially a spear, then the better the run of the grain has to be. Explain to your timber stockist what you are making and why it matters and he should be able to help you select the right piece for the job.
When shaping the wood, especially with a plane you need to be working with the grain or the wood will simply tear leaving grooves which may be too deep to sand out later. You will learn to see this with practice and when the wood is showing signs of tearing in one direction simply plane in the other direction.
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Making your own Martial Arts Training Weapons
5 Learn how to use a saw and plane correctly. The saw and plane are your essential tools when doing this kind of work, get some one to show you how to use them correctly and practice on scrap wood. Also get someone who knows what they are doing to show you how to sharpen and set a plane correctly, it will make all the difference to your finished results.
6 Be prepared to put the time and effort into getting a good finish. If you are working with Oak and you can plane with the grain you may well be able to get a good finish just from the blade and not need abrasives at all. If you have sanded it finish with a very fine paper, 120 grade and don't treat it with anything. As you train with it the oil from your hands will gradually build up a nice patina on the surface.
This principle doesn't seem to work quite the same way with Ash which just gets dirty if the surface isn't sealed in some way. Finish with Aluminium Oxide paper, the green one, starting with 60 grade, then some 80 grade and finish with 120 grade. Then treat with Danish Oil or similar.
7 Safety considerations. As far as the weapons themselves are concerned make sure they are made so that they are not going to break into sharp splinters. These make great stakes for killing vampires, not so good when working with a normal human being. Make sure the surface is well finished as described above to minimise the risk of smaller splinters breaking off. Also, maintain your weapons so if they get slightly damaged in training (they shouldn't break if made correctly) then sand down the damaged area and apply Danish oil before any splinters break off.
Please pay attention to the measurements and marking out in the instructions. Your training weapons need to have blunt ends and edges to be safe so for example, the axe blade edge should be at least 1 cm wide and the point on a sword or spear should have an area of about 1 cm by 1.5 cm, don't be tempted to sharpen them to more of a point than that. Also make sure you sand off all sharp corners, this is important for durability as well as safety.
Finally get properly trained in using your weapons, especially if you are going to work with a partner.
Happy wood working
Graham Butcher
© Ice and Fire Ltd. June 2011 Page 4 of 4