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How to Make a Bokken (Japanese Wooden Sword)

By ttfweb, eHow Member

Custom Bokken

User-Submitted Article

Here I describe the method for making a bokken, which is a Japanese wooden

sword. These swords can be displayed or used for martial arts practice. The

sword shown here is made from two colors of wood (white oak and braziliancherry) to give it a nice looking contrast.

The skill level required using this method is moderate. A more challenging option

would be to do this only using hand-tools.

That being said, take nothing for granted and keep safety as the most important

aspect of the project. Make sure you are comfortable with the use of all the tools

you use.

Overview:

- Basic dimensions

- Making the bokken

- Terminology

- Notes & Cautions

I suggest that you borrow or buy a bokken before you start, so you can get the

feel and see the details of what you are making. It will also help you set up the

curvature of the one you create. Hopefully you are already training with one at

some level, so you have an understanding of the balance it should have.Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions Things You'll Need:

y Table sawy R outer

y Belt sander



y Clampsy Workbench

y 1/2" to 1" Chisely Sandpaper

y Wood gluey

Wood sealer y Hand or power planer

1. 1

Understand the Blade Dimensions:

You will make the bowed shape by gluing twopieces of wood together, clamped in position.Note that the "blade" is the side with theradius.

2. 2



Rip two pieces of hardwood to ¾" x 1-1/2", atleast 42 inches long.

Joint one of the 1-1/2" sides of each for tomake a smooth gluing surface.

The two pieces used here are white oak andBrazilian cherry. Both are very hard woods,which will take strikes well in practice.

3. 3

Use an existing bokken to establish the shapethat you will bend the two pieces of wood over.You want to get a reasonably close match onthe inside curves.

Clamp the center first, then work your way outwards. Clamp directly over all the supportsticks, and then at the ends. Fill in clamps



afterwards. Let the set-up dry for about 4hours.

4. 4

Wipe off what glue you can.Once dry, scrape off the glue that has pushedout.

5. 5

Use a planer or jointer to straighten one side of

the bokken. This one had a 1/8" bow in thecenter.

After one side is fairly straight, rip it down toabout 1-1/4", cutting off the rough side. Turn itaround and rip the other side, down to 1-1/8".

Plane or sand the bokken down to 1" to get thesides smooth. I use a planer instead of sandingwhenever possible (saves work and doesn'tmake a lot of dust)



6. 6

Route the bokken on all four corners with a1/2" round-over bit.

Cross-cut the handle end to clean it up. Markwhere the tsuba will sit (10 inches).

Route the 45 degree chamfers, which becomethe backside of the "blade". Route close towhere the tsuba is marked, but not into it, youneed to complete it with a chisel

7. 7

Chisel in the small shoulders for the Tsuba

Cross-cut the blade end to length (40 inches)

8. 8



Rough-cut the blade tip shape. I used a mitersaw, but a band-saw would be best.

Sand or grind the shape to the basic curve.

Sand or grind the sides of the tip to shape,blending them back. I used a simple drumsander mounted to a drill press, with a smallsupport block to hold the tip. Take your time

with this, since the bokken is almost done, andthis is the easiest part to make a mistake with.Finish up by hand sanding the tip to removeany marks.

9. 9

Sand the entire bokken with 180 grit. If youused sharp planer and router blades, thisshould go fast.

Seal the bokken with three coats of sealer.Sand again with 180 after the first coat, then220 grit after the second. The third coat shouldnot require sanding. If it is still rough at thatpoint, re-sand with 220 and do a fourth.



10. 10

Bokken Terminology:- Kissaki: the tip.- Mune: the back of the blade.- Monouchi: the cutting portion of the edge, the1/3 closest to the kissaki.

- Chu-o: the middle third of the blade.- Tsuba moto: the third of the blade closest thehandle.- Tsuba: the guard, not present on most Aikidobokuto.- Tsuka: the handle.

- Shinogi: the ridge between the mune and theedge.- Shinogi-ji: the flat plane between the muneand the shinogi- Jigane: the flat plane between the shinogi andthe temper line (edge).- Ha: the edge

- Tsuka gashira: butt end of the bokuto.

R ead more: How to Make a Bokken (Japanese Wooden Sword) |

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