It was a collaborative effort between myself and the three Aikido kids, that started with a not-quite-straight branch that had been pruned off a feral cherry tree on our property a couple of years ago. With various knives we carved away most of the excess wood, fighting with the tiny knots to create a flattish "blade" and a smoothly rounded hilt free of bark. Then we sanded and stained it.Shown is the detail where the blade joins the hilt. The sword is strong and pretty light, and about a metre long, just right for practising shomen cuts at home.
The best part is that the kids helped with a grand tidying and vacuuming afterwards, and our living room carpet is now once again a wood-shaving and sandpaper-dust free zone.
Nice sword! I guess you got the new vacuum just in time! The worst inside mess we've ever had in the house was when my kids built a "hay animal" in the kitchen, using downed branches for the armature, and trying everything together with twine. It was supposed to be a deer, but turned out more like an earless llama. It "grazed" in different places in the yard all winter.
ReplyDeleteDeborah
Beautiful job!
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