How to Make a Wooden Bokken

Bokkens are wooden training swords that are shaped like the Japanese katana blades, or samurai swords. They are thought of as an extension of the wielder, and are used in many Japanese martial arts, such as aikido, kendo and iaido. Making your own is a very special undertaking; it takes time and a lot of care, but you will be rewarded with a quality training blade that can last you many years.

Things You'll Need

  • Bokken
  • Lumber
  • Pencil
  • Band saw
  • Ruler
  • Clamp
  • Plane
  • Wood file
  • Chisel
  • Sandpaper
  • Tung oil/boiled linseed oil
  • Cloth
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Choose a piece of lumber with a close grain that runs its entire length and that is knot-free and fully cured. Wood that is lightweight and durable includes hickory, maple and white oak. Inspect your wood to determine which end is the weaker---this will be the handle. If there is a slight curve in the grain, the blade should follow that curve.

    • 2

      Rip the lumber down to around 42 by 2 inches with the saw. Place the example bokken on the lumber and trace its form. If you don't have a bokken to trace, the handle should be 10 inches long and the blade should curve slightly upward, beginning around a quarter of the way up the blade. The blade tapers very slightly toward the end, and the tip of the blade is angled back at around 35 to 40 degrees to form a squared end. Cut out the shape you have traced and place the handle end firmly into the clamp.

    • 3

      Plane along the top of the back of the blade so that it is flat and around 1/4-inch wide. Plane down the sides so that it graduates from 1/4 inch to around 1 inch thick a third of the way down the sides, then tapers to 1/8-inch thickness on the cutting edge of the underside of the blade. File the sides so they are smooth and the gradient is even on both sides.

    • 4

      File the tip of the blade. At about 1 inch from the very tip, the blade should incline in at around 30 degrees. The end should be dull, like the cutting edge of the blade, around 1/8-inch thick. Reposition the bokken in the clamp so that the handle is free to work on.

    • 5

      File the handle into an oval shape. The long side of the oval should be around 2 inches long and aligned with the back and the cutting edge of the blade. The short side of the oval should be around 1 to 1.5 inches. The butt of the handle is a blunt cut. Chisel a line around the top of the handle to differentiate it from the blade, around 1/8 inch deep.

    • 6

      Sand the bokken with fine sandpaper, around 220 grit. Pay particular attention to the handle, since this is where your hands will be spending a lot of time; you want it to be smooth. Rub down the blade with tung oil or boiled linseed oil---don't use fresh linseed oil, which will just sit on top of the wood. Don't varnish the bokken, which creates a slippery, nonabsorbent surface that hands have trouble keeping hold of.