DIY Bokken

A bokken is a wooden sword used for training in Japanese martial arts, and is typically made in the shape of a katana blade, popularly known as a samurai sword. Bokkens are made to be lightweight, strong and resilient, to withstand the many blows it will encounter in its life as a training sword. Bokkens are commonly used for practice in Aikido, Aiaido, Kendo and Kenjutsu. Making a DIY bokken is a time consuming, but very rewarding undertaking.

Things You'll Need

  • Lumber
  • Band saw
  • Pencil
  • Measuring tape
  • Bokken (optional)
  • Clamp
  • Rasp
  • Plane
  • Chisel
  • Sandpaper
  • Tung oil
  • Cloth
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Instructions

    • 1

      Choose your lumber carefully; this is one of the most important aspects of a good bokken that will last for years. The most popular woods are white oak, maple and hickory , because of their crush resistance and lightness. Choose a piece of lumber that is free from knots, has a tight grain that goes all the way along the length of the wood and is fully cured.

    • 2

      Inspect the chosen lumber, any curve in the grain should be used for the curve of the blade, this can help determine which end will be your handle, or tsuka and which will be the blade. Otherwise inspect to see which end is the weakest, and that will be the tsuka.

    • 3

      Cut your lumber so that it is around 42 inches long, and two inches wide. Trace the outline of your bokken in a sideways view along the lumber. The tsuka should be ten inches long, and the blade has a slight curve which begins around ¼ way along the blade. The blade tapers very slightly towards the tip, but not to an appreciable point. The tip is angle back at around 40 degrees. One of the best ways to get the right shape is to trace the outline of an existing bokken onto your lumber.

    • 4

      Cut out the sword blank you have traced with the band saw. Insert the tsuka portion into the clamp, and clamp it tightly so that you can shape the blade.

    • 5

      Plane the sides of the blade. The fattest point is about 1/3 of the way down the side, and is around 1 inch wide. The blade tapers to around ¼ inch width at the very top, and around 1/8 inch width on the ‘cutting’ part of the blade, which is left dull. Finish the shape of the blade sides with the rasp to get the exact shape you want. Plane a flat line, around ¼ inch wide along the entire top length of the blade.

    • 6

      Shape the tip of the blade with the rasp. The sides of the tip angle inwards at around 30 degree angle, and the tip looks squarish, save for the inwards angle of the cutting edge of the tip. Dull the edges of the tip with the rasp.

    • 7

      Carefully reposition the clamp so that it is holding the blade, and the handle is free for you to work on. The handle should be oval, with the long ends of the oval in line with the back and cutting edge of the blade. The handle should be around one inch wide on the short sides, and between 1.5 to 2 inches on the long side of the oval. The end of the handle, called the tsuka gashira, is a blunt butt.

    • 8

      Round the edges of the handle well with the rasp, then cut the line between the handle and blade with the chisel, making small indentations all the way around, so that there is a 1/16 inch rim between the handle and the blade.

    • 9

      Sand the whole bokken using 220 grit sandpaper. Sanding is especially important on the handle, as you want this area to be as smooth and resistant-free as possible.

    • 10

      Rub tung oil over the whole bokken with a cloth to finish it--don’t apply varnish--as this will become slippery in practice. Boiled linseed oil can substitute for tung oil to seal the blade.