Anyone made a waster?

[mrcharly]

I don't mean a feckless teenager.

'Waster' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waster

Fancy having a go at some 'historical fencing' (I've done the foil/epee thing briefly). Looks like having a waster at home is useful, even it if isn't a 'user' for practice.

Picking a suitable wood might be difficult. I guess seasoned ash or sycamore.

 

[Hog On Ice]

from the wiki article hickory appears to be the wood of choice

 

[boatman]

You could always use rebated, blunted, steel weapons of course. Wooden wasters are not really safer and there is the temptation to hit unarmoured bits of your sparring partner hard because "its only wood", an error some LARP people make. Oak is a good material to use for a waster.

 

[plastic-ninja]

Ash would probably be a good choice.
Bokken (the samurai version of wasters) are traditionally made of red or white oak
but shinai , the combat weapon of kendo are split bamboo and are capable of taking an enormous amount of punishment.
There are some decent-looking wooden wasters on EBay too but not sure what they are made of.
Cheers , Simon

 

[Hammock Hamster]

I used to be a member of a historical fencing group and, at least at the time, all the ones you could purchase that we're considered good were made of purpleheart.

I did try modifying a bokken, which were much cheaper, but removing the curve left it far too short.
I have also used the "safe" blunted metal weapons and both will do considerable damage if you score a direct hit on an unarmoured opponent - bruises and welts at the very least.

The only problem with this type of historical fencing is that you can't really practice it at less than full power and speed (unlike other types of combat) as many of the movements require you making contact with your opponents blade in the form of a block or parry and then using the force of the blow to initiate a counter.

Anyway I've gone slowly off topic but hope that helps.

Hamster

 

[JohnC]

We made a couple of swords from cut down staves from an old whisky barrel

 

[mrcharly]

That does help, Hamster. This would really only be for 'at home' and slow practice.
Interestingly, the British association has banned Hanwei swords; too many dangerous breakages.

 

[Bardster]

The cold steel versions are very good, a nice weight like steel weapons, and being polyprop are virtually unbreakable so no problems with splinters. http://www.coldsteel-uk.com/store/Training-Swords.html
I have a couple of medieval ones i used to use for re-enactment training