Contour that follows the blade in the saya cavity

K

kaizo

Joined
Oct 17, 2014
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798
Hi everyone I'm starting to think about making a very small tanto for fun but is it absolutely necessary for one to follow the contour of the blade to make the saya? I normally make leather sheaths so working with wood is a bit alien to me. If its not I'm thinking of using a channelling bit and a dremel locked at the max thickness of the blade to carve out the shape of the blade. The blade type will be hira so there will not be a flat portion near the mune.

Thanks for your help everyone :)
 
You should try and have the blade cross section match the channel. If not, it will rattle in the saya.
That said, it does not need to be a perfect fit. I prefer having the ha sit free of the wood, and the shinogi ride in a slight groove. I do this by roughly making the channel angled like the blade, then adding a shallow "V" groove down the shinogi line, and relieving along the ha. This keeps the sharp edge from rubbing the wood. In a hira blade, this won't work, so just make the channel roughly the same as the blade. Another method that works on a hira blades is to have the koiguchi a good fit and the last inch of the channel a good fit at the kissaki. The rest can be just clear of the blade so nothing rubs. I have inlaid leather pads at the kissaki in the saya to make this work. I sometimes do the same at the koiguchi.
 
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