Custom Wood Katana (Bokken) with WIP

[mwschilling]

My son is currently testing for his black belt in Kuk Sool Won and practicing weapons forms. He wanted a new wood katana (aka bokken) so we made one together. It is hand "forged" san mai construction with high carbon 1095/Maple edge and mild 15n20/Mahogany spine. Embellished with engraved Korean name "Grant" on one side and "Kuk Sool" on reverse. Hand polished to 320,000 grit on all 8 facets.

stack - 2 layers Mahogany and 1 layer Maple

Forge welding the initial billet

Rough forging the blade blank

Smooth blank

Forging the basic blade shape - I did cheat a bit with power hammer (aka router)

Forged wood katana almost complete

It has 8 facets - 3 each side and 1 edge and spine

Sharpening the blade by hand - as Asian tradition dictates

Finish and engraving - The grain and contrast of the two different types of "steel" really pops after first dip in acid.

 

[JParanee]

Very nice

Congrats on your sons accomplishments

 

[vilePossum]

Really cool, thanks for sharing!

 

[bbingenheimer]

Mark, awesome WIP. Love the steel / wood analogy comparison story to go with. As most should know you do fantastic wood work. I bet your son enjoyed working with dad on this very important project.

Thanks for sharing

Bing

 

[Dawkind]

That’s great! Congratulations to your son and thanks for the WIP.

 

[Matthew Gregory]

This is fantastic. Kudos to your son, and to a great father/son project!

 

[Ben Seward]

That's so cool! Congrats to your son
Btw, how does it cut

 

[Lhpanther]

That’s awesome Mark! What a cool memory your son will have

 

[mwschilling]

Btw, how does it cut

I tested it on Unicorn horn and it held its edge. That night my son slayed a dragon with one slice. Finally, he simply showed it to his friend and the kid started bleeding. So, I'd say "that sword will cut".