katana blade size??

T

Terry_Dodson

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Jul 10, 2002
Messages
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I was thinking about making a katana type blade 36" long by 3/16" thick by 3/4" wide either in 1084 carbon steel or 01 steel and clay coated and water quenched. Would this still be considered a katana type? Are there any pro's or con's to this size blade?
 
If you are making it for yourself do what you want to do. The only thing that poped into my mind was if those dimensions would be strong enough for a sliceing/chopping type sword. This is not to say that it will be a problem, cause I don't know, but something to possibly look into.

WS
 
I am making it for myself. I have made a couple in 1" and in 1.25" wide by 1/4" thisk, but they just seem to be a bit heavier than i would like, that is why i was thinking about the 3/4" wide by 3/16" thick. Do you think a blade made of 1084 or 01 would not be strong enough to do cutting? My thinking is that a smaller and thinner blade would have less resistance as it cut. Of course i could be wrong :eek:
 
A smaller, and thinner blade will be more effective at cutting, but at the risk of being more easily damaged. Think of a kitchen knife made for fine work...can you cut frozen chicken or bones with it?
What if you get some 'twist' on the blade before impact? It will be much more likely to bend and torque in all kinda crazy ways.

You might want to try fullering the blade in some way. If you forge this is the way to go. I dont know how to do it, but I am sure someone around here does.

I have handeled 'real' Katanas, and they are heavy enough so that you really dont have to use lots of force to cut with them. However, when you do use them with speed and skill you can rival the worlds best food processors.

My suggestion is use the thicker heavier sword, or go buy a subrito, and train up to them. BTW, its great upper body work out!

Also if you do go short thin and skinny go FULL CONVEX, it is more complicated of a grind, but you get the steel in the places it matters most.
 
I'm sorry for chiming in so late...I believe you've already had this question answered by Howard Clark on SFI, and I would like to second his recommendation.

Japanese swords were quite stout and stiff compared to many swords of other cultures. I think that perhaps what you could use some practice with is utilization of distal taper and profile taper to improve balance. Weight itself is rarely a very detrimental factor unless in excess, but the position of that weight can make a sword fast and powerful, fast and weak, or downright sluggish. Weight is one reason why the question of Ti swords keeps coming up. Truth is, the katana is not just a shallow slashing weapon, and some degree of substance is beneficial to the sword's effectiveness (but it should still feel fast and lively in the hands!) If you need to make grooves (bo-bi), traditionally they were carved/chiseled in. That's a *lot* of work compared to forging a good distal/profile taper. I don't know if you are doing this but also make sure the shinogi/ridgeline is the thickest part of the cross section, the shinogi-ji or "flats" should not be parallel. Also do not judge a sword's handling abilities until you know how it feels mounted.

I will also agree with avoiding water quenches with O1. The downside is that if you use O1 with an oil quench, there is a good chance you will not get any curve to the blade.

Find a high quality Japanese-style sword, or even a decent quality one and handle it. If it feels *way* too heavy for you, perhaps you should consider a different form of swordsmanship to practice.

However, if you want to make a thinner, narrower one you can try. It will cut different than one of more appropriate dimensions, and if you want the handle to fit your hands well, you will probably find that it will look grossly disproportionate.

Of course, the best way for me to make a recommendation is for you to pack up a sword of yours and send it to me to examine and maybe cut with ;) hehehe...
 
Well said.

You may look and find, that the Japanese actually had a favour for somewhat robust swords. Keep in mind The Japanese sword styles tended to be quick attacks followed by pauses, the attacks ussually being attempts to cut(cutting results in something no longer being attatched, severing).
Because of this light fast swords, werent favored over robust ones that could be just as fast in cutting motions and generate better inertia and cutting power.

Joe Renner
 
a blade that thin and narrow might use a little lateral taper. also, 3/4 seems too small for a full-height grind. maybe a half-saber grind. i'm curious as to the result. i'm also trying to visualize a single-edged blade that's at least 24" long, light enough to be wielded one-armed, and sharp enough for kali work.
 
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