I have to show this off.
This is my first scabbard I have made. I had the good fortune to work at a carpentry shop and the boss still lets me come over and work on projects now and then. He even helped my out a lot and it is thanks to him it turned out so well.

I started by sanding a board to approximate dimensions and cut it in half. then I ran it over a dado saw crosswise so the saw cut an oval channel down the wood. next I chiseled out the rest of the length to accommodate the tip. Then I sanded the inside and glued it back together. Then I ran it through a shaper to give it an oval cross section. Then I planed and sanded the tip of the scabbard and sanded it all over. After that finished up with tungseal and leather accents. When I started I was going to make a simple wood sheath and cover it with leather. But it turned out too nice to cover up.

Is a plain wood sheath accurate for 11-13th century swords?

I have seen wool lining offered for sheaths is it felt type wool or lighter suit type material? Is that for moisture, fit, or to prevent scratching?

Does anyone have a recommendation for a glue to tack down the leather pieces? I want to be able to remove them if they get too scuffed up.

Nathan

[ Linked Image ]

[ Linked Image ]

Your scabbard surely came out nice. I for one, don't mind the exposed wood. I really like nicely finished wood. What kind of wood did you use? As fro teh leather covering, I am not sure. MOst reports were scabbards of that period ( of which few survive) were covered in lether or velum. I am not at all sure why. Perhaps it was easier to seal leather against water with bee's wax or something similar. Very nice scabbard, especially for a first attempt :D What kind of belt attachment are you going to use?

Joel

I like the scabbard. Look at it this way... you still have room to customize it more. You could always go with a full leather wrap, leave a bit of wood exposed, do a carving, add fur... something :)

What sword is that, by the way?

I am planning to make a sort of two point suspension like this: (forgive the acsii I didn't want to try and upload pictures And I enjoy making pictures with Ascii)


(A)................____.................OR.................(B)...............____.........................
.....======+|........|+=======.......................=======+|........| ........................
..........\\\......|........|......///..............................................|........|.........................
...........\\\.....|........|.....///...............................................|........|+=======......
............\\\....|........|....///................................................|........|.........................
..............\\+.|........|.+//..................................................|........|.........................
...................|........|.......................................................|........|.........................


For pictures of what I mean see:
(A)
http://ls.berkeley.edu/dept/medieval/images/w...salter.jpg
(B)
http://www.myArmoury.com/albums/photo/5189.html (Edited for correct URL)
http://www.tritonworks.com/suspensions.jpg

I am not sure whether one would be more or less accurate for the mid 13th century.
I see the (A) type in historic art but many historic reproductions are done with type (B).
Should a period sword belt be made integral to the scabbard or attached with ties/buckles?

The irony is the sword Is a cheap internet deal. I bought the sword and made the scabbard for educational programs at the museum I work at. (they wanted a cheap sword that is fairly accurate looking and weight-wise but didn't need to be at all functional). It needed a scabbard and I got carried away. It is made from exotic rosewood but I am not sure which species.

Nathan