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Sander Marechal




Location: The Netherlands
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PostPosted: Tue 29 Dec, 2009 2:13 pm    Post subject: Child-safe sword display stands/racks         Reply with quote

I'm planning to buy or build a sword stand/rack to display my swords. I'm thinking something to hang them on the wall. I have a few requirements

It should be reasonably child safe. I don't have any kids but children do visit sometimes. They won't be in the room with the swords unsupervised but the stand/rack should be secure enough that they can't quickly grab one when I'm looking the other way for a moment. Some of the swords are for WMA and are used daily, so I do need to be able to get at them myself without too much hassle.

I also need stands for different kinds of swords. I currently have one longsword and two Dutch antique klewangs (Sabre-like swords. They belonged to my grandfather who was in the Marechaussee). I expect more medieval weapons to follow (more longswords, one-handed swords, axes, etcetera).

I am wondering what kinds of systems you are using? Could you post some pictures? Thanks in advance!


Last edited by Sander Marechal on Wed 30 Dec, 2009 1:22 am; edited 1 time in total
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Chad Arnow
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PostPosted: Tue 29 Dec, 2009 5:50 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The Search function will yield many results as this topic has been discussed many time before. Happy
Happy

ChadA

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Sander Marechal




Location: The Netherlands
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PostPosted: Tue 29 Dec, 2009 6:05 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Okay, but help me out here as a non-native English speaker: What's a sword stand that hangs on a wall called? Because googling for sword stands gives me just loads of things that stand on floors and tables. Knowing which words to search for will probably make this easier for me :-)
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Chad Arnow
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PostPosted: Tue 29 Dec, 2009 6:13 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Sander Marechal wrote:
Okay, but help me out here as a non-native English speaker: What's a sword stand that hangs on a wall called? Because googling for sword stands gives me just loads of things that stand on floors and tables. Knowing which words to search for will probably make this easier for me :-)


Use the forum search function to find info here, not Google's. Happy Click where it says "Search" next to "Watched Topics."

Search for terms like "sword display" or "sword stand" since that's what you're looking for. Happy

Happy

ChadA

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Sander Marechal




Location: The Netherlands
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PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2009 1:29 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks. I have read a lot of old threads but I can't find what I am looking for. I found a lot of nice display stands and ideas, but nothing on locking or clamping systems to prevent grubby little children hands from pulling out swords.

I found a long thread on secure sword displays but that was about keeping burglars out, not kids. The only suggestion I found was some sort of locked cabinet with glass or plexiglass in front of it.

All my swords are blunted (even the antiques) so I don't have any trouble with kids running their fingers along the edge or tips stabbing people. All I need is something to make it not so easy for a kid to take a sword out of the stand while I can still take them out without too much hassle (some swords are used daily for training).

Any suggestions for that? I'd love to see pics of any locks/clamps you use for this.
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Scott Hrouda




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PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2009 6:23 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Sander Marechal wrote:
All I need is something to make it not so easy for a kid to take a sword out of the stand while I can still take them out without too much hassle (some swords are used daily for training). Any suggestions for that? I'd love to see pics of any locks/clamps you use for this.


Have you thought of a locking cabinet like a china hutch? We were fortunate to inherit one after having already purchased one of our own. I cleaned up the old hutch, replaced the malfunctioning lock, and instantly had a nice display that my children (2 and 4 years old) can't get into. Helmets display very nicely on top of the hutch. Look for a good bargain at flee markets or used furniture stores for a china hutch that you can clean up a little.

...and that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana shaped. - Sir Bedevere
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Sander Marechal




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PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2009 7:00 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I thought about that, but I don't really have the space for more cabinets. My girlfriend and I have a very extensive library that takes up a ton of space. Technically it would fit, but our living room would become quite crowded and full. So, I'm more interested in smaller wall-mounted or free standing racks with some kind of clamping mechanism.

If I ever have kids of my own I will probably make some room and get a cabinet I can lock. But this is just to keep other people's kids off my swords :-)
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Rod S.





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PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2009 10:51 am    Post subject: Sword Rack         Reply with quote

One design I came up with (but have yet to build) is for a wall-mounted hanging rack that captures the sword by its qullions.

There are several ways to design this, but so far the simplest one I can think of is to make two L-brackets of wood, and mount them to a backing board so that they straddle the blade root and cradle the quillons. Make the longer, up-pointing segment of each hook long enough that you can drill through its top towards the backing board with, say, a 5/16" bit. Drill a 1/4" hole, concentric with the L-bracket hole, partially into or through the backing board. You can now hang your sword and put a short 1//4" dowel pin into the top of each bracket to trap the sword into the hanger. This pattern can be repeated across a wider backing board to accommodate two or more swords.

You can alternately mount the two pins into a bar of wood so you insert and remove both pins with one action. If a friction hold is insufficient, thread the backing board pin holes and the pin ends, and give the pins thumb-screw heads. In any case, remember to leash the pins or pin bar to the backing board with cord, so you never have to curse their loss. Happy

My pointy and sharp swords will require a long backing board that extends past the blade tip, so that a shallow open-faced box can be built to guard the edges and tip (which I'll probably enclose.) One might argue that, with this much handwork, one should simply build a hanging cabinet: But this design uses fewer materials than a full-on cabinet, and presents the weapon less as a museum artifact and more in its spirit of being a tool to be kept ready-to-hand.

Rod
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Paul Hansen




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PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2009 11:52 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

There is one easy solution: hang it relatively high on the wall. Happy

If the lowest one is at your eye height, then smaller / younger childeren can't reach it.

I think that oIder / taller children should be able to understand that swords are potentially dangerous and shouldn't be swung around etc. Or at least, I hope so...

I keep my swords on a horizontal "rack" that I made myself. It's quite high up the wall and I have never had any problems.
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Timo Nieminen




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PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2009 12:04 pm    Post subject: Re: Child-safe sword display stands/racks         Reply with quote

Sander Marechal wrote:

It should be reasonably child safe. I don't have any kids but children do visit sometimes. They won't be in the room with the swords unsupervised but the stand/rack should be secure enough that they can't quickly grab one when I'm looking the other way for a moment.


Height might work as an alternative to clamps/locks/doors. A horizontal wall rack mounted high on a wall would provide you with easy access, and stop quick grabbing. Won't stop pre-planned unsupervised grabbing.

If you want to use the full height of a wall, you could install a tall horizontal rack, and clamp the lowest 2 metres of it. Quick access to your daily-use swords which you keep at the top, secure storage of the others.

Unused space above windows? You might fit 1-3 swords in that space!

If blessed with 3 metres ceilings in your house, you'll never run out of room!
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Thom R.




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PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2009 12:34 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I apologize for always being the downer on these child safety threads. but I have kids, as well as a whole lot of nieces and nephews and neighbor kids etc. and kids are not the only issue - don't underestimate the stupidity of adults - I had an incident involving one of my swords and a kid-sitter's boyfriend!! Evil bottom line - a sharp is a weapon that is always "loaded" . there is no such thing as safe wall display or "out of reach". if you want absolute safety, then you have to lock up your sharps in a gun safe or a locking cabinet. a locking glass cabinet provides both safety and display but not protection against thievery. gun safe provides safety and protection against theft but not a means of display. you are free to do what you want of course - my point is no matter how creative you get with a wall display, if it is not a cabinet of some sort it will never be totally "safe". tr
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Sander Marechal




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PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2009 12:55 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thom R. wrote:
I apologize for always being the downer on these child safety threads. [...] bottom line - a sharp is a weapon that is always "loaded" . there is no such thing as safe wall display or "out of reach".


Agreed, no need to apologize. But this is a problem I don't have. As I explained above, all my swords are blunts, even the two antiques. If I ever buy a sharp sword I won't be hanging it on the wall in the same manner as I intend with my current swords :-)

Quote:
If you want to use the full height of a wall, you could install a tall horizontal rack, and clamp the lowest 2 metres of it. Quick access to your daily-use swords which you keep at the top, secure storage of the others.


Good idea. I hadn't considered just clamping the swords I don't use daily. Any suggestions or pictures on how such clamps could work or look like? I found one clamping solution in another thread in this forum but that was for vertical display and it obscured the crossguards of the swords. The only other clamps I have seen are the polearm clamps at the back of that small table-like display.
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Timo Nieminen




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PostPosted: Wed 30 Dec, 2009 3:50 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

[quote="Sander Marechal"]
Thom R. wrote:

Quote:
If you want to use the full height of a wall, you could install a tall horizontal rack, and clamp the lowest 2 metres of it. Quick access to your daily-use swords which you keep at the top, secure storage of the others.


Good idea. I hadn't considered just clamping the swords I don't use daily. Any suggestions or pictures on how such clamps could work or look like? I found one clamping solution in another thread in this forum but that was for vertical display and it obscured the crossguards of the swords. The only other clamps I have seen are the polearm clamps at the back of that small table-like display.


With a horizontal wall rack of the style sold for Japanese swords, where the vertical pieces are planks with cutouts for the swords, all you'd need would be to put something in front. Hinge at the bottom, some kind of latch at the top. If the top latch is high enough, you don't need a lock there. The piece in front could be clear plastic. If there is a wall on the hilt side stopping the sword from being pulled out sideways, it would be secure enough to stop quick removal.

So far, I've managed with the education/distraction approach. Keep a good supply of foam or inflatable swords for kids to hit each other with, unsharpened sword to own, and supervised handling of sharps.



 Attachment: 1.31 KB
clamp.png
Simple sword rack clamp
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Sander Marechal




Location: The Netherlands
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PostPosted: Thu 31 Dec, 2009 12:27 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Thanks. That's a good design. I think I can mount such a rack where it would be impossible to pull the swords out sideways. Some of my walls have sort-of "pillars" at the corners, where the pillar sticks out 15cm from the wall. If I mount it near there it would not be possible to pull he swords out, provided I don't make the rack deeper than 15cm.
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Nathan Gilleland





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PostPosted: Thu 31 Dec, 2009 8:24 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

A novel idea that I came up with was to use the empty shell of a grandfather or grandmother clock. I found one such empty grandmother clock and am in the process of making the hanging contraption in the inside. Where the pendulum was is where the sword will hang. The front locks, therefore, it's safe enough for younger kids, yet it provides a very attractive display for at least one sword (in my case, an Albion Yeoman).
Seek Honor before Wealth,
Truth before Honor,
God Before all
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Harry J. Fletcher




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PostPosted: Thu 31 Dec, 2009 3:22 pm    Post subject: Simple Safe Ready Made Solution         Reply with quote

While I would not recommend this for firearms it is a good solution to your problem. A locking gun cabinet with glass display doors and sides would stop any kind of tampering yet still leave the swords on display while giving the owner easy access. Any kid attempting to get at the swords would have to break the glass or pry open the locked doors. Really, there is little difference between this and a locked china cabinet.

Here in the U.S. These cabinets are readily available but not sure about the Netherlands. Most firearms owners do not use these cabinets to display their firearms anymore but keep them locked securely in a gunsafe nowadays.

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Andreas Auer




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PostPosted: Wed 20 Jan, 2010 2:51 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I went to a certain "swedish" furniture supliere and bought a cabinet with a glass door, rotated it 90 degrees and mounted it on the wall. But some light in it, and finito...:-)


sorry for that bad picture

Andreas

The secret is,
to keep that pointy end thingy away from you...
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John Whitmer




Location: San Jose, CA
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PostPosted: Wed 20 Jan, 2010 11:04 am    Post subject: I use this:         Reply with quote

http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/GSP38WB.html

It is meant for guitars. I have one for my guitar and one for my steel waster.
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Sander Marechal




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PostPosted: Wed 20 Jan, 2010 12:07 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Great idea Andreas, and it looks good even on that photo.

@John: An interesting idea.
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