Choosing

the Correct Timber for

Martial Arts Weapons
This document is a compilation of research and recommendations regarding selecting the correct
timber for your weapon. Some of the research findings are appended to the end of this document
for your reference and curiosity, and in case it ever disappears from the Internet. If you have more
information to add to this document, please email that information to this document’s compiler,
Todd at toddzy@gmail.com.

The historic warriors that we portray didn’t use any timber that we use today. They would have used
some sort of Ash, Oak and Lime Wood, or whatever else was accessible throughout Scandinavia back
then. As weekend practitioners who live in the future, and in Australia, we need to use timber that
has a good balance between impact resistance (durability), weight, accessibility and cost while
considering the intended application.

Spear shafts don’t take direct impacts as much as axe shafts do, so Tasmanian Oak (Victorian Ash)
would be okay. But White Ash and Impact Grade Hickory would be the ideal choices because they
won’t break as easily, apparently due to their grain and other structural features.

Axe shafts receive great direct impacts from axe blades and sword blades, so White Ash and Impact
Grade Hickory is strongly recommended.

My current conclusion is that White Ash seems to be a good balance between impact resistance,
durability and weight. This is based on a few timber experts, the sources at the end of this
document, and the fact White Ash is often used to make baseball bats. Comparatively, Impact Grade
Hickory will have a little extra impact resistance, durability and weight.

Timber Suppliers

Watt’s Wood & Mouldings

Website: http://www.wattswood.com.au/
Timber List: http://www.wattswood.com.au/woodslist.asp
Rep: Mike
Ph: (07) 3274 4299
Address: 81 Pentex Street, Salisbury, QLD 4107
Open Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 5pm, except Friday closing time is 4:30pm.

Paradise Timbers

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Bunnings

Mitre 10

Application

Axe Shaft

From Watt’s Wood & Mouldings, the minimum order length is 3.6m, which equals 2x 6 foot shafts,
35mm x 50mm. Order whatever dimensions you want but the prices here are based on these
dimension as at June 2012.

You have two options when ordering, “sawn” and “dressed”. Sawn is simply cut to your dimensions,
not worked in any way, splintery, and requires at least 1 days’ notice. Dressed takes it an extra step
which results in a smooth finish, no splinters, and requires at least 2 days’ notice.

White Ash (American Ash)

Sawn works out to be $21 per shaft.

Dressed works out to be $62 per shaft.

Impact Grade Hickory (slightly heavier & more impact resistant):

Sawn works out to be $32 per shaft.

Dressed works out to be $73 per shaft.

Spear Shaft

30mm or 32mm diameter dowel (cylindrical rod), 9 foot (2.7m). Once you attach the spear head, the
total length of your spear must not exceed 9 foot.

Pricing and suppliers???

Tasmanian Oak (Victorian Ash) from Bunnings will range from $20 to $60 depending on which
Bunnings you go to. Make sure you measure the diameter yourself and not go by the labels which
are usually inaccurate.

White Ash and Impact Grade Hickory from Watt’s Wood & Mouldings is recommended over Tasy
Oak/Vic Ash

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Sources

http://www.aikiweb.com/weapons/goedkoop1.html (starts here)

The following is the first chapter of a book in process, titled "Bokken, Jo, and Related Wooden
Weapons." Other chapters cover the design of various weapons used in Aikido training including
observations on wooden swords and their schools of origin.

Introduction

The qualities that define the character of Bokken, Jo and other traditional Japanese wooden
weapons, rest entirely on the integrity of the material itself. There are hundreds of wood choices
overall and many regional varieties worthy of consideration but as we shall see in this section there
are actually very few that are well suited for all situations that martial artists encounter in their
weapons training.

The Japanese have always used their native evergreen white oak (Shiro Kashi) for most training
weapons used in paired practice where there is likelihood of impact with a partner's wooden
weapons or armour. Kashi isn't generally considered a "fine" wood but its tough, reliable, relatively
dense character is well suited for impact tool handles and martial art equipment. Many other
materials and wood species are available in Japan. Unique weapons of unusual construction and
materials, including several superb tropical varieties, are produced but only intended for settings
appropriate to their scarcity, cost and appearance. Centuries of practical wisdom support this
distinction between the utilitarian and the formal as it relates to martial art weapons.

The extension of the Japanese martial arts to other parts of the world, where no native tradition
exists in the manufacture of related practice equipment, fosters attempts to produce traditional
wooden swords and the like without the benefit of any accumulated local wisdom or reliable
material from local sources. Because of this, there has been a tendency of non-Japanese to overlook
a distinction which is taken for granted in Japan - the role of materials suitable for routine practice
and that of materials which are appropriate for presentation and ritual. Instead, many foreign
practitioners view all equipment on a purely "qualitative level" and perceive the value of one's
practice as being influenced by the degree of beauty and precision of the weapon - a notion
generally discouraged by both Japanese and non-Japanese masters and one, I think, that remains an
obstacle in the development of weapons training. The following section is intended to guide the
reader to an understanding of various materials and their appropriate use.

For both the utilitarian and refined, the wood is the weapon. Its strength, density, stability, colour
and texture are the potential for quality. Although a mediocre weapon may come from an
exceptional piece of wood, it will always have within it the possibilities dictated by the quality of the
material. No amount of artistry will make a good practice weapon out of a mediocre piece of wood.

As it turns out, there are very few kinds of wood that are suitable for wooden weapons, especially
ones longer than two feet or so where density and shock strength are important. Most hardwoods,
especially the dozens of commercial species including native oak, maple, cherry, walnut etc. have
mechanical drawbacks and most modern synthetic materials are not aesthetically or historically
appropriate to the traditional martial arts. It is little surprise that the materials chosen in this

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situation are not often seen in common woodworking where so many other readily available options
exist.

The descriptions and information here include factual data concerning wood selections based on the
production of thousands of wooden weapons for Japanese martial arts, published information and
actual tests of hundreds of wood samples subjected to the stresses expected in paired practice.

It is necessary to categorize information and the following study, like all others, combines individuals
of a species as if they were one but actually reflects an average of many unique members. In the
case of natural wood there are significant differences within a species and the reader should
consider the diversity: For example, American Black Walnut in general doesn't have suitable shock
strength or dent resistance for this application and we would be tempted to unequivocally extend
this judgement to all Black Walnut. Under some (rare) conditions however, an individual tree may
produce lumber that will produce a serviceable and perhaps an excellent practice weapon. Several
of the true hickories from a specific region (which will be discussed later) yield excellent quality
lumber in general but an individual piece may be weaker than unusually good piece of material from
an "inferior" species.

Impact Strength

Whereas the quality of wood can be described from many perspectives, one of the primary concerns
here is its safety and strength during contact which typically occurs with sudden impact. The
following chart, Impact Strength of Materials, shows the strength of various materials when
subjected to impact shock (with other wood) expected during paired practice. The test uses a simple
spring loaded ram* to test samples of identical size. The sole purpose of the test is to determine if a
particular material has potential as a martial art weapon but some wood species are included to
provide comparative data even if they would not qualify for other reasons.

(For those interested in the physics of the test: The strength of natural woods (used as structural
members) is well documented in published data where samples are subjecting to slowly applied
loads. This test however is specifically designed to test shock strength as it relates to martial art
practice. A hardwood ram, attached to a fiberglass spring, impacts equal sized test samples on the
tangential surface. The spring's deformation is proportional to the magnitude of the applied force.
The impact energy is calculated according to the relationship E=1/2ky2. Impact energy can be
represented as the square of the calibrated distance that the spring is deformed. Samples are
subjected to gradually increasing impacts until failure. The numerical values on the chart represent
the impact energy that broke the sample. Most values are the average of five or more samples of
the same species. )

White pine is included for reference. American White and Red Oak, both ring porous hardwoods,
might have sufficient strength but their open grain presents exposure to damage in those areas.

In many cases, very hard and heavy hardwoods such as African Ebony prove to be relatively brittle.
Other exotic species such as Greenheart, Blackheart, Blackwood, Leadwood, etc, all tend to have
excellent resistance to denting but low shock strength. These materials would show little damage at
lower impacts but might break unexpectedly with a higher impact. Lignum Vitae, a wood with
extraordinary properties, invariably develops checking (either superficial or more severe cracking)

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due to atmospheric humidity swings and its use a martial art weapon would not prove to be a wise
use of resources.

Density

Along with impact strength, wood density is a key consideration in weapon quality. It is usually
measured as a ratio called specific gravity. When wood floats in water, its specific gravity is less than
1 but there are a few varieties, mostly of tropical origin, that have specific gravities greater than 1
and will sink. High density does not necessarily translate into high impact strength. There are several
dense woods that have a much lower impact strength than other less dense ones as shown below.

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Please review the information in the above chart "Impact Strength of Materials" and included
footnotes which describe the impact test and clarify the data in the following table.

Although high density doesn't necessarily translate into high impact strength, it has a major
influence on performance and manoeuvrability. It is almost always desirable for Baton (police stick) ,
Yawara (¡short stick ~12"), Kobuton (hand weapon ~5"), Tanto (wooden knife) and other short sticks
under 24 inches. The additional inertia is a major benefit in many defensive situations and when the
weapon is used for pressure point techniques, dense and harder wood is much more efficient. For
these applications, wood with specific gravity over 1 is often best.

Bokken (wooden sword) and other longer weapons used in paired practice should be chosen from a
material with high impact strength. In some cases, a wooden sword is intended to approach the
actual weight of a real sword and higher density materials (specific gravity greater than 1) are
required but these weapons should not be used for routine practice. Suitable higher density
materials are almost always costly. Most wood with high specific gravity is tropical in origin (the
laminated composite shown in the charts comes from reasonably well managed domestic sources
but is expensive nonetheless). The most important consideration of all is the possibility of an impact
which exceeds the material's shock strength; a situation that becomes more likely with a weapon
over 24" in length and relatively slender in diameter like Bokken and Jo. High density materials are
harder, with the appearance of being practically indestructible and sometimes won't show damage
prior to failure. An unexpected, complete break may create a dangerous situation. The same
precautions are advised for very long weapons including Bo (long staff ~ 72") , Naginata (Japanese
halberd like weapon ~ 96"), Yari (spear up to 120"), Juken (rifle/bayonet ~ 72") etc. if used in contact
with other practice weapons.

Materials

Different materials are appropriate for different weapons and different situations. The following
wood selections are described and recommended according to their individual properties:

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Shiro Kashi (Japanese White Oak)

Martial artists familiar with Japanese wooden weapons frequently refer to this wood simply as
"White Oak". It has a tight but coarse grain structure and like North American White Oak, it has
prominent rays which give it a distinctive figured appearance. It's either bone white or light tan in
colour and darkens over time. Shiro Kashi differs in several respects from North American White
Oak. While related, the Japanese White Oak tree is evergreen and owing to its continuous growing
season, does not have a conspicuous open grain like American White and Red Oak. Open grain
structure, typical of the so called "ring porous" hardwoods presents soft areas which are more prone
to impact damage. Kashi is uniformly hard, has excellent dent resistance and has better impact
strength than American Oaks. There are two drawbacks relevant to its use in wooden weapons: It is
not stable; weapons of Shiro Kashi will frequently warp due to changes in atmospheric humidity.
Also, like other Oaks, it seems to lose strength as it ages. In tests conducted on older samples from
wood that had been very strong, the aged material had lost its integrity substantially. The older
wood will appear dry and develop cracks usually beginning with a grain separation in areas of
repeated impact - a sure sign that the weapon is weakening. Clearly, Shiro Kashi should be
considered a good quality utility wood, excellent for several years practice but probably having a
limited life span.

White Ash

The most well-known and useful of the Ash family is White Ash. The wood is strong in comparison to
its weight and is often used for baseball bats, tool handles, oars and paddles. Ash is noted for its
stability. It is less subject to twist, warp and dimensional change than most North American
hardwoods.

Ash is a ring porous hardwood with strongly contrasting spring and summer wood. This
characteristic results in alternate, relatively hard sections with softer areas of open grain. Because of
this, Ash is more prone to objectionable denting when impacted on its softer areas and is not ideally
suited for weapons taking direct impact. Because of its otherwise excellent mechanical properties
however, and its tendency to get smoother and improve with continuous handling, it is one of the
very best materials for long shaft sections on Yari and Naginata.

Birch

Birch is moderately heavy and hard with good strength. Its appearance is very similar to Maple with
an even, fine texture and tight grain structure. White Birch refers to the white sapwood of the
species and Red Birch refers to the heartwood of the same tree. Birch grows throughout the
hardwood forests of temperate latitudes and is an important commercial hardwood. Its high shock
strength and availability in thick, long pieces, making it a good contender for wooden Bo staff.
Naginata, Yari and Juken. In its natural state, its drawback is its tendency to show impact dents
where contact is heavy.

Birch is well suited to the production of veneers, In the 1950s, the US Forest Products laboratory
developed a process of drawing resin and dyes through veneer stock and laminating the wood layers
under extremely high pressure to produce an enhanced composite product. This material is

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generically known as Compreg (compressed, impregnated wood). The variation referred to in this
publication is the "Laminated Rosewood Composite" of Kingfisher WoodWorks.

Impact Grade Hickory

There are at least 16 species of Hickory native to Asia, Central America and North America. Mixed
hickories, appropriate for furniture and cabinet work, are obtainable in lumberyards throughout the
United States. Varieties from New England, the Midwest, Great Lakes and Southwest, including the
closely related Pecan Wood, produce lumber comparable in quality to many other North American
hardwoods as shown in the preceding impact and density charts. For lack of a better description, the
designation "Impact Grade" Hickory refers to a source of regional varieties selected according to
subspecies from a small area in the Central Appalachians where trees are selected that yield wood
with properties suitable for martial art equipment. Not only is the material unique mechanically, it is
also handled much differently than cabinet grade lumber. Common grades of commercial hickory
are grouped together. Commercially distributed hardwood is usually kiln dried and hickory, which is
difficult to dry, is sawn into standard 3/4" planks which allow accelerated dry kiln schedules. These
thinner planks include (mechanically) inferior species of Northern and Western hickories with the
added risk of structural damage caused by faster drying schedules. This special stock however, is cut
into thicker slabs of the most premium material from a specific geographical area and slowly air
dried. This resulting "Impact Grade Hickory" is either bone white or light reddish in colour. It has a
flat, graceful grain structure and a smooth texture with good density. Its shock strength exceeds all
native and exotic species including the commonly used Japanese White Oak (Shiro Kashi). While
Oaks appear to become brittle with age, Weapon Grade Hickory retains its toughness. Although
heavy contact with very hard materials will cause some denting, normal practice with similar
weapons will just create an unobjectionable patina. Even after years of heavy use, it is unlikely to
snap into dangerous pieces. Ideally, the best Dojo choice would be the uniform use of this material
for paired practice. It's safe, strong, attractive and comes from a domestic managed resource. Justas
Kashi is the only wood used in Japan for practice weapons, American martial artists can look to this
specially graded hickory as the optimal choice.

Laminated Rosewood Composite (LRC)

LRC refers to a limited, premium grade classification of densified hardwood composite. Made by
laminating very thin layers of imbued birch veneer under enormous pressure, it has a stunningly
beautiful dark Rosewood colour with black highlights, is totally stable and takes a mirror finish.
Weapons of LRC have several notable benefits. With a specific gravity of 1.3, its extremely high
density and hardness make it ideal for smaller weapons where those qualities are so desirable. It
comes from domestic sustainable sources and is an excellent substitute for rare tropical varieties.
Since the interstitial spaces and microscopic conduits of the wood are filled with resin, there is little
if any exchange of atmospheric moisture and hence no warpage. When skilfully worked, it holds
perfect detail and when polished and buffed, will take a mirror like shine without any additional
surface treatments. Because it is extremely dense, bokken made of LRC can achieve both the weight,
proportion and balance of a live blade. It has excellent physical properties overall and, in the case of
bokken, approaches the closest interpretation possible of a sword. It is however, an engineered
material with properties different from natural wood and LRC items should be treated more like live
edged weapons than those of natural wood. Since the material does not dent easily, it gives the

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impression that it is much stronger than any natural wood. As the tests show however, it's strength
exceeds many of the strongest natural woods but not immensely so. It tends to be edge sensitive
and an accidental drop onto concrete, which would just dent most natural woods may cause a more
serious chip in the composite material. While there have been many natural wood bokken destroyed
when hit with a composite weapon and at least one live steel blade, there have also been a few
composite weapons broken and a few instances where a glancing blow at the very end of the point
damaged a composite bokken. For these reasons, the LRC is not recommended for paired work
involving contact but better reserved for suburi (individual) practice, silent sword techniques,
presentation or other special situations.

The last consideration, as it relates to paired practice may be said of any of the very hard and dense
materials in general: In a practice situation, many students use equipment that fits their means and
their experience. Very hard and heavy wood will certainly do significant damage to the budget
oriented weapons that many beginning students start out with. In the interests of safety and good
judgement, it is best to engage in daily paired practice with materials that do not cause unnecessary
damage to a partner's equipment.

African Ebony

Several tropical hardwoods including African Ebony are extremely hard and heavy but without
notable impact strength. Also known as Cameroun and Gabon Ebony, this wood is jet black with
occasional grey striping and is the familiar black wood formerly used on piano keys. Because of its
density, outstanding hardness and ability to hold detail, it is excellent in small hand held weapons
used to apply pressure. Along with other wood of tropical origin, Ebony comes from sources that
aren't necessarily well managed, should be considered a limited resource and used judiciously.

Honduras Rosewood

There are several species of natural Rosewood with excellent density, strength, dent resistance and
overall physical properties. Honduras Rosewood is usually a dark reddish tan sometimes with
prominent streaks of black and purple. It has a beautiful, coarse swirling grain structure with colour
patterns varying from reserved to startlingly bold. Rosewood is not often available from sustainable
sources in pieces suitable for solid construction larger items. Smaller Tanto, Kobuton, Yawara and
similar works are often possible. Bokken and Jo of natural Rosewood are highly desirable and
extremely rare. This material, like other tropical woods is not recommended for daily practice or
casual use due to its scarcity and unique character.

Pau Ferro

South American Pau Ferro (Ironwood) has a beautiful dark tan colour often including black streaks
and graceful dark figure patterns. It has fine, dense grain with a very smooth surface texture. Pau
Ferro, an exceptional and rare tropical wood, is occasionally available in pieces thick enough for solid
piece bokken and jo and it makes excellent blade sections for Yari and Naginata intended for
presentation and solo practice.

Purpleheart Wood

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Purpleheart is available in thick pieces which allow for the construction of largest and longest solid
piece weapons. It is sometimes possible to obtain it from managed sources and has some
outstanding properties making it especially suitable for staff type weapons like jo, bo, etc. It is very
hard, and usually displays a straight, uniform grain structure with a somewhat coarse texture. It
turns to a clear, brilliant violet upon exposure to light. Purpleheart is extremely stable and lends
itself to long, slender weapons where a less stable material would usually develop noticeable
warpage. Because it is extremely stiff in comparison to its weight, it gives the user an energetic feel
of returning energy rather than absorbing it and for these reasons, could be considered a
"conditional wood" - an excellent choice for some situations.

Coromandel Ebony

Also known as Macassar Ebony, this exceptional wood deserves special consideration among the
natural woods available for the construction of wooden swords, staffs and martial art weapons.
Because of its superb character, it conveys a unique and unmistakable feeling of presence.
Coromandel is strong, hard, has a ideal weight with a fine dense texture. If skilfully shaped and
finished, an alive almost reptilian quality emerges with predominantly black with tan figure patterns
and occasional subtle but surprising hints of green and other colours. It is arguably one of the most
beautiful of all woods.

Upon reading this description, it may be tempting to conclude that a fine weapon of Coromandel
Ebony is the optimal personal choice for the serious student of the martial arts. Its unrestricted use
however, would actually be inappropriate. Acquiring unique and rare weapons of limited natural
resources often reflects the enthusiasm of aspiring students where, due to the cost and scarcity of
this material, is best reserved for special situations - a gift perhaps to a senior instructor from an
appreciative dojo.

Osage Orange

No discussion of wood, selected for weight and strength, is complete without mention of Osage
Orange, an unusual North American hardwood with a unique heritage. Indigenous to the American
Southwest, the wood has a superb strength and was highly prized by Native Americans for archery
bows and is still coveted by traditional bowyers. When freshly cut, it has a startling and unlikely
bright yellow colour which slowly turns to a subdued orange tan. The tree does not produce much of
the dense, straight grained wood which has good mechanical properties. High quality lumber is very
rare but the tree is certainly not endangered. Other studies of shock strength sometimes rate Osage
Orange as the strongest of all woods. When used in longer weapons for paired practice it absorbs
energy upon impact with a surprising springy feel.

http://www.aikiweb.com/weapons/goedkoop1.html (ends here)

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