Make a Rune Blade

There is a plywood warrior in most of us, and this is the best way I know to arm it. This rune blade is meant to come in someqhere between forged and grown. The intention is for the blade to look organic-metallic, and I plan to embed this into another project of mine, when I get the time. For now, I give you Barkchiller. Every rune blade needs a name, after all. So enjoy, and remember to be Inspired!

Make your own Rune Blade from

• a piece of plywood
• some non-ply wood
• wood glue
• a few extra ingredients (black tea, steel wool, vinegar, paint of choice, lacquer, leather glue, leather or fabric of choice, a skewer)

As far as tools go, you will need

• a router (or a rotary tool)
• a router table with a sled (optional, but quite handy)
• some kind of saw (bandsaw at best, at least that is what I used)
• sanding equipment (drum sander or sanding drum is almost a must, but the srong willed can substitute rasps and files. Apart from that, I used a random orbital sander - sandpaper and elbow grease works, too)
• double sided tape
• misc implements (brushes, pencil, etc.)

Here is how I made it. Maybe I get around to taking pictures on one of my next projects to make it into a full step-by-step, but I am not there yet (if I will ever be). Still, I hope you can get all you need from this video, and if not, feel free to ask!

Oh, in case you were wondering - the blade says "Cole be hand and heart and bone; Cold be traveller far from home" - Gollum, The Lord of the Rings.

In addition, here is a blog-post with additional pictures of the finished piece and some background and thoughts on what this blade is going to be part of. Maybe you will find it interresting, but it has no direct connection to the making of this sword.