Push Broom Prop Sword

Many tools designed to be used outside get left outside for long period of times and not all of them can withstand this treatment. This was the case for an a set of old push brooms that I owned for the last few years. After years outside the head of the broom was heavily damaged with the wood being slightly rotted and the bristles being completely destroyed. Given the extent of the damage and the price for a new broom head compared to a new broom it only made sense to replace the broom but this left us with the handle which was fine to be used for a new project.

After holding onto this piece for quite some time I decided to make a sword from it after getting some other scrap pieces of wood from another project and a spool of rope from a thrift shop.

Materials

• Push Broom handle about 3' long. (Or a 1" diameter dowel the same length)
• 1' of 1.5"x1.4" wood
• 3 short wood screws
• paracord or another thin rope

Tools

• Hand saw
• Sandpaper
• Drill Press (Or hand drill)
• 1" spade bit (or hole saw)

Given its age and damage the wood on the handle is quite damaged and prone to splintering. To avoid getting splinters during and after the project you should sand the handle first. I started with 60 grit sandpaper and went all the way up to 150 grit to be sure that there is a smooth surface. Now with your finish of choice (I used an aerosol can of minwax gloss polyurethane) This will now become the blade.

While deciding on what to make with these materials I tried multiple designs in fusion 360 and decided on this prop sword. All dimensions for cuts were based off of this model.

From the scrap wood cut one 8" piece for the cross guard and one 3-1/3" piece for the pommel. Take the cross guard and cut a 40 degree cut off of ether end as shown in the drawing attached.

Into the top of the cross guard drill a 1" hole in the very center all the way through. Do the same for the pommel but only drill about 3/4 the way into the piece so the blade cannot go all the way through. Do your best to have these hole be as straight as possible to ensure that your blade is perpendicular to the cross guard and pommel.

To smoothen the edges and give it a weathered look I took a utility knife and cut every edge on the pommel and the cross guard. Do this until there is a rough 2mm chamfer on ever edge. Then with sandpaper sand down every face and round the edges further. I went from 60 to 100 grit.

With a small drill bit drill a hole into the side of the cross guard and the side of the pommel as centered as you can. Only have the hole go into the hole drilled for the blade and not all the way through out the other side of the pieces. Now drill one more hole into the bottom of the pommel.

Seat the pommel onto the end of the blade and the cross guard slightly higher than where your hand would rest. With a drill bit with a similar diameter to your rope drill a hole through your blade just above the pommel all the way through. Take your rope and feed it through the hole you just made; I used a chopstick to be able to push it through such a small hole. Tie a knot in the short end you just stuck through and pull tightly. Then wrap in a spiral up the handle till you get to the top. Do your best to leave no gaps between each layer. Once you get to the top the second to last layer loose and feed the last layer into it and tie a small knot. Before cutting off the excess rope I would recommend putting a drop of ca glue into the knot to keep the handle tight.

After the ca glue is dry remove the pommel and crossguard from the blade. Sand all faces until you get a smooth cohesive surface. Apply finish to them as well. I wanted to keep the woods natural color so I used the same clear finish as I did with the blade but using an alternative colored finish to have contrast between the pommel and crossguard, and blade would also look good.

Take the pommel and place the flat end of the blade into the large hole drilled into the pommel. Make sure that the blade is fully seated into the pommel then screw a short screw into the two pilot holes in the pommel. Then slide the cross guard onto the blade from the other side making sure that the cuts on the edges are facing down. Grip the blade by the pommel and place the cross guard about an inch above where your hand sits. Place the sword on a flat surface to make sure the cross guard and pommel are parallel with each other. Screw in the final screw into the pilot hole on the edge guard.

Given the design of the sword, letting you remove the cross guard and pommel while keeping the handle in the same position, if you were to want to make different sets of hardware for this sword, you would be able to switch them out quite quickly or even make it with a new design from the beginning. One way is to 3D print new sets of cross guards and pommels that it different time periods and aesthetics. I prepared a design that I thought would look good but you can create your own quite easily by modifying my design in fusion or just by designing some around a 1" cilinder in your software of choice.