You're probably going to have to build your own. I'm sure some of the gentlemen on the board can give you ideas, but in the meantime, here are directions on building an SCA legal tachi by Sir Tanaka Raiko, from his Livejournal page at
www.livejournal.com/users/sirtanaka/"The Tachi by Tanaka Raiko
The tachi or daichi (depending on your translation) is the sword of war of the 11-14th century Samurai. It was the sword of war, heavier and straighter than it’s more famous and out of period counterpart the Katana, it was the sword that forged the history of Japan.
Fighting in the SCA for over 15+ years I realized that katana’s just don’t have the chutzpah needed in Heavy weapons combat. A heavier (armor piercing) weapon was needed to fight armored opponents. Research lead me to the Tachi.
Seeing as I patterned my persona after a 11th century samurai it was a no brainer that I start fighting with a Tachi.
The Tachi is one of my favorite creations.
The Specs on the Tachi are as follows:
Overall Length 50-52"
Blade Length 34-36"
Handle length 14"
Finished weight: 2.5-3.5 lbs.
Tsuba with 3-4"
Material List:
One - 1 3/4" - 2" thick rattan stave (you will eventually cut a 48-50" billet out of it)
One - 4"x4" 1/2" thick piece of HDPE (for the Tsuba)
One - roll of 3/4" strapping tape
One - roll of Duct tape (color of your choice)
One - roll of Duct tape (contrasting color of your choice)
One - roll of white athletic tape ( as the base handle cover or the Same')
two - rolls of electrical tape for the handle wrap (or use black athletic tape)
one - 2"x2"x2" block of high density foam (for thrusting tip)
Possible material needs:
Rivets, pop, two piece smash, etc.. to affix two pieces of HDPE together to get the plastic to the right thickness.
Tools:
At least one Sharpie. I try to have as many as possible around (they walk away at the worst time)
Ruler or a caliper (to measure thickness of rattan after cutting)
draw knife or spoke shave (to shave rattan dowel, I have two different kinds of draw knives)
rasps, bastard file, or wood files (to rough shape the handle)
sand paper (for finish sanding of the blade sides and handle)
wood chisels (for fine cutting work)
cross cut wood saw (for cutting the rattan to the appropriate length and for notching)
Propane or Mapp gas torch (for straightening the rattan)
a large vice (wood working, table, or bench vice for holding the rattan in various stages)
Step one: Material Prep
A. Rattan straightening and billet selection
1. After selecting the rattan stave (I pick rattan that feels “live”, hard to describe I’d have to show you). I used the torch to heat the rattan at the points that I want to bend it to straighten it. I use either a vice or the joists of the floor above me to brace the rattan while I’m straightening it.
2. After I straighten, I cut out a billet 48-50 inch from the stave. I look for sections that are straight, and are of consistent diameter. Again I look for “live” rattan. (it has a particular feel in the hands)
B. Plastic Tsuba prep
1. Unless you go to a plastic supplier (which is the way to go if you’re going to do some intricate carving of the Tsuba) and buy plastic of a particular thickness, you’re going to have to build up pieces of plastic (HDPE or barrel plastic) to the appropriate thickness.
2. I cut out two 4”x4” squares
3. Rivet the two squares together. You will do more to them once the blade is cut out.
C. Thrusting tip prep
1. Take high density urethane foam (blue camping mats) and fabricate a 2”x2”x2” square. I contact cement the pieces together and “LIGHTLY” wrap them in strapping tape (this keeps the foam from deforming under repeated thrusts).
2. set it aside, you will need it when the blade is done.
Step Two: The blade
1. Feel and mark the billet. You will take the billet in your hands and roll it around and switch ends until it feels right. You will then mark (with one of your sharpies) the part in your hands as the handle. Additionally you will mark the back part of the blade (the side facing UP) as the SPINE. I generally draw a rough line the length of the blade and mark it “SPINE” I will roll it over and opposite the spine mark I will draw a rough line and mark it “BLADE”. (These lines are important as guides when you’re carving the blade). On the flat Point end of the billet I will write (PT for point) and on the pommel end of the billet I will write (PM for pommel) these are important when carving the billet.
2. Lock the billet into the vice point end away from you. Your spine marked side should be on the left and the blade on the right, with the PM marked end toward you.
3. with your spoke shave or draw knife remove the skin from the top to a uniform depth of ¼ inch the length of the billet.
4. Flip it over and do the same to the other side, make sure that your marks (spine, blade, PM and PT are in the right places). If you do it right you should have two flat trails directly opposite of each other on the billet.
5. Take your caliper or ruler and measure the thickness from flat side to flat side. These are your guide marks. You will continue shaving down the sides alternately until you reach your target width of 1 ¼ inch. If you do it right you will have a bi-symmetric blade blank. With a uniform longitudinal thickness. You now have a blade blank.
6. From the POMMEL end (PM) you will measure and mark 14 ½ inches with your sharpie all the way around the blank. This will be your FRONT Tsuba mark.
7. From the pommel end measure 14 inches and make another mark all the way around the blank. This will be your BACK Tsuba mark.
8. Run strapping tape from the point end to the Front Tsuba mark.
9. wrap a length of tape around the blank to in front of and up to the front Tsuba mark. This will be your Tsuka
Note: take your time. I’ve made somewhere between 75-100 of these and each one has a life and a feeling all their own. If you do it right the “live” feeling in the rattan will transfer to the tachi and magnify itself.
Step Three: The handle
1. starting at the Back tsuba mark, carve off the corners, rounding the handle. Your goal is a oval cross section that feels comfortable in your hands. Keep carving until you get to the point where the tips of your longest finger (probably your middle finger) touches the Abbuctor Pollicis of your thumb. (The big muscle of your thumb).
2. I use the draw knife to rough carve the handle and use the rasps, wood files etc to rough out the handle to the appropriate dimensions. ONCE I get close to where I want to the handle to be I’ll sand it smooth. (tape adheres better to a smooth surface)
Step Four: The Tsuba
1. Using a ruler find the center of the Tsuba blank and drill a small hole.
2. Place the sword blank Pommel end down on the floor. You should be looking down at the Point end of the sword blank. Mark the center of the blank.
3. match up the hole in the Tsuba blank with the mark in the Point end of the sword blank. Trace the outside diameter of the sword on the surface of the Tsuba blank.
4. From the center mark of the Tsuba measure out a 2 inch radius and draw a 2 inch radius from the center circle.
5. Rivet the two tsuba blanks together in four equidistant point INSIDE the circle you just drew.
6. cut off everything outside the circle.
7. cut out the center of the tsuba to the inside trace mark
8. fit it onto your pommel end pushing it up to the Tsuka/front Tsuba mark. Trim to fit.
9. If the hole is too large you can use strapping tape to get it to snug up.
10. You should not be able to push the Tsuba past the Tsuka. If you can add more tape to the Tsuka.
11. Remove the Tsuba until final assembly.
Step Five: The Trusting Tip
1. Take your 2x2x2 block of foam and measure it up against the Point (PT) end of the blank. It should be slightly larger than the outside diameter of the rattan. There are times when I will contact cement the foam on just to keep it in place.
2. tape the tip onto the blank with 10” strips of strapping tape. With the pommel end on the floor, place the middle 2” inches of tape on the point end of the foam and adhere it downward. Repeat this process across and diagonally, adhering the point EQUALLY. Don’t pull down lest you compress the tape too much and loose it’s compression capabilities.
3. holding the blank in your left hand “Spiral wrap” strapping tape from the spot where the lashing straps of tape end on the blank. Spiral up towards the Point end. Cut when you reach the end. The lashing straps hold the point on, the spiral wraps support, buttress, and protect the lashing straps. If you can easily bend the point over, repeat the spiral wrap process until the appropriate stiffness is attained.
4. Make sure you have enough compression. (1” progressive)
Step Six: Cosmetic Taping and finally assembly.
1. Cover the blade with cosmetic duck tape. Use a contrasting color for the edges. Be sure to mark the tip with contrasting tape to mark it as a thrusting tip
2. Put the Tsuba into place on the handle against the Tsuka, take additional strapping tape and build another Tsuka behind it, to lock it into place.
3. Use the athletic tape to cover the handle.
4. Take the electrical tape rolls and have two of them unfurling in opposite directions crossing on the sides of the handle twisting at the apexes of the oval. Continue til end.
If you’ve done this all correctly you should have a Tanaka-styled Tachi.
If you have any questions please drop me a line.
Cheers,
Tanaka Raiko
sirtanaka@yahoo.com"
