I had the opportunity to take a sword class with
Peter Johnsson last year, and it was truly excellent. This sword is the result of that class, though it took me almost a year to do the final details and get a scabbard on it.
It's a 15th century longsword, or hand-and-a-half sword if you prefer that term. In Oakeshott's sword typology it's a type XVIIIb. The blade is 37.75" long, and the overall length is 47.75". Somewhat surprisingly it weighs only 3lbs 0.6oz (1378 grams). The blade is made from 1084 carbon steel, the fitting are 1050 carbon steel, and the handle is fruit wood wrapped in twine and leather.
Thanks to Peter's guidance the handling is amazing. "It floats in my hand" is probably the best thing someone said when handling it, with "It goes where I want it to" coming in a close second. For those of you who are interested in such things, the point of balance is 3.5" down the blade. The hilt node of vibration is almost exactly in the center of the forward part of the handle. The blade node of vibration is 22.5" down the blade. The forward pivot point is at 33.75" down the blade (4" from the tip). The aft pivot point is about 21" down the blade.
What all these measurements mean is that when you hold the sword in one hand it is very good for thrusting. The tip stays on target as you move the handle from side to side. Grip the sword with two hands and the rotational dynamics change. It will now tend to pivot around the sweet spot for cutting (the forward node of rotation), making it a fast and effective cutter.
I'm excited enough about how it came out that I'm definitely going to make another one. Or two.
