Wood Weapons: Pros and cons

Ceicei

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There are various types of wood used for weapons (such as nunchakus, bo staff, jo staff, escrima, etc.) I realize there are different activity purposes (demo, competition, partner training, and combat). I am asking these questions for information, as I am replacing my current weapons with the more serious versions. I am making this post more broad so that others may benefit from information sharing too. Thank you!!

- Ceicei
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What are the pros and cons of different kinds of wood? Which kind is good [harder/heavier vs softer/lighter] for weapon activities? Why?

What about the finish/stain on the wood? I have heard that some types of finish can chip, splinter, discolor, or become tacky/sticky. What types work best in protecting the wood grain and hands?

What about the shapes? Octogen vs round? (I believe tonfa also come in round, half round, and square.) What are the advantages?
 
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Gary Crawford

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Ceicei, That is indeed a broad question. I'll try my best. Ther will be a wide range of opinions on this subject. I can only give you my experience as far as nunchuka and Kali are concearned. I learned nunchuka with the heaviest,hardest pair I could find. That way I definatly learned from my mistakes. As far as my choice for what I would actually fight with,I'd go for the lighter ones as long as the are hard enough to inflict serious harm. I prefere the octigon shape both for grip and injury effect. The lighter ones are simply faster and easier to use. Now as far as escima's go. I'd much rather train with the lighter and softer rattan type. They don't split as much as the hard woods do. Cali is altogether different. We train with sticks,but we are not always training with them to learn how to use a stick,sometimes it's a blade. Now if I was to actually fight with them,I'd choose the harder,heavier ones. In a real fight the harder woods would be better for blocking or deflecting bladed weapons and hit much harder. Speed would be less of a sacrafice than nunchuks would. I hope that helps.
 
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Ceicei

Ceicei

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I have two additional questions. Do any of you have problems with inlay decoration or painted pictures on wood? What about wood that are "burnt"?

I do not personally like wood with inlaid designs or paintings, but wondered whether having such designs weaken the wood. I understand from others that certain kinds of wood (like rattan) being burnt supposedly gives strength.

- Ceicei
 

Mark Lynn

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Ceicei said:
I have two additional questions. Do any of you have problems with inlay decoration or painted pictures on wood? What about wood that are "burnt"?

I do not personally like wood with inlaid designs or paintings, but wondered whether having such designs weaken the wood. I understand from others that certain kinds of wood (like rattan) being burnt supposedly gives strength.

- Ceicei

Burn patterns on rattan do supposedly give it strength but IMHO I think it tends to look pretty and add to the cost of the stick. Heating the rattan can be used to straighten the stick out some since raw rattan can have some bends to it.

Some rattan sticks come with a coating on them, again to add strength but IMHO it adds a little cost to the stick same with carved hand holds etc. etc. Face it, with use the rattan is going to start to schred or splinter some, tape it and use the other end to hit with. When that's schreded then sue it as a cull for disarming or some other form of practice.

When it comes to rattan try and get sticks with the skin left on and multiple nodes on them pretty straight and a decent diameter.

So much of wooden weapons get good quality (Japanese White Oak) is what I have used and others practicng Kobudo. I have used the Jo, Bo, Boken all made in the White Oak and they have served me well over the years. One time I split a cheap Bo (broke it in half actually) and had the part of the Bo take off like a missle across the training room floor. Luckily no one got hurt by it. This was a student's Bo that was broke because they bought a cheap red oak Bo from some MA supplier. My Bo was was uneffected. I should say if you are going to be making any contact with other weapons or targets.

Nunchakus whether round or octagon are really your perferance, I have used both. Same with cord or ball bearing and chain. Tonfas again I think the weapon shape should be your perferance, but I would make sure the handle and the weapon are constructed good. And that it fits you. Can you rotate the weapon around, does it block your forearm etc. etc.

I personally believe the carving on the wood will weaken it but I have no specific studies to prove it.

Mark
 

Mark Lynn

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Another thing with wodden weapons, I like having several different types of wooden training knives, swords, bolos etc. etc.

Having practiced some Kobudo, and now practicing the FMAs I have several different wooden and metal training knives, swords, etc. etc. The standard tanto wooden knife (IMHO) I feel is sometimes inadaquate in that I see people grabbing the blade part of the tanto. Therefore I have other wooden training knives that I use that have a more pronounced/definate blade area on the training knife so that the person will know that they grabbed the blade of the weapon and got cut (in real life).

The wooden bolos/swords that I use are real good once again to teach the edged weapon aspect of the FMAs that you don't normally get with just using the rattan stick. Again these are different than the standard Boken.

Mark
 

Grenadier

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Do you intend on doing weapon to weapon contact drills? If so, then the red oak weapons are pretty much out of the question, given how loose-grained they are. I've lost count of the number of times people have broken their red oak bokken on my Brazilian Cherrywood bokken, and this isn't an exaggeration.

Yes, harder woods are nicer, but at the same time, they should have a dense, tight grain, and still have some flexibility. Example of such woods are Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba), the better species of hickory, purpleheart, etc. Any of these will give an excellent blend of all of the above qualities that you want.

Purpleheart weapons are especially nice if you want a beautiful appearance. The deep purple color only gets more intense with age.
 

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