How to make bokken

Step 1

You will make the bowed shape by gluing two pieces of wood together, clamped
in position. Note that the “blade” is the side with the radius.

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Step 2

Rip two pieces of hardwood to
” x 1-1/2”, at least 42 inches long. Joint one of
the 1-1/2” sides of each for to make a smooth gluing surface. The two pieces
used here are white oak and Brazilian cherry. Both are very hard woods, which
will take strikes well in practice.

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Step 3

Use an existing bokken to establish the shape that you will bend the two pieces
of wood over. You want to get a reasonably close match on the inside curves.
Clamp the center first, then work your way outwards. Clamp directly over all the
support sticks, and then at the ends. Fill in clamps afterwards. Let the set-up dry
for about 4 hours.

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Step 4

Wipe off what glue you can. Once dry, scrape off the glue that has pushed out.

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Step 5

Use a planer or jointer to straighten one side of the bokken. This one had a 1/8”
bow in the center.

After one side is fairly straight, rip it down to about 1-1/4”, cutting off the rough
side. Turn it around and rip the other side, down to 1-1/8”.

Plane or sand the bokken down to 1” to get the sides smooth. I use a planer
instead of sanding whenever possible (saves work and doesn’t make a lot of
dust)

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Step 6

Route the bokken on all four corners with a 1/2” round-over bit.

Cross-cut the handle end to clean it up. Mark where the tsuba will sit (10 inches).

Route the 45 degree chamfers, which become the backside of the “blade”. Route
close to where the tsuba is marked, but not into it, you need to complete it with a
chisel.

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Step 7

Chisel in the small shoulders for the Tsuba. Cross-cut the blade end to length
(40 inches)

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Step 8

Rough-cut the blade tip shape. I used a miter saw, but a band-saw would be best.
Sand or grind the shape to the basic curve. Sand or grind the sides of the tip to
shape, blending them back. I used a simple drum sander mounted to a drill press,
with a small support block to hold the tip. Take your time with this, since the
bokken is almost done, and this is the easiest part to make a mistake with. Finish
up by hand sanding the tip to remove any marks.

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Step 9

Sand the entire bokken with 180 grit. If you used sharp planer and router blades,
this should go fast. Seal the bokken with three coats of sealer. Sand again with
180 after the first coat, then 220 grit after the second. The third coat should not
require sanding. If it is still rough at that point, re-sand with 220 and do a fourth.

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Step 10

Bokken Terminology:
- Kissaki: the tip.
- Mune: the back of the blade.
- Monouchi: the cutting portion of the edge, the 1/3 closest to the kissaki.
- Chu-o: the middle third of the blade.
- Tsuba moto: the third of the blade closest the handle.
- Tsuba: the guard, not present on most Aikido bokuto.
- Tsuka: the handle.
- Shinogi: the ridge between the mune and the edge.
- Shinogi-ji: the flat plane between the mune and the shinogi
- Jigane: the flat plane between the shinogi and the temper line (edge).
- Ha: the edge
- Tsuka gashira: butt end of the bokuto.

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