Wooden katana hilt

[JediCarpet]

Here are some in-progress pictures of a build that I started wrapping my head around after I built my first MHS saber. As far as I can tell, not many hilts have been made out of wood, mostly because you need the heat-drawing capabilities of the aluminum to prevent the LED from getting too toasty. I debated between a royal blue LED and a deep red LED, and I ended up going with the red because in a test 'burn' of leaving it on for a few minutes on it's own, the red LED was pretty cool, whereas the blue one got quite toasty. The one difference is that the resistors for the red one got pretty hot in comparison, and the blue resistors were cool. So I decided it would be better to have hot resistors than a hot LED. As it is, I do realize that this saber cannot be left on for very long.

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I started out with a piece of spruce and removed the bark from most of it, then carved out a flatter handle portion of it. Using a drill press, I drilled a 1" x 3" deep hole down the middle of it so the blade could fit into it, then cut it in half lengthwise using the bandsaw. At this point I forgot to take pictures (mostly because it wasn't really that interesting), but I began using a dremel to cut out sections of the interior shaped to the components. In this picture you can see it is all wired up.
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I am adding accent LEDs along the top ridge to continue this effect all the way down the handle:
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After the accent LEDs are in place, I only have a couple more things to do. I need to figure out how I'm going to keep the two pieces together. I used electrical tape for a temporary hold. I may or may not bolt them together, but I do intend to go with a cloth wrap in a traditional katana style wrapping and see how well that holds together. This would cover any bolts in there if I go that route. I may have to put a plastic strip between the two pieces along the top to spread the light out more evenly and make sure the lights don't disappear when it is together permanently. I might go with some sort of clamp around the main LED and the very top of it to support the blade better. I also want to add a guard at some point to complete the look, but I haven't put much thought into how I'm going to make that yet.

Also to note, this will not be a combat saber and is entirely for show, mostly because I thought it was a cool concept that I wanted to try making. For one, it is soft wood. Two, the rim of the LED module design forced me to cut the interior down to about 3 mm or less to the outside of the wood. Even though it feels sturdy on its own, one good hit will likely take the top right off.

In terms of heat concerns, I've kept it on continuously for 10 minutes and the LED wasn't even warm when I opened it up. So far, not bad Updates to come when I complete wiring the LEDs along the top and come up with the way to keep it together.

[Silver Serpent]

That's a lovely showpiece you've got there. I'd be a little concerned about in-hilt recharge with a wooden hilt and that li-ion battery. Monitor the temp closely the first few times you recharge it, or consider charging it outside the hilt. I'd hate for that saber to (literally) go up in smoke.

In my opinion, a wooden saber just screams for designs to be burned into the outside. If you have any skill at woodburning, this would be a great place to show off.

[JediCarpet]

That's a lovely showpiece you've got there. I'd be a little concerned about in-hilt recharge with a wooden hilt and that li-ion battery. Monitor the temp closely the first few times you recharge it, or consider charging it outside the hilt. I'd hate for that saber to (literally) go up in smoke.

In my opinion, a wooden saber just screams for designs to be burned into the outside. If you have any skill at woodburning, this would be a great place to show off.

Thanks, Silver I'll keep an eye on it when I recharge it the first few times. I'm not really sure what I can do with the designs if I do some wood burning. I was thinking that the wrap would accent it, but maybe I can do something to augment the two. I may need to figure out something different to keep it together that can be opened easily if the battery heats up during charging. The flash point of spruce is 350 C...do li-ion batteries get that hot? I studied business, not science...I have no idea if the insulation effect of the wood would get the battery temperature up that high, but I can sure sell you those batteries
I haven't done a whole lot of wood burning, but I like to think that if I put my mind to something I can figure it out. Given the blade colour, I think I'll look into some Sith designs to incorporate into it if I do decide to do some burning.

[Silver Serpent]

If your li-ions hit 350C, the flash point of spruce is the least of your concerns. They'll be leaking fire long before that point.

[Dethlore]

lol 350C li ion would be ... exciting...

I've never had a li ion get warmer than luke warm room temp... maybe 30C (86F). Except for one time... Didn't mean to, but I did some arc welding with a few cells. HAHA lucky me nothing happened... just make sure that your wires are SECURED so they don't short to something!

[ShogunLogan]

Always love seeing people thinking outside the box! very cool. ne plans for the wood outside itself or is it going to stay all natural.

[JediCarpet]

I do plan on engraving along the outside some parts of the Sith Code. I haven't decided on the font yet, and I need a proper wood burning set to do it right. I may also go with some sort of clear coat on it, or might go for a dark stain. Given the colour, I may want more of a blackened look to it. A friend also suggested charring the very end of it by the blade. Here are a couple more pictures...
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On a side note, I've had no problems with heat when recharging or running it for ~10-20 minutes. Also, I'm a bit further along than these pictures show. I ditched the electrical tape and I went with some Chicago bolts to hold the back end together. At the front I have two pipe clamps (the type with the slot screw on it that tightens it) but I want to see if I can swap those out in favour of a couple of leather straps with a clasp on them or something. I haven't seen what I'm envisioning yet, so we'll see. I may also paint them to better match the handle and see if that works.

I also picked up a nice piece of birch last week that I'm going to dry out and see about making another one out of. A friend of mine is really jealous of it, so maybe I'll make one for his birthday.

[Silver Serpent]

That's a neat effect with the accent LEDs. It looks like it has light leaking out from the inside. Very cool.

[JediCarpet]

Thanks. The way I have it set up, when you pull the kill plug the 4 lights from the plug up to the switch power on. When you hit the switch, the light between the main LED turns on with the main, so it looks like it powers up to the switch, then out from the switch. I'm quite happy about that setup, and not just because doing it otherwise would've been an additional headache in wiring

[setelf3of5]

JediCarpet,

I am a carpenter and work with all types of wood and materials. This is a great build, and done very well. If I may suggest don't paint it, stain it, and put a polyurethane finish on it. Preserve the look of the wood grain...that is what makes your hilt special, its wood. Burn the blade end and then stain and put the clear finish on it...it will look beautiful. Don't stain the interior, that would make it more flammable, outside only. That's only my suggestion. Again I think it looks great.