Legend

Custom Hickory Wood Swords, Wasters, Crossbows and More!

Hickory Arms hand crafts hickory practice swords for Eastern and Western Martial Arts, stage combat, historical reenactment, fitness, cosplay, and gifts.

In history, when the swordsmith provided you with a commissioned sword, he also provided a wooden version of the same sword for practice. This sword was called a waster. It was the weight and balance of its metal counterpart and saved wear and tear on your valuable metal sword.

I trained with a swordsmith waster maker to maintain this historic craft. Personally I have always had a passion for swords and history and love sculpting and art. This combination allowed me to become an excellent craftsman of hickory practice swords.

Modern uses for the practice sword are varied: from tactical and fitness gear, to historical demonstrations, costuming and regal gifts.

Hickory Arms is the U.S.A. and Maine made choice for the wooden practice sword.

The Man Behind the Swords

My name is Trent Schriefer and as the owner of Hickory Arms I look forward to providing you with the highest quality wasters and practice training swords. I am committed to crafting functional wooden weapons – each one made by me in my woodworking studio in North Berwick, Maine.

I do not buy my wood in bulk. The hickory for each sword is hand selected, and I give special attention to the pattern of growth rings in the wood. This is because if the growth rings run the length of the wood then there is less chance that the item will break.

After the wood is selected, each item is rough cut and time allowed for the wood to “settle in.” At this point each waster is planed so it will be straight. Once I am satisfied with the quality of the wood and the rough cut piece I hand finish each practice sword.

My prices are competitive even when I am doing custom work (if there is something you want that you don’t see on our website, just ask!), and I pride myself on the artistic and functional quality of each weapon.