Questions Thou Hath Asked of Us Most Frequently

At Hickory Arms, we use hickory for almost all of our products. Hickory is well suited for the rigors of full contact. It is strong, tough, and somewhat flexible – which allows it to bend when struck rather than splinter. Hickory is commonly used to make tool handles, lawn furniture, agricultural implements, ladder rungs, and archery bows.

Ash, oak, maple, and other hardwoods all make attractive swords but none of them have the durability of hickory, and all will crack in far less time. This makes the swords unsafe for the user and any potential spectators. For this reason swords made for combat are only made from hickory.
I will make swords out of other woods by custom order. They will not be guaranteed in any way and are intended for display purposes only, not as functional practice swords. Please contact Hickory Arms for details and pricing.

Even though there are many readily available “period” finishes such as tung oil, linseed oil, beeswax, etc., at Hickory Arms we choose to use polyurethane because it provides a durable finish that is easy to maintain. Fresh coats of polyurethane can be applied over old coats without sanding to the bare wood. Polyurethane dries without feeling sticky like beeswax or tacky like tung oil. It resists dirt and water better than any of the other finishes and can be readily obtained by our customers. I will use alternate finishes at an additional cost by custom order. Please contact Hickory Arms for details and pricing.

A waster should last many years when used properly, but wasters will not last indefinitely. Use against metal armor, shield edges, and/or blades will significantly shorten the life of the waster. Wasters should only be used against other wooden weapons, or pells.

There are two primary reasons to choose Hickory Arms: wood quality, and balance. The wasters at Hickory Arms are not only hand made by owner Trent, but the wood used is hand selected with an eye for the growth rings in the wood. Most wasters break when the growth rings run off the edge of the blade. The wood we use is selected so that the majority of the rings run parallel to the edge of the sword along its entire length. This makes the sword stronger and last longer before wearing out. The balance of Hickory Arms wasters is closer to their metal counterparts than any on the market.