durable wooden weapons

okay i need to purchase some durable wooden weapons for yakasoku kumite and bunkai. and what i was wondering does it matter who you purchase your weapon from? or does it just depend on what kind of wood it is?

Poor quality weapons will break easier running a risk of a splintering. That's dangerous. At the very least, you'll buy 2-3 cheap weapons for every quality weapon.

Shuriedo has a website that you can access featuring weapons from Okinawa. Some people complain about the price (it's not really excessive) but you won't be sorry you bought it.

BTW: NEVER buy a "tooth-pick bo". They're for pretent MA-ists.

owari

Definitely go for the quality end of the market to avoid splitting and splintering weapons which are very dangerous.

I've seen exploding nunchaku which nearly hit me during training [avoid the ones with cord between them, go for the chained variety], bokkens which snapped and other nasty things happening with cheap weapons. Do not use pine for bo or any impact weapons because it shatters.

For bo either rattan or a decent oak or other hardwood, bokken should be a good quality Japanese white oak or similar hardwood, we've had problems with the Taiwanese oak splitting which is NOT fun. Avoid Toothpick bo.

For a decent jo you can't go past Japanese white oak, check the grain to make sure it is close grained and with no knots. Remember with bo and jo you are running your hands over the surface of theses weapons so make sure they will not injure you during training.

Arnis sticks - stick with rattan unless you are very experienced then you will know what to move onto. And it wont be cheap either.

Other weapons stick with the same logic and you won't get it wrong.

Got to agree with Reiki in that you get what you pay for, get the best you can afford and that is probably Shureido or Crane Mountain. However in the case of nunchaku chain verses rope I've seen more chain break at the mountings than rope, again it’s a matter of quality of the weapon. You pay $15.00 for nuchaku you've got a $15.00 pair of nuncahaku, they are going to break at the worst time.

After 30 years of trail and error with buying and making my own weapons. I’ve found that the best woods are red oak, ash, hickory and maple. Oak is very durable, has a good weight but has a fairly open cell structure and will crack, flake and splinter with heavy use. Ash is very strong and flexible but tends to be a little on the light side, so that every strike you deliver and receive is transmitted to your hands. Hickory and maple have been my wood of choice for building my own weapons, hickory for short weapons and maple for bo.

We do extensive and intense yakasoku and bunki training with our weapons. Over the years I could go through a good oak bo or tonfa in 12 months or less. My current maple bo has about 10 years on it and it’s predecessor about the same. The hickory tonfa I’m using are over 20 years old and starting to show some wear. Treat em right, sand and oil regularly, protect your investment.

And I doesn’t matter what there made of if you use them against sai, wooden weapons will shred.

Just my .02 worth.

Pat


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K I'm not an expert or anything but I've had my best experiences with oak. my current bo is red oak. If you're using it to kumite then get the strongest heaviest one you can get. You can just get a wooden dowel made out of the wood of your choice from like home depot or lowe's or something, and cut it to your size. Just make sure you get the right diameter.These won't be as pretty as the actual bo's you would buy that are made for fighting/performance in the first place.If you do this then don't varnish it with like polyurethane or anything. This will look pretty but will become sticky when your bo gets hot and sweaty. have fun!

Most poles or dowels you get at a hardware store are made from pine, its cheep and very soft as wood goes. Most oaks are great as there heavy strong wood that does not retain water (unlike my ex girlfriend) or Desert Ironwood (probably the strongest wood you can find)also mountain Mahohany is very tough. Now that being said the Hard woods are not always the way to go,, Yakusoku bos need to be able to take alot of damage,, try a ratan bo,, there great at taking damage, dont cost alot and are very light.

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K If you're using it to kumite then get the strongest heaviest one you can get.

if you are using a bo it is kumibo not kumite

Hello Chickenchaser:

<<i need to purchase some durable wooden weapons for yakasoku kumite and bunkai.

What kind of weapon are you seeking specifically? As for material I find ~hickory~ a very nice alternative to the ridicilously expensive which some sell... But I also admit using others weaponry expertise to make that choice. The particular weapon are you after will make a huge difference... if you need a Hanbo (3' dowel, 1" thick) you look somewhat different places (and more easily) than for a hardwood tonfa, or kama for example...

Merely a thought,
J