The Basics

All of our sword racks are designed for easy set up and take down. They consist of five separate pieces (four legs and the rack), and require NO separate pegs, pins, wedges, or locks of any kind - which means no small parts to lose! Additionally, no part of the rack is longer than 45 inches, which means it can fit into a sword bag for easy transport to and from the list field (depending, of course, on your individual sword bag).

 

Construction & Design

All of HoldMySword's sword racks are made by hand from select hardwoods, while the legs are constructed from poplar. Racks are treated with either an exterior-quality water & UV-resistant finish, or hand rubbed with a water-repellant wood oil, depending on the wood and the desired appearance. The legs are finished in the same manner, although in some cases an initial layer of stain may be applied before sealing so they more closely resemble the color of the rack. The bottom foot of each leg is then treated with clear HPVA glue to help resist water absorption through the end grain. All sword racks use fixed brass pins to support the body of the sword rack itself.

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Racks are available in either a five hole or six hole design, with the six hole being the most common. Approximate lengths for the two models are thirty-eight and forty-four inches respectively. The holes for the swords are rectangular and measure two inches long by at least one inch wide. This means HoldMySword's racks can fit most rapiers, side swords, and steel long sword simulators. If you need holes with different dimensions, please ask.

 

(Note: due to the hand made nature of these racks, there will be some minor variation from rack to rack in terms of length, width, height, thickness, appearance, and so on. This means each rack will be unique to you.)

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Our Standard Sword Racks

The following wood types are almost always in stock in HMS's shop, and as such sword racks made from these materials are either available ready-made or can be assembled with minimal wait time. 

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Red oak is our "base-line" wood for sword racks. When finished, red oak tends to exhibit a light to medium brown hue, although in some cases reddish tones can be seen, especially in the right light. The legs are lightly stained to better match the color of the rack.

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Maple is our standard "light" wood. It can take on a pale white to slightly yellow tone, depending on the wood and the finish. The grain is tighter than oak, and can be more distinctive in terms of pattern and appearance (depending on the individual piece of wood).

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Maple-Hickory blend. The typical assembly consists of a hickory core with maple rails to either side. Hickory is often darker in color than maple but lighter than oak, and can have both light and dark patterns within the wood. Whenever possible, I try to display the contrasting colors of the hickory hickory when constructing a rack.

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Hickory-only racks are available as a special order. Hickory is a hard, beautiful wood, and one of my favorites. That said, my ready supply of hickory is more limited that either oak or maple, so it may take a little longer to put together a rack made solely from hickory.

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Specialty & Exotic woods

From time to time, I am able to lay hands on exotic or specialty woods for inclusion in a sword rack. This usually takes the form of either an exotic-wood center run, or some sort of highlight/contrasting piece(s) incorporated into the body of the rack. To date, I have used Brazilian Cherry, American Cherry, Purpleheart, Beech, Mahogany, Red Ash, and Black Walnut in racks, but other woods can be used as well (based on availability).

 

Currently specialty woods in my shop include (as of July, 2023):

• American Cherry (center runs only)

• Black Walnut

• Purpleheart*

• Mahogany (center runs only)

• Birdseye Maple

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*Due to the toxic nature of the dust created when working with purpleheart and the required precautions, I only use this wood occasionally. Feel free to reach out to inquire about projected timelines and cost.

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Poplar

Now and then I end up with some nice pieces of quality poplar and will knock out a couple of sword racks using this wood. While a hardwood, poplar tends to be a bit softer than the standard woods listed above (but is still much hardier than pine or most other soft woods, hence its use in our legs). The main advantages of poplar are its tight grain and relative lightness in terms of weight compared to many of our more typical woods. If you would like a poplar rack, feel free to inquire. I generally recommend either staining this wood or treating it with a darker Danish oil, since raw poplar can sometimes have a greenish to greenish-yellow tinge.

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Finishes

While I tend to favor natural or lightly tinted finishes to better display the natural beauty of the wood, I am happy to stain any rack for an extra fee. Contact me to discuss options and cost.

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