#figueyredo

The first thing any successful project needs is a plan. I know little about greatswords and next to nothing about how to wrangle wood into the shape of one, I need to do some research before I do anything else.

So, naturally, the first thing I did was spend money on materials.

I bought one 34 x 54 mm and one 24 x 74 mm beam of spruce, each 2 m long (If you prefer your measurements in freedom units, converters are free, I shan't risk making a mistake and spreading misinformation. Consider it payback for all the historical US-American sewing journals I had to sift through). I made sure that they had as few brown branch nubs (that's the professional term I believe), and as many rings as possible, because I half remember something about the latter making the wood more stable. Or it got folded metal vibes. Either or. Honestly my main objective was getting whatever's cheapest, and I left the hardware store only 14€ poorer, two of those having been spent on a sanding sponge to rid my steel swords of rust.

I confess, I did have a slight concept of what to do when I bought my beams. I intend to cut the blade and handle out of the 34x54, and slide the crossguard out of the 24x74 over the handle into place. I guess I'll secure the crossguard with a nail on each side and a wedge from below? Then I'll connect the pommel with a wood dowel and some glue and wrap the hilt in (faux) leather. Let's see whether that plan survives contact with the enemy (actually making the thing).

As for the measurements and the design of the sword itself: while looking for fighting manuals on the montante, I found a translation of Figueyredo's Memorial Of the Practice of the Montante by Myers and Hick, and they include a detailed description of a montante with measurements I assume they got from an authentic, historical relic. I've also had the pleasure of swinging a couple greatswords, and the one I enjoyed most by far was by Regenyei, although the specific sword I held was one of the first they ever made and different from their current design. Nevertheless, they foolishly list the measurements of their TH04 Montante on their website, for devious women like me to steal. Due to some fuckery I'll explain later, I guesstimated that the perfect length for me would be around 163 cm, and lo and behold: that's the exact length of the Regenyei TH03 Spadone, so I included that in my considerations as well. Here are their measurements in cm:

Now, some claim that the difference between an Italian spadone and a Spanish montante is size, the spadone being shorter on average. This is not true. The real difference is like, what kind of triangle the secondary guard is. Crocodile/alligator rules of how parallel/narrowing the blade is. Stuff that's negligible for this project. The misbelief comes from the fact that the spadone is a little older than the montante, and greatswords got longer over time, meaning that older spadone we still have are shorter than their spanish cousins who were created decades later. Newer spadone got longer as well.

Generally speaking, the ideal greatsword reaches from the floor to somewhere in your face. Chin to nose for earlier versions, nose to crown for later ones. Taller than you if you're a German Landsknecht with a 7 kg Schlachtschwert and something to prove. Swords on the shorter end are generally easier for beginners to use. Meaning it is time for a handy dandy me-to-sword comparison diagram:

This is where I got the 163 cm number from. I took one of my new woods and measured what height would be good for me. As I hope is obvious, to me the Myers & Hicks proposal is baby. Little tiny sword. Goodbye. The TH03 is literally the length I guesstimated before. Safe. Cute. A good practice length to get the hang of things.

However. As I held the 168 cm Monster of TH04 up to myself I experienced an emotion I hadn't felt since I discovered butches in armor. I kind of liked it. So, to keep myself rational and grounded, I decided to rely on my dear advisor and council:

The council has spoken. TH04 measurements it is.

Up next: I struggle with wood.

Current cost:

12€ for wood.