smart idea. The attention to still making it look nice is a point of your own pride and I dig that about you bub!
I may attempt one for my own use. How about a quick parts list? I have a nice piece of pvc tailpipe not being used that wouls look swell
Would it be a good idea to make it a little heavy so that stamina and strength can be built as well? That way the "show" saber would be lighter…kinda like the old baseball bat donut thingy?
Thanks! Now I'd have to head back to Lowes for exact part names, but this is a project you can mostly eyeball (maybe bring callipers to measure inside/outside diameters).
The hilt is a pipe diameter that can fit a 1" OD saber blade. Because my blade pipe was NOT 1" OD, I had to use couplers to fit it together. Thus it looks like a fancy emitter, but it's hacking a basic problem.
It's actually more stable to have a blade that slides into the hilt as you can sink it in farther (even all the way if the blade is long enough). The blade could be 3/4" ID PEX or 1" wooden dowel.
Next time I'm at Lowes, I'll jot down some specs. But this was mainly built by wandering the plumbing aisle with slices of pipe scrap I used for sizing confirmation and my calliper to double check as I had a few different ideas in mind depending on what I found.
As for weight, I suspect erring on the side of heavier will help in the long term, but in the near term starting out, I not only lack the skill to flip and catch, but also the muscles to move and control that much weight. A case could be made for keeping it as light as possible until I've got a semblance of skill.
I do stress that you need to get the balance as near to what you intend to perform with. Otherwise you'll be developing muscle memory for compensating on a specific balance and be thrown off with the real thing. Getting that balance kind of forces the weight choice on me as I'm stuck with what the blade weighs and can only influence the hilt to strike that balance.
Note that in my plan, I'll be learning flips and tosses that I expect to drop this alot. I'm not going to use this to practice sparring, I've got actual sabers for that. So there's a different durability requirement.