How to Make a Saya (Japanese Sword Scabbard) with Walter Sorrells

Noted swordsmith Walter Sorrells demonstrates how he makes a shirasaya (a so-called "resting scabbard") used for storing Japanese swords and knives.
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[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

This was probably the first video I posted. I was going to have somebody else do the voice-over, but that fell through so I just did it myself. Now it seems a little goofy next to the other videos...but, hey, there's no going back!

[@rocknut144]

wonderfully insightful but would you use the same basic techniques the put a strait blade in a staff or would you split pre prepared staff part way I ask solely for educational uses thank you

[@The_Joker_]

Walter Sorrells You kinda sound like Jack Nicholson Nice voiceover 👍

[@jordanstevens8132]

Jordan Stevens thinks you should rerecord the audio. He also thinks that referring to oneself in the third person is now essential for proper woodworking.

[@NieroshaiTheSable]

Noted swordsmith Walter Sorrells notably notes his own notability in the third person.

[@charlesballiet7074]

truly a noteworthy observation

[@sinkhole777]

I must make a note of that

[@darrell840]

😝😝 I came here to comment something very similar. I love that guy

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

The traditional japanese wood is ho or honoki, a form of Japanese magnolia. It's quite hard to find decent quality honoki outside of Japan, so I generally use alder. But other soft woods like poplar will work. The key thing is that you want a soft, dry, non-resinous wood which won't scratch up the blade or cause it to rust or discolor.

[@marcospacondo4136]

Music background title please.

[@andrewdowker7115]

Great as always Walter, particularly like the self narration. So serious yet so hilarious all at the same time!!! Plus you even got the tradition japanese music in the background, genius. Couldn't stop switching back and forth between very contrasting emotions. Reminded me of church when I was young. Thank you!!! Magnificent!!!!!! :)))

[@stizan24]

That was creepy you talking about yourself in the third person.

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

+stizan24 First video I did, if I recall correctly. After doing this about three times, I stopped doing the third person thing.

[@starman2214]

+Walter Sorrells I just made my first knife yesterday. many thanks.

[@ModernBladesmith]

+starman 22 iv'e made five knives, and each time i got a nice cut... except twice. twice my blades cracked when quenching .

[@stizan24]

I am starting on ugly knife #3. this one might not be so ugly. I learned a TON on ugly knife #1 and 2. #1 is a full tank camp knife with an oak handle. #2 is a hidden tang hunter with a salted willow handle and a steel guard. #3 is going to be a full tang skinner.

[@ModernBladesmith]

stizan24 haha "ugly knife #3" same here, all of mine are super sharp and durable (except the cracked ones). the only problem is i never can get them to look like i want them too. they look like crap. have fun, and good luck. i hope #3 turns out great for you.

[@Mikanoes]

FUCKING THANK YOU! Apparently Google has never heard of the kind of wood used to make Japanese sheaths. I just spent ten minutes looking up what kind of wood they were made of. And even scraping the bottom of the barrel and looking up "saya" on wikipedia didn't even ATTEMPT to tell me what the wood was. THANK YOU!

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@azreal289 It's a little complicated to explain, but normally it's carved as a single separate piece, then dovetailed into the saya. You can make them from wood or buffalo horn or whatever. (There are also metal ones, some of which are held on by a band around the saya. ) If you're really into figuring out the details, there's a very in-depth explanation on the video that you can find on the web site listed at the bottom of the video.

[@TheLiamis]

Superb work. I love that the US has so many great carpenters (I watch a lot of house builder videos).

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

Generally swords are straightened before sayas are made for them. It's not super hard to do if you're really careful about not overbending. The reason is that the bigger the bend, the wider all the components would have to be, making things rattle around. Not sure about the handle without seeing a picture, so I'm afraid I'm not much use in helping you with that! :)

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

The pin is just friction fitted. It's tapered, so you whack it in with a little bitty hammer and until it's firmly seated. You have to check it periodically, of course, because it wears and loosens over time.

[@hmingthanacolney2974]

An old video, to remind you that you looked cool back then too and that you have come a real long way since then.

[@BINDRUNE]

My favorite store ! :) thanks Walter!

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

Interesting. I haven't used yellow cedar. You mention that it's harder than red cedar. The one potential issue (not knowing the wood myself) might be that you want the wood to be super soft. Also, cedar has some aromatic qualities which might involve compounds that could accellerate rust. But for all I know they might be rust inhibitors, too! Just throwing that out there. As to the square...it's a decorative touch, but it can also be used to adjust/tighten worn mekugi holes on older sayas.

[@amandarosiska]

Wow. That's amazing!

[@jojoismyname08]

wow, even the scabbard making is an artwork in itself!

[@londiniumarmoury7037]

Going to be doing my first katana and saya soon, wish me luck. Nice video and inspiration.

[@carloko08]

good luck with your labor, dude, when you finish it show us in a video to see how was the work, greetings

[@AzriAzhari]

dude, seriously, i love your job :D

[@pasquale78]

2:46 Perfection, right there.

[@tindra98765]

nice work

[@Toddwa05]

This video makes me want to go and make one right now!

[@MAS4T0]

The shirasaya is ONLY for storage... The shirasaya was used to store a blade which was not being used, as the bare wood (without laquer) retained much less moisture and would not cause degradation of the blade. Most blades mounted in shirasaya would also have a set of functional mounts, which the blade would be transferred into if the blade were to actually be used. There were instances when functional weapons were disguised as canes or other items which at times resemble shirasaya mounts.

[@kenpachi316]

thanks for this video mate!

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@Kenshinhiri A tanto is theoretically anything less than one shaku in blade length (roughly a foot). This blade is right at a foot long, so it's a tanto.

[@RLAMultimedia]

Wow, very impressive! Found this after searching for a way to make sheaths for some training knives I'm creating. This goes above and beyond what I'd need but the process is simply incredible. such detail!

[@alainportant6412]

do it

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@calmackie I don't offset the mune (spine) at all, but the blade side is offset just enough so that you can give the sharp edge a little pocket to rest on. As you suggest, it makes it likely that the blade will slice the joint open otherwise. That little pocket or shelf or offset or whatever you want to call it is quite small -- maybe a hair more than a sixteenth of an inch or roughly 2mm.

[@GothicPotato2]

Would love to see you talk about making a saya for kitchen knives! Various ones can be found online right now, but would be good to get your insight into it.

[@MrLeonidas0001]

He made that look way too easy! Hah! Great video.

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@kakashi1578 Yeah, it's on my to-do list! These videos (the full-length ones that you can find on my web site, not the little excerpts that I post on KZbin) take about six month to make, so I've been putting off the one about making habakis.

[@No0tj3]

very very very cool

[@wigwam5409]

thanks, good video

[@MyDantheman11]

awesome, this vid is really useful

[@borg0110]

love your vids sire

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@Ailtin731 It's a plane. This is the Japanese style plane which has a wooden body. Western planes have metal bodies and operate on a push stroke instead of a pull stroke. But they both do the same thing. You can find Japanese planes at Japan Woodworker, among other places. You can find them online.

[@TheJuggalo909]

could I use a western style plane to form a scabbard, is there a reason to use a pull plane

[@QuantumMechanic_88]

Fascinating and proud there is an American master .

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

I vary that a bit depending on the overall size of the blade. But somewhere in the range of 11/64" to 13/64". Generally you want to keep it a little under a quarter inch.

[@mrbishi1000]

thanks Walter

[@BulletCastDuo]

Seems like Walter is a realy cool guy =)

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@Elozar100 There's no one-size-fits-all answer, unfortunately. If the split is on the joint, then it's not that big a deal to force it open a little, inject glue into it, then close it up to dry. If the split is in the grain, the same thing can be done...but it's harder. Ultimately, unless you're doing artistic restoration of an old saya, the best solution is to make a new one. In the end, a scabbard is a consumable. They've only got so much use in them before they give up the ghost!

[@jonass9933]

You've done good Walter.

[@gonzosc1]

hey Walter. planning on building a sword, I have your sword forging video already and hope to get the others also. my question is about using hard woods. if I were to use a hard wood like wenge is it possible to line the inside with something that would not scratch the blade? or have you tried something like this? also, tools for hard woods. are there different styles of tools that would make cutting into hardwood easier?

[@shintai88]

Thanks for the vid very educational. I am planning to make a saya for my katana, as its cracked, and the so has the handle. The blade however is slightly bend and uneven, The Spine is however straight, I want to know if its possible to still make a saya for such a blade. Also the blade does not have the same handle half instead its a straight body with an end for a bolt. Any advice how I could make a handle for such a body.

[@robertbrunston5406]

Thanks

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@combatcommand You can check the web site listed on the bottom of the video for info about my blades (though at the moment I'm not taking new orders). The so-called "tanto point" -- a wedge-shaped point used in western tactical knives -- actually has no relation to the geometry of Japanese tantos. The term was used by a prominent American knife manufacturer because it sounded cool, not because it was shaped like traditional Japanese blades.

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@DeviantDCLXVI It's a pretty involved process and takes a lot of work. So the amount of time depends on how involved you want to make it. A simple shirasaya -- a plain wooden scabbard -- might take me six or eight hours (that's a very rough guess) whereas a more involved mounting might take ten times that. Anybody is capable of doing it...but realistically your first attempts will be fairly rough!

[@ReiMonCoH]

Oh.. That's pretty cool

[@arubian06]

@slappybuckshot do you have to chisel both pieces of wood to fit the blade and the hilt in??

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

Namikawa Heibei sells them. You may be able to find them at some specialty hardware suppliers like Highland Hardware and Japan Woodworker, too.

[@kakashi1578]

So, i've seen almost all the steps about making a blade in these videos, but the one that i havent seen is how to make the Habaki, do you plan to make a video about making one?

[@humanoidHD]

wow this is cool

[@angeloinferno6553]

Alright, thanks. What about for the tsuka? Since the blade doesn't (or at least shouldn't) slide around in the tsuka would a hard wood like maple work there?

[@tkdhammer]

So is there actually a bit of space on the side of the blade inside the saya? It only touches the edge, tip, and spine as you said

[@onebelligerentbeagle]

He is narrating his own video in third person.

[@SpencerBelanger207]

laughing the whole time because the narrator is the man in the video so he is talking in third person, but thanks for the video I wish to start making wooden sheaths so video research is where I'm starting.

[@ot0m0t0]

Geroge is getting upset!

[@xinfinity8532]

Does polishing Katanavs remove steel

[@64t120r]

Yes. However, if you do it properly, it won't be enough steel to change your fit.

[@Kurokubi]

X Infinity I recommend sending it off to a togishi (blade polisher) if it's an expensive katana. If you want to learn how to polish, you should try doing it with cheap knives and katana. But yes, it does remove steel. That's why I suggest sending it off. You can mess up the geometry (the distinct angles of the blade) like the kisaki (the tip of the blade) and end up rounding them all off.

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@kakashi1578 Yeah, I'll get around to it eventually. Not enough hours in the day!

[@jamesmgordon83]

Great video, as always. I did laugh at how you refer to yourself in the third person during the narration

[@l.k9874]

I was laughing about this as well but he honestly does incredible work.

[@blacktemplar2207]

thats a beautiful wakizashi :D

[@shark8837]

Hello. Please advise. Maybe you know a master who can order a saya for a wakizasi with two pockets: for a kogai and a kozuki? I can't find it on the Internet.

[@maruj666]

how to do get the pin to stay in the handle? The mikugi? do you use a glue?

[@dusanpavlovic2201]

should i out lining inside of katana scabbard, was that used and what are benefits of lining, my scabbard takes of any oil i put on my blade how to solve that

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@grizou31 Alder. Poplar works if you can't find Alder. The traditional Japanese wood used called ho or honoki, which is a form of magnolia.

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@azreal289 If you've got cabinet making experience you shouldn't have too much trouble. You just have to chisel out a friction-fit slot onto the face of the saya, then slide the kurigata in and glue it.

[@shintai88]

Also I am planning to buy some of the equipment, could you give me a list of what I will need. So far I have found this vice, but not sure if its suitable.

[@SubaruWRC1996]

I've bought a decent katana but the handle is white but it comes with a black sheath. is it possible to buy a white sheath for it

[@mcneeseremalf28]

Great to see that stodoys has new instructions to save my money and energy to build it.

[@JDubbsTheDuelist]

I am hoping someone can answer my question because I looked on the internet and it tells me nothing. So I have a shirasaya sword with a very small chip that is almost impossible to see and was wondering if there is any safe method to take it apart without breaking the handle or anything in order to do maintenance on the blade? Probably a dumb question but I never dealt with shirasaya swords before

[@DylanHilliard1]

Beautiful work. Where would one purchase this type of blade and how much would it cost?

[@TheBlazingak]

Incredibly vague question. Shirasay is a type of mounting. The blades go from very cheap to well into the ten thousands for antique nihonto blades.

[@dusanpavlovic2201]

can i finish saya with latex, acrylic or nitro paint and make it look smooth and shiny like i used oil based paint?

[@earljohnson5990]

its an aromatic but different than Red (Thuja plicata). Harder than but still a softwood (conifer). Marginally harder than alder and aspen. Doubt it would cause rust but not certain. I'm not a woodworker or artist, but I work as a forester and faller. I'm new to katanas but love everything about them and like to educate myself. Sorry to see your products aren't available for sale. Perusing your website, you have excellent teaching skills. Love your philosophy. Regards

[@earljohnson5990]

Have you used Yellow Cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis)? It has all the qualities you describe + it has anti-bacterial/fungal properties similar to Red Cedar but harder. It lasts w/out rot for 100's of years.The density between the early and late wood in almost identical making it one of the best carving woods. BC exports the whole large logs to Japan for use as temple posts. I see you squared out the area surrounding the pin and used another wood for support. Alder split without? Great video :)

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

Exactly. You're more or less doing half on one side and half on the other. There are some subtleties to it because you don't want the cutting edge resting on the joint...but that's the basic idea.

[@angeloinferno6553]

Would maple be a good substitute? I've used it for western style knife handles but I'm starting to move into eastern style weapon design.

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

Personally I wouldn't recommend pine because it tends to have a lot of sap in it. It also tends to have a heavy grain that can fight you when you're trying to make a smooth surface. My recommendation (at least as far as domestic woods goes) would be alder first and poplar second.

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

@dylankunaikennedy123 Sure. Japanese defensive knives -- known as tantos -- were mounted in the same manner as longer blades.

[@dasdew2]

What about the hole for the sageo? How do i do that for a full size saya?

[@ChishioAme]

For some reason, I find it somewhat amusing that, in the beginning, the narrator refers to the tanto as a 'small knife' when, typically, the blade was anywhere from 7-12 inches in length. That's about the size of both a bowie and kukri, which are traditionally thought of as large knives.

[@BentoFox2969]

Ah, good old walter xD

[@sentientbeing8738]

10 years, holy shit.

[@dameongray6412]

I don't know if you'll see this comment or not, but I was wondering if this would technically work for a scabbard for a camping knife because I don't want to use traditional leather or kydex

[@chadwicmears]

Top notch :)

[@jadenlowes7927]

I got his name wrong, it’s actually Woody Hyezmar, who was going to sell his collection of woodworking plans but now is giving it for free on his website!

[@BINDRUNE]

Where do you buy a saya chisel?

[@DreddPirateRoberts]

3:32 - I would think that it would be ideal for the wood to be bent to match the curvature of the blade.

[@cameronferguson1217]

where do you get your wood

[@FamousLegend07]

Does anyone know how I could achieve a reflective surface on my katana sheath ?

[@shakeelahmed332]

FamousLegend07 Couple coatings of lacquer should do the trick

[@dusanpavlovic2201]

how much did you price your katana back in the day

[@MADDOGEXXX]

lol I thought it was funny. I did really enjoy your video, I would like one day to create my own masterpeice in the form of a Katana, Im sure I will use the things I learned in this video to craft a scabbard for it.

[@darthbas1100]

I have a Katana however the Saya was made poorly to say the least, the Katana doesn't lock in the Saya and it moves around in it and even a slight tilt down and the Katana comes out. It was a $230 dollar Katana, any suggestions on fixing this? I was going to see if I can get a thine peace of wood and glue it in side the Saya so it locks the Katana in.

[@xinfinity8532]

Darth Ba`s Make a new Saya or just buy a new one

[@jbli19]

hey what wood is it

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

Unfortunately routers can't be used to make high quality sayas. Believe me, everybody who makes these things has tried it! But because the scabbard needs to fit relatively tightly, and because the geometry of the sword varies over the length of the blade, there's no way a router can do it. Plus, you'd need to make a separate jig for every blade you made...which would take about as long as carving the scabbard by hand...

[@RegTarg011]

Isn't that a Wakizashi(short sword), not a Tanto(the Knife)?

[@TheAdeptGuitarist]

and here Walter talks in the third person perspective the whole video

[@avinash706dc]

i visited your website but there is no katana for sale.. so how am i going to purchase it then?

[@xinfinity8532]

avinash706dc visit kult of Athena website, countless of Katana's available

[@kakashi1578]

@slappybuckshot *Sigh*, it must get tiring to repeat whats said in the video in the comments XD Oh and also, i saw that your Habaki video was made, so are you going to make a shortened version for this channel?

[@shakeelahmed332]

Somebody correct me if i'm wrong but i thought shirasaya were a lot thinner that the one shown in this video

[@BatangasArmory]

indeed

[@dustinsharp2319]

"blank" is traditionally done this way, but here walter takes a modern shortcut...

[@tylerharvey8671]

+Dustin Sharp Same result, only much quicker.

[@xinfinity8532]

+Dustin Sharp whats wrong with taking a modern shortcut eh, thats what I do not understand about traditional japanese smiths, they also want the fittings to be traditionally made when you can easily use modern methods which is faster and cheaper

[@imjustlookingformydog896]

X Infinity sometimes hand tools can be better because it allows you to be more precise and careful

[@vinland5558]

I always heard that wood like alder isn't good for blade making because it was too soft. Is that wrong or was it just used because of it's availability?

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

It's used for scabbard making specifically because it is soft and won't scratch up your blade. But you're absolutely right that it would make a terrible material for the handle of, say, a hunting knife.

[@vinland5558]

Walter Sorrells That makes sense. I tried something similar on a knife I made a few weeks ago, handle and scabbard was entirely made out of rosewood, carving a slot in it was quite difficult especially since it's something I'm new at, used birch for part of a handle on a new knife and it was much easier. Also I found out that I was allergic to rosewood, ended up having some throat swelling and large rashes on my neck and arms. I had to get a friend to do the final sanding on it.

[@elcap420]

Please tell me that Walter isn't putting his bare fingers on the blade of a nihonto?

[@constantinechung]

Mr. Sorrells, out of curiosity, which part of america is your accent from?

[@WalterSorrellsBlades]

I live in the South. But to complicate things, I went to college in the Northeast and my father grew up outside New York City, so my accent sounds southern to northerners and northern to southerners.

[@BernieFromTheInternet]

*narrating in the third person* XD

[@spikebaltar5071]

not sure if this is the real walter

[@BernieFromTheInternet]

Hans jerkov like in highlander... THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!!

[@spikebaltar5071]

i think the one saying in third person is the camera man

[@SimbaSoundPower]

Lolll i was trying to get my head around that too

[@steelwarrior105]

+Hans jerkov no it's Walter.

[@XiethXander]

And that's the reason why nowadays scabbards can't withstand a swords slash. In the past scabbards are not only used to house the sword but can be used two handed one hand with sword one hand with scabbard to deflect or block.