Sword construction

All parts of a sword have a style; whether intentional decoration, traditional forms, or unintended artifacts of the production process.

Construction begins with design for intent.

If the victim will be stabbed, there must be a point shaped and sharpened to penetrate the armor, clothing, or skin anticipated. The blade must be straight to put the force of the thrust behind the point. The blade must be long enough to reach the victim, or short enough to maneuver in tight confines. The balance (center of mass) of the blade will be close to the grip to make the blade lively; easy to redirect the point toward the target spot on the victim. At the same time, the balance must be far enough forward that the sword will follow the point as it is thrust. The blade must be stiff enough that the power of the thrust will not bend the blade. As a blade bends, the power and angle on the point decreases, and the angle of thrust at the grip is deflected to the side causing the bend to increase and power to further decrease. Fullers (grooves) were used to simultaneously stiffen and lighten the blade. If the blade is also used to slice, a sharpened edge is needed. When the blade is easy to maneuver, both edges can be utilized and are therefore both sharpened.

If the victim will be chopped or slashed, the mass of the sword will be more forward. As the weight increases, it becomes more difficult and time consuming to change the direction the sword is traveling. Only one edge can be readily used, so only one edge is sharpened. Chopping and slashing are enhanced by a curved blade; so the style of swordsmanship will determine how much of the blade is curved and to what degree. If the victim is on the ground with the sword wielder on horseback, or the other way around, then the blade or handle (or both) will be longer. If the weight or length of the sword becomes unwieldy, then two hands are needed.

A blade must be flexible and tough enough to absorb the shocks of use. At the same time it must be hard enough retain a sharp edge through many cuts. Historically, two methods to enhance these attributes were inserting or layering harder alloys within or between softer alloys, and differential hardening of the edge and body of the blade. The latter is a type of heat treatment made legendary among sword fans by the Japanese katana. However, the edge-hardened katana was predated by edge-hardened Chinese jian and dao, Nepalese khukuri, and others.

The sharpened edge will be configured differently depending on: 1-the [[heat treatment|hardness and toughness] of the metal. 2-what degree of chopping, slashing, and slicing is expected. 3-character of the expected target.

The handle of a single-edged chopping sword is usually angled to enhance the chopping action and to give the user tactile feedback of the orientation of the sharpened edge. The handles of double-edged straight swords is in-line with the blade and point for thrusting, and again designed to give tactile feedback of orientation; in this case, of both sharpened edges by the flattened or oval shape of the grip.

The grip must be the appropriate size for the hand holding it. And the material on the surface of the grip must enhance the hand's grip upon it.

It must also be durable to withstand the stresses of its mounting.

The grip must be attached to the sword in a dependable, durable manner.

A guard between the grip and blade might serve several purposes: 1. Prevent hand from sliding forward. 2. Registering the hand on the grip. 3. Prevent opposing blade from reaching the hand. 4. Trapping the opposing blade. 5. Covering the mouth of the scabbard to prevent water and dirt from entering. 6. .........

The pommel serves two principle purposes. 1. Add weight to counter-balance the blade at the appropriate point. 2. A fastening point for the tang of the blade.

Fastening the handle to the sword................

In straight swords, the pommel can also serve as a secondary weapon -- a knob-like protrusion used for striking when the blade points in the wrong direction.