# Communities > Antique Arms & Armour Community > Antique & Military Sword Forum >  Sword rack project

## J.G. Hopkins

After a year of storing my swords on some shelves in the guest room I decided it was time for a proper display/storage solution.  I am not terribly handy--not because I can't learn how to make things, but in general I lack the tools and the willingness to invest in tools.  So, what to do about a display...

I decided that I wanted to buy ready-made rack, but I was not willing to pay very much.  After searching eBay and various online retailers I decided to buy an 8-sword wall display for $29.99 (plus shipping for a total of about $40.00) from KultofAthena.com.  I decided to buy from Kult of Athena for several reasons; their prices matched those found on eBay for similar products, they have a reputation for great customer service, and they accept PayPal.

8-sword wall display from KoA:


The rack is quite nice for the price.  The catch is that it is made for Japanese-style swords, and is therefor too narrow for more hilt-heavy European swords (it measures 13 3/4'' wide x 40'' tall).  This was easy to remedy since the rack is held together with dowels.  After a short trip to my local home improvement store, I was ready to begin modifying my sword rack.

Tools and supplies:


I cut the dowels so that they were twice the length of the previous dowels.  Unfortunately, this means that I need to go back to the store for one more dowel, but at abut $1.50 each, it's not a big deal.  Here is the result of my efforts so far:



In addition to adding the third dowel, I will also be painting the dowels.  I will use leftover wall paint, so when I am finished the dowels will match the color of the wall in the bedroom (which is also a burgundy color, although not quite as dark).  I will update this thread once this rack is complete.  So far I am quite pleased with what I have done.  The total cost for the project will end up at about $45.

Please feel free to comment or make suggestions, or to post your own sword display/storage projects.

All the best,
Jonathan

----------


## Paul G.

J. G.
i have used the same racks in my sword room for a couple of years now. They work beautifully. I store the swords with alternating hilt direction for more clearance. Give yourself adequate room between racks. and make sure they are screwed into a solid backing of course. I painted the whole rack a gloss black..  Paul

----------


## Mark McMorrow

Looks like you're off to a good start  :Smilie: 

This rack seems to be designed for Japanese swords, so if you intend to display swords with larger basket hilts, you might run into issues as regards wall clearance.  Of course, you could always screw 1" shims on the back of the runners to give yourself some space...

----------


## J.G. Hopkins

Paul,
I have considered painting the rack one color, too.  For now I am going to settle for having dowels of a slightly different color to avoid buying paint.  I may re-paint the rack at some point.

Mark,
Thanks.   :Smilie:   I tested my English basket hilt on the rack.  The hilt touches the wall, but that is not a concern for me.  This first rack will be for my Victorian swords, none of which have large inboard guards, so I don't anticipate problems.  When I make my second rack I may need to add some blocks to the back to accommodate the disc hilt of the P1796 HC trooper's sword.

The thing I like about this project is that it will produce a decent-looking rack for less than half the price of the cheapest 4-gun wall racks I found online, and that it is easy and does not take much time to do.  What I did last night took maybe 10 minutes.

Jonathan

----------


## Sean Scott

I needed something for my 20th Century US Cavalry collection, and thought I'd do it myself, since it couldn't be _that_ hard.  Four months later, I finally had something I could use, and I'm rather proud of my first foray into carpentry...



I've decided I don't like the top rack with the M1902s and M1905s in it, so I'm going to build something similar to the bottom rack with the M1913s, but smaller.

----------


## WBranner

> I needed something for my 20th Century US Cavalry collection, and thought I'd do it myself, since it couldn't be _that_ hard.  Four months later, I finally had something I could use, and I'm rather proud of my first foray into carpentry...
> 
> 
> 
> I've decided I don't like the top rack with the M1902s and M1905s in it, so I'm going to build something similar to the bottom rack with the M1913s, but smaller.


Pretty greedy with those Pattons & experimentals. Or is that your retirement plan?

----------


## Sean Scott

> Pretty greedy with those Pattons & experimentals. Or is that your retirement plan?


The idea with the Pattons is to collect one example of each year produced, and each type of the LF&Cs.  I only lack a 1916-dated blade to have that completed.

The experimentals grew by accident.  I bought one Springfield example for the collection, and it had a pigskin officer's scabbard.  Another one came up with an enlisted leather scabbard, so I figured for completeness I'd get that one as well.  I decided to get an Ames for comparison purposes, and then another Ames came up that was 9th Cav marked and with nickeled furniture and blade.  That was just too odd to pass up.  I've also bought an Ames in relic condition so I can explore the construction without damaging one that's in good condition.

----------


## WBranner

Also noted are the knots on the 13s. Repros I assume? Do you have the scabbard variations also? I've not met someone who specialized in them.

I only have one, but it's a 1913 manufacture with a really low serial number (587). It has a blade that was broken & reforged (not so well).

----------


## Sean Scott

About half the saber knots are WPG repros (which are VERY good, by the way).  The other half are a mix of RIA, Boyt, and unmarked saddler's knots, with a Jefferson thrown in.

I also have original knots for the other sabers (a saber is not complete without its knot), but with that method of display the knots just get in each others' way.  That's one reason I'm going to make a different rack.

I have examples of all the scabbard variations; tent peg, tent peg ground off, no tent peg and officer's, with examples in both green and khaki webbing.

----------


## Thomas Powers

When making a wall mount rack it's a good idea to have the spacing match up with the wall structure so that you are fastening into the wood and not just sheetrock.

----------


## WBranner

Here's my newest thing I'm doing. I change my mind regularly. I prefer a non rack type if arrangement and really like an invisible look. My first real success came with using fishing line attached to push pins & it was ok, but made handling them difficult as I always had to string them up again.

Now, I'm using plexiglass that I bend with a heat gun. It works real well although it took a lot of mistakes to get to something practical. It also has the advantage of not needing a lot of support as the pieces are relatively light when hung individually. Another advantage is that the screws into the wall are hidden by the sword/scabbard.

Finally, I like to have some separation so each sword displays on it's own. I want to fill in the spaces with paintings/pictures/photos of the soldiers who carried the sabers and the descriptions to get some kind of context and let anyone who may view them a chance to get all the pertinant info they want without having to listen to me go on and on and on.

Finally, I have some glass shelves I can just set some swords on.

----------


## David Lewis Smith

Looks Like a Nice, Proper Arms Room Sean, well done

----------


## gavin moffat

for what its worth please see my cheapo idea for a rack.
2 lengths of timber with what are sold in the uk as "shaker" coat pegs glued into holes drilled at even intervals.
the photo looks a bit odd as I had probs getting the size of the file down enough to load.

----------


## Glen C.

Although I have some skilz, I am lazy at heart and make do with sheet rock screws and the occasional bit of cord or ribbon for virtually anything I have on the walls. In considering a better way to condense my mess at exhibition, I went looking for ready made solutions to rack cruciform type reproductions on. Rubbermaid to the rescue! I have had this loaded with some twenty swords and it is suprisingly stable. I may get around to painting it basic black but either way, it will be handy for saving table space when out in public. I'm still looking at some other table display solutions and may yet knock together something else to rack some horizontally, or do something like a silverware tray. Upside down dish drainers might be just the ticket. Tacky though.

Cheers

Hotspur; _lots of projects, little impedus_

----------


## Mark McMorrow

Glen,

Isn't there a 'man-law' in effect against using any Rubbermaid products?  :Wink:

----------


## N White

Hmm.  I need to seriously think about improving my storage it seems.  T-Pins in a wall and a dresser drawer for the rest is suddenly very boring.

----------


## Glen C.

> Glen,
> 
> Isn't there a 'man-law' in effect against using any Rubbermaid products?


That's were the basic black stove paint will come in. A huge plus is that it breaks down quickly for transport and storage, while weighing next to nothing.

Man-law would have also dictated I go dig out a cordless electric drill, find the charger and libate while charging today for drilling a bunch of holes (some through stainless) but I went more period (like from when men wore wigs and stockings) and used an old fashioned egg beater type. The batteries recharge quicker with those. 

Cheers

Hotspur; _I did pout some having to wait two weeks for some nails_

----------


## Mark McMorrow

First Rubbermaid, now wigs and stockings?...  You're beginning to weave a disturbing tapestry.

----------


## J.G. Hopkins

Thanks for bumping this topic back to the top.  Seeing it motivated me to dig out the paint and finish this project.  I painted the poplar dowels the same color as the wall.  I think it turned out nicely.  I just need to decide how I want the swords displayed on the rack:

like this...



...or like this?



The rack holds eight swords, but I only have seven on display now because that is the number of Victorian swords in my collection.  I like how this turned out and at some point will be making one for my Georgian swords and one for my miscellaneous swords and bayonets.

Jonathan

----------


## William V.

Finally I want to add my share too  :Smilie: 

If you have a jigsaw and a little time plus some pieces of sand-paper, you might do something like this (see pictures below). 
But I must admit: It's nothing for huge collections as seen above, but might be an interesting acessoir in a corner of the living room, if the lady of the house allows  :Wink: 


William

----------


## Rob O'Reilly

Looks good Jonathan!  Can't wait to see the Georgian display.

Here's my solution to constantly moving nails and repairing screw holes in my wall.

Construction is 2x3 pine in 6' lengths, spaced 20" apart.  Each piece was stained and mounted using 3 x 2.5" screws into secure drywall mounts (as none of the planks lined up with a stud).  Swords are hung on simple brass cup holders, which can be easily bent to accommodate the scabbards or pinched to hold bare blades.

Apart from the obvious space saving the biggest advantage is how easy the hooks can be moved to accommodate additions or removals.  Thanks to Richard for the idea!

Rob

----------


## Glen C.

> First Rubbermaid, now wigs and stockings?...  You're beginning to weave a disturbing tapestry.


I guess I'll not mention breaking a couple of nails but I'm not sure I like the color and shaping anyway.

That looks great Jonathan. If it were me, I'd face them the same way, if wanting to focus on the hilts. Though, alternating does make the eye catch the whole sword individually.

Cheers

Hotspur; _the tapestry would be in the other loom_

----------


## J.G. Hopkins

Rob,
I love your display.  I may need to give that a whirl for the Georgian swords since they are not as regularly shaped as the Victorian swords, or for all swords at a much later date.  Thanks for posting your collection display again!

Jonathan

----------


## J.G. Hopkins

Glen,
Thank you for your opinion.  I prefer having the hilts all together, too.  They are now displayed as they appear in the first image.   :Smilie: 

Jonathan

----------


## Rob O'Reilly

> Rob,
> I love your display.  I may need to give that a whirl for the Georgian swords since they are not as regularly shaped as the Victorian swords, or for all swords at a much later date.  Thanks for posting your collection display again!
> 
> Jonathan


My pleasure Jonathan.  Sadly the wall has been dismantled as we have the house up for sale.  The real estate agent said potential buyers might find it 'intimidating'...go figure.  Collection has changed a bit too.  

Rob

----------


## David Critchley

> Looks good Jonathan!  Can't wait to see the Georgian display.
> 
> Here's my solution to constantly moving nails and repairing screw holes in my wall.
> 
> Construction is 2x3 pine in 6' lengths, spaced 20" apart.  Each piece was stained and mounted using 3 x 2.5" screws into secure drywall mounts (as none of the planks lined up with a stud).  Swords are hung on simple brass cup holders, which can be easily bent to accommodate the scabbards or pinched to hold bare blades.
> 
> Apart from the obvious space saving the biggest advantage is how easy the hooks can be moved to accommodate additions or removals.  Thanks to Richard for the idea!
> 
> Rob



I use the same approach Rob, but I hang the spadroons and smallswords vertically under the sabres.
As mine is a cabinet the heavier straight swords cutlasses and 1796 heavy cavalry patterns are hung vertically on the side walls. The 1788 LCs are on the right door because of their length.



David

----------


## David Lewis Smith

> I'm still looking at some other table display solutions and may yet knock together something else to rack some horizontally, or do something like a silverware tray. Upside down dish drainers might be just the ticket. Tacky though.


Glen Have you thought about Acrylic 'risers' or Acrylic knife display stands.  the display stands work well with knives and swords with shorter guards.   Long thing risers come in different heights and can be turned up side down and the same profile as the knife stand, a "V" notch cut in to them to hold swords at a good angle for viewing. With different heights in risers  you can display a good many swords on a horizontal surface and the clear acrylic does not detract from the swords as a dish drainer might.

I think I am going to get one of those rubber made stands for the stuff I have in project stage in my work room (Man Cave)  


Icepick; _any man manly enough to break a nail is to manly to make fun of, why did you not go to the hardware store to buy new nails_?

----------


## Christopher Stephen

Hello all, First post here!
Very nice collections Gentlemen!
I've just started collecting myself and hope to someday hav'a a sword rack filled with the same kind of gems similar to your own!

All I've got now is a WW1 Spanish artillery sword and a Type 32 Japanese Cavalry saber..but it's a start  :Big Grin: 

Anyways, greetings and thanks for the eye-candy!

Chris

----------


## Mark Cloke

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the forum!

You may like to start a new thread and introduce yourself and say what your interests are etc.  

I'm sure you will get a lot from the forum.  It's a great place to learn and I think I learn something new just about every time I visit.

----------


## A.Ducote

It is truly amazing what man can accomplish with a skill saw and some imagination. 

Very nice work.  


Ande

----------


## WBranner

I've finished (for now) two walls in my play room. I also keep a web page with everything on it and it's mostly kept current.

At home, I've decided to add some pictures & descriptions to let folks get info if they want it. It saves me from boring people and they can always ask me for more info which I am happy to provide.

You can see it here (http://www.smallwebs.com/Swords). There are links on the top two photos to get more info on what is up there.

----------


## David Lewis Smith

That is very nice, I really like how that came out, museum like in appearance.

Well done

----------


## J.G. Hopkins

Wayne,
Your display is wonderful--well done!  I like the informational plaques.

Jonathan

----------


## WBranner

> Wayne,
> You display is wonderful--well done!  I like the informational plaques.
> 
> Jonathan


Whenever someone comes in & asks something, I don't want to take them to the point of wanting to run screaming from my house. This way, I figure they can get some basics and if interested, I'll more than add enough details.

----------


## Dmitry Z~G

Here's my take on this.

----------


## R.E.Herron

This sword cabinet was the result of an opportunity I had to work in a South American country where the wood costs more than the labor of the master woodcarver.  I wish now I had hired Guido to build me more stuff, but this and a matching bookcase are what I came home with.  The only problem was that I ran out of room in the cabinet, but then that led me to adopt my current collecting philosophy...I'll only buy a new item if I'm willing to part with something already in my collection.  My collection is small, but that philosophy has ended up saving me a lot of money.

----------


## FJ Ferrero

> This sword cabinet was the result of an opportunity I had to work in a South American country where the wood costs more than the labor of the master woodcarver.


R.E. yes, I agree, labour is cheap for these kind of things in Argentina. I had these made some few months ago. I have about 8 of these in my library. Of course these are individual displays and they take too much space... but fortunately I have enough room... and am working on a bigger one, one that can hold at least 12 sabres. I'll post pictures of it when I'm done.

rgds,
Fed

----------


## Rob O'Reilly

Well done Wayne,

I should take a page from your information displays, as my wife tells I'm frequently providing way more info to visitors then they need...guess we're all a bit passionate about swords here.

Having just moved last month I only last night unpacked and mounted my swords, having spent the last 7 months in a crate...go figure the real estate agents thought that having them displayed while trying to sell the house my intimidate prospective buyers.  Bah!

Anyways I will post a pic once display complete.

Rob

----------


## FJ Ferrero

> Here's my solution to constantly moving nails and repairing screw holes in my wall.
> 
> Rob


Hi Rob, I'm curious. The #6 saber counting from the top of the right rack, is that a p1796 with a brass scabbard? I can see the two p1796 light cavalry on the left rack #3 and #4.. but was just curious about this one. Too bad you had to tear this down.

Wayne, beatiful display. You have a museum at home  :Wink:  The link wasn't working for me before, but I just saw the webpage, very nice indeed!

Fed

----------


## George Wheeler

Some very neat methods of sword display gentlemen.  I made up a couple of display boards for my office years ago.  Now they hang in my den.  They are simply rough cut cedar and the swords and belts are hung from what are essentially brass cup hooks.  Simple and easy to make.

The two boards hold a Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) sword and a Sons of Veterans (SV) sword.  I also put the appropriate sword belts and hangers on the boards along with cap wreath insignias.  All items are easily removable to change swords if desired.  

George

----------


## J.G. Hopkins

> Some very neat methods of sword display gentlemen.


I agree, George.  Yours included, of course!   :Smilie:   I like how you have incorporated the belts and accoutrements into the display, as well.

You all are giving me ideas for future display possibilities.

Jonathan

----------


## Rob O'Reilly

Fed,

Yes it is in the style of the 1796, though the scabbard appears to be copper.  I suspect it was used for a flank officer because the blade curvature is a bit more pronounced than a LC sword.

Tearing it down was saddening but it has been re-built in my new home and is proudly displayed beside me as I type this.

Rob

Rob


> Hi Rob, I'm curious. The #6 saber counting from the top of the right rack, is that a p1796 with a brass scabbard? I can see the two p1796 light cavalry on the left rack #3 and #4.. but was just curious about this one. Too bad you had to tear this down.
> 
> Wayne, beatiful display. You have a museum at home  The link wasn't working for me before, but I just saw the webpage, very nice indeed!
> 
> Fed

----------


## morgan butler

This is always one of my favorite topics. I love seeing collections in there totality. I will have to get around to taking an updated pic of my main display. Though not all the swords on it are antiques. I sort of have those spread throughout my home. I even use clear plastic bulletin board pins on my light spadroons. They work fine!

----------


## Jeroen Zuiderwijk

Great to see this thread at this time, I was just looking for inspiration how to attach my swords to the wall. I'm a bit torn between mounting them vertically (easy) or in an arc (more tricky, when new swords are added). But attaching a few bars of wood to the wall, and use those to attach the fasteners to hold the swords definately will safe me a lot of hole filling whenever I want to rearrange my collection. The swords having a lot of variation in length makes it tricky as well. Hmm... still have to do some thinking! :Smilie:

----------


## FJ Ferrero

Thanks Rob for the pic. Yes I can see the pronounced curve, and also the blade looks a bit different from the classic p1796. But I really like this version, I like the curve. It is really well preserved!

Fed




> Fed,
> 
> Yes it is in the style of the 1796, though the scabbard appears to be copper.  I suspect it was used for a flank officer because the blade curvature is a bit more pronounced than a LC sword.
> 
> Tearing it down was saddening but it has been re-built in my new home and is proudly displayed beside me as I type this.
> 
> Rob
> 
> Rob

----------


## Cameron Rodgers

Hi all,
I also wasn't overly excited with the range available so I made my  own after seeing other examples here.
Here are my efforts.......

----------


## WBranner

... well out of reach of young hands, I see.

----------


## J.G. Hopkins

Nicely done, Cam!   :Smilie:

----------


## morgan butler

Cam,

Your picture didnt go up. Can you re-post it please?

----------


## WBranner

2 1821s & an 1853

----------


## jonpalombi

> I use the same approach Rob, but I hang the spadroons and smallswords vertically under the sabres.
> As mine is a cabinet the heavier straight swords cutlasses and 1796 heavy cavalry patterns are hung vertically on the side walls. The 1788 LCs are on the right door because of their length.
> 
> 
> David


*Hey David,*
                          In a word, *"WOW!!!"* Your collection is very, very impressive.  I love all of the lion-headed pommels.  I've been dabbing the drool from my chin for 5 minutes!   :Big Grin: 

Frankly, I admire soooooo many of the collections shared in this thread (like *ALL* of them), that I really should have replied to each of you guys.  Even so, for the sake of brevity, I will simply say, *"Really fine collections, all of you Gentlemen!"*  :Cool:

----------


## hc bright

I'm still using the hall tree for mine. Hmm...

----------

