Stavecradle Hand Made Walnut Two Tier Sword Display Stand | Holds Two Swords | Brass Lined Cradles and Thumb Screws with Mjolnir Engraving | Norse Home Gift | RK-1731

A two tier sword display stand cut and turned from solid American black walnut, built to hold two blades horizontally at roughly eye level on a shelf, a mantel or a sideboard. Four cradles carry the swords, and every one of them is lined with black felt and capped in solid brass, so the only thing that ever touches your blade is soft cloth or a soft non ferrous metal. The two uprights are turned on a lathe, the back panel carries a cut Mjolnir, and brass thumb screws let you snug the uprights down once the stand is standing where you want it.

There is a practical reason a good stand holds a sword flat rather than point down. A blade left standing inside its scabbard traps moisture against the steel, and a blade balanced on its point puts the whole weight of the sword onto the smallest and thinnest part of it. Laying the sword across two padded cradles spreads that weight along the flat of the blade, keeps the edge clear of any hard surface, and lets air move across both faces. Collections have cradled blades this way for well over a century for exactly those reasons. This stand is cut, turned, sanded and oiled in Memphis, Tennessee, and it arrives ready to bolt together with the hex key packed in the box.

Specifications

How the cradle spacing is worked out

The spacing between the two cradles on a tier is the part most display stands get wrong. Set them too close together and a long blade see saws on the slightest knock. Set them too far apart and the guard sits inside the near cradle, which means the sword can slide sideways until the guard drops off the wood and the whole thing comes down. On this stand the cradles are set so that a full length arming sword or Viking sword rests with the guard sitting outside the near cradle and the last third of the blade carried by the far one. The guard then acts as a stop in one direction and the taper of the blade acts as a stop in the other, and the sword has to be deliberately lifted to come off.

The upper tier is set slightly wider than the lower one for the same reason. Longer blades go on top where the extra span supports them, and shorter blades, seaxes, daggers or a sheathed scabbard go on the lower tier. The cradles are cut as a deep U rather than a shallow saddle, so the blade sits down inside the curve rather than perching on top of it. That extra depth is what stops a rounded diamond section blade from rolling.

Black walnut, brass and felt

Black walnut is used here because it is dimensionally stable, it takes a crisp cut for the engraving, and it darkens gently rather than going orange the way some cheaper hardwoods do. Each stand is cut from solid stock rather than veneered board, which means the chamfer on the plinth and the turned profile on the uprights show real end grain and figure instead of a printed face. The wood is sanded to a fine grit and finished with a hard wax oil that soaks in and cures rather than sitting on top as a plastic film. If the stand ever gets scuffed you can sand the mark and re oil the patch, which is not possible with a lacquered finish.

The cradle caps and the thumb screws are solid brass. Brass is chosen deliberately because it is softer than a hardened blade and it does not rust, so a cap that brushes the flat of a sword will not scratch it and will not leave a rust bloom behind. Under the brass the cradles are lined with dense black felt, cut and bonded in by hand, which is the surface that actually carries the blade. Felt is soft, it holds no water, and it does not hold grit the way a foam pad does.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel, the leather or the wood. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On this stand the natural place for it is the back panel of the plinth, which is where the Mjolnir sits, or the front face of the plinth if you would rather the lettering faced the room. See the engraving page for how the cutting is done and what lengths of text sit well on a walnut panel.

Mounting and display

This is a freestanding stand and it does not need to be fixed to anything. The plinth is wide enough and heavy enough to carry two full length swords without tipping, provided the stand is on a level surface and the swords are laid on with the guards in the same direction rather than opposed. Felt feet under the plinth keep it from marking a polished shelf and stop it creeping on a hard surface.

Give yourself a little more clearance than you think you need. A full length sword laid across the upper tier will overhang the base by a good margin at both ends, so a shelf that is deep enough is less important than one that is long enough and clear of anything at head height. If the stand is going somewhere with foot traffic or a door that swings, put the heavier blade on the lower tier to keep the centre of gravity down. The stand also works well on a mantel with the engraved panel facing the room, in which case set the swords on with the guards to the left so the engraving is not hidden behind a pommel.

Care

Dust the walnut with a dry cloth. Every year or so, wipe a small amount of furniture oil or hard wax oil onto a cloth and work it into the wood, then buff it off after a few minutes. Do not use a silicone spray polish, because it builds a slick film that stops future oiling from soaking in. Keep the stand out of direct sunlight where you can, since strong sun will lighten walnut over time.

The brass will develop a warm patina, which most people prefer. If you want it bright again, a little metal polish on a cotton bud will bring it back, and you should keep the polish off the wood and off the felt. Brush the felt out with a soft brush now and then, because grit trapped in a cradle is the one thing on this stand that can mark a blade. If a sword is going to live on the stand rather than in a scabbard, wipe the blade with a light coat of oil first and follow the notes on steel care.

Made in Memphis

The walnut is cut, turned, sanded, engraved and oiled in our shop in Memphis, Tennessee. Nothing here is drop shipped from an importer catalogue and nothing arrives at our door already finished with our name added to it. Because each stand is made when it is ordered, allow one to two weeks of processing before it ships, and longer if you have asked for custom engraving, because the engraving is cut before the finish goes on. Shipping inside the United States is free.

A note on handmade variation

This stand is hand made, not machine made and not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Walnut varies. One plinth will run chocolate brown with a straight grain, the next will show a lighter sapwood streak or a burst of figure across the chamfer, and the turned uprights will each catch the light a little differently depending on where in the board they came from. The depth and the exact character of the engraved Mjolnir vary slightly too, because it is cut rather than printed. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the sword in the photograph included

No. The stand is sold on its own. The sword in the photograph is there to show scale and how a blade sits in the cradles.

Will it hold a katana or a longsword

It will hold most straight full length swords and it will hold a katana, although a strongly curved blade sits with the curve up and the tip a little higher than a straight blade would. Very heavy two hand swords are better on the lower tier.

Can I use it for a sheathed sword

Yes. A sword in its scabbard sits perfectly well in the cradles and many people display the sheathed blade on the lower tier and the bare blade on the upper. Take the blade out of the scabbard from time to time so the steel can dry.

Does it come assembled

It ships flat with the two uprights off the plinth so nothing gets snapped in transit. Assembly is two bolts and the hex key that comes in the box, and it takes a couple of minutes.

Will the brass scratch my blade

Brass is softer than a hardened blade, so it will not scratch it. The blade actually rests on the felt lining rather than on the brass, and the brass cap is there to protect the edge of the cradle and to finish it.

How long does shipping take

Processing runs one to two weeks because each stand is made to order, then shipping inside the United States is free. Custom engraving adds a few days.

What is in the box

• Stavecradle two tier walnut sword display stand
• Two turned uprights and the walnut plinth with fixings
• Hex key for assembly
• Spare felt cradle pads
• Lifetime warranty against defects in the joinery, the fittings and the finish, with no end date and no receipt needed
• Made and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See the rest of the sword stands and displays, the Viking home decor, the engraved and personalised pieces and the guides.