Sawfeather Hand Forged 1095 Steel Sawback Short Sword | 24 Inch Overall Length | Upswept Clip Point with Black Leather Grip and Fitted Scabbard | Collector Gift | RK-1924

The Sawfeather is a mirror polished sawback short sword with a deeply upswept clip point, a row of teeth along the upper spine, a black leather wrapped grip, a plain steel guard carrying an etched chevron mark and a rounded steel pommel cap. It ships with a black leather scabbard fitted with a polished steel throat and chape.

The blade shape is worth understanding before you buy it. Look at where the widest part of the blade sits. On a straight sword it is at the guard and the blade narrows from there. On this one the belly swells out towards the last third, so the heaviest part of the blade is the part travelling fastest through a cut. That is the falchion and messer principle, and it is why medieval single edged cutting swords look so unbalanced to a modern eye and cut so hard in practice. The long concave clip on the back then thins the point so the blade still thrusts. Forged, ground, heat treated and hilted in the Czech Republic.

Specifications

Where the mass sits, and why you feel it

Pick this sword up and it will feel heavier than its weight, because almost all of the steel is out past the halfway point. That is deliberate. In a cut, the work done is a product of mass and speed at the point of contact, and moving mass outward increases both terms because the outer part of a swung blade travels further in the same time. A blade shaped like this hits noticeably harder than a straight blade of the same weight.

The cost is recovery. Once this blade is moving it wants to keep moving, so cuts have to be planned as arcs rather than as pokes, and stopping the blade is a job for the pommel against the heel of the hand. The rounded pommel cap on the Sawfeather is shaped exactly for that, wide enough to brace against and smooth enough not to bruise.

The leather, the polish and the scabbard

The grip is black leather laid in a tight spiral over a shaped core, with the tension carried right through so it cannot creep under load. It runs between a steel ferrule at the guard and the pommel cap, both of which sit against the tang shoulders so the whole assembly stays in compression.

The blade is taken to a mirror polish rather than a satin finish, which is a slower job than it sounds because every grit has to fully remove the scratches of the one before or they show up under the final buff as a haze. A mirror finish on 1095 also has one practical advantage: corrosion has less surface texture to get a start in, so a polished carbon blade stays clean slightly longer than a satin one, though neither survives being left wet. The scabbard is black leather over a wooden liner, wet formed to the blade and fitted with a polished steel throat and chape so the mouth and the tip take wear rather than the leather.

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 sword the chevron mark near the ricasso is the natural place, and the black leather scabbard takes a stamped rune line very cleanly. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

Balance is around five inches ahead of the guard on an eighteen inch blade, which is well forward. Hold it back on the grip, keep the wrist relaxed, and let the belly of the blade do the cutting. Trying to fence with the point will fight the geometry.

The sawback means you cannot put a thumb on the spine for control, so all your control comes from grip and body position. The main edge arrives sharp and the teeth, though unsharpened, will still tear. This is a sharp collector piece and a genuinely effective chopper, and it is not intended for edge on edge contact or for full contact sparring of any kind.

Care

Oil the blade after handling. A mirror finish shows a fingerprint instantly, which is annoying but useful, because it means you always know when the blade needs wiping. Clean the roots of the saw teeth with a nylon brush and a little oil, since that is where moisture and lint collect. Feed the black leather grip and scabbard with a neutral balm once or twice a year, avoid silicone dressings, and store the sword out of the scabbard. More on steel care is on the site.

Made in the Czech Republic

The work behind this piece happens in a Czech Republic workshop that has kept to the old methods. Steel is forged and heat treated by hand, the grind is taken down by eye rather than by machine, and the handle, fittings and sheath are cut and finished one at a time. Because of that, every piece carries small marks of the hand that made it.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import direct, check each piece when it reaches us, and ship from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse. Engraving is added here in the United States after arrival, so the piece you receive is finished to your order.

A note on handmade variation

Each Sawfeather is hand made rather than machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The sweep of the belly and the length of the clip are ground by eye and shift slightly between blades. Tooth spacing on the spine varies. Leather is a natural material, so the grip and scabbard take dye and gloss differently from hide to hide. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is the sawback useful or decorative?

Mostly decorative, and we would rather say so. Teeth without set bind in wood. They will rasp, notch and score, and they will strip bark, but they are not a saw.

Is the mirror finish hard to keep?

It shows fingerprints immediately. That is the trade for how it looks. A microfibre cloth and a little oil keeps it perfect and takes about a minute.

Can I use it for chopping in the field?

Yes. The forward balance and the belly make it a strong chopper. Just do not twist it in a cut and do not use it as a pry bar.

Is the whole thing sharp?

The main edge is. The teeth on the spine are left blunt on purpose because sharp saw teeth on a spine are a hazard and cut no better.

Can the scabbard be worn on a belt?

It ships without suspension. Ask before ordering and we will add a belt loop or a frog stud.

When does it ship?

One to two weeks to forge and finish, then free shipping within the United States.

What is in the box

• One Sawfeather sawback short sword in 1095 high carbon steel
• Black leather scabbard with a polished steel throat and chape
• Care card covering oiling, polishing and cleaning the saw teeth
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See more in short swords, swords and scabbards and sheaths, or read the guides.