SWORDSEAT™ BUILD – ORKNEY FENCING CLUB

As part of further testing, we sent the printed pattern for the SwordSeat™ to Moya at Orkney Fencing Club to get feedback on the build process and any additional requirements. Moya has sent back this invaluable report, which we’re pleased to share. 

After much anticipation, our SwordSeat™ Plans arrived from Rick Rodgers.  I will attempt to document our build with any handy hints we found along the way…

STAGE ONE

• Invite along a fellow fencing coach/ woodworker to work with your woodworking/ non-fencing husband.
• Work out which pattern pieces go where and which pieces need to be cut out times two.
• Adjourn for coffee and cake.
• Cut out the pattern pieces.

STAGE TWO

• Move to an enclosed area where you can lay out the two sheets of 2440 x 1220 x 25 mm ply.
• Draw around the pattern pieces, preserving the pattern pieces as you know you will need more than one SwordSeat™ set up.
• I suggest a garage/shed floor with enough room to work all around and remember to lay down your decorating sheet (old duvet cover) to stop the ply from getting dirty.
• Doing this indoors is essential in Orkney as the pattern pieces would end up on the neighbouring island if this stage were attempted out of doors.

STAGE THREE

• Now is the time to move outdoors and use that wind to your advantage.
• Cut out the plywood, allowing the wind to take away the dust(only attempt this on a dry day).
• Ensure the slots of the base and sides are cut accurately so that the sides touch the ground evenly when fitted into the base. This prevents a slight instability in use.
• Useful tools for cutting out were: a cordless circular saw, cordless jigsaw, and a 51mm hole cutter is very useful for cutting the large internal corners and saves a lot of refining.

STAGE FOUR

• Fit together and trim and sand to ensure the pieces of seat one and seat two are interchangeable and of course able to be changed from right to left. This makes it easier to use if pieces get in a muddle.
• Make sure you utilise the hole numbering system as this gives you the order of assembly.
• A useful tip is to drill numbering holes only halfway through, then drill through to match from the other side of the piece. This helps avoid blowing out the outer layer of the ply.

• We chose Danish oil as we have plenty of experience using it on hardwood floors.

• Bind handrail, with Tennis racket handle tape.

STAGE FIVE

• Assemble and secure with the Ratchet straps, as per the instructions, ensuring ratchet mechanism is tucked safely away.
• (We used 25mm ratchet straps for ease of threading through. We may go heavier once we see what happens when the SwordSeat™ is in use).
• Put some rubber strips on the bits that come in contact with the floor. Ensure what you use is non-marking.
• Add cushions, Fencers and Fencing Circuit and give it a go.

Notes:

• We may need a flatter cushion for shorter or younger fencers.
• Adding tabs or a connector for leg straps would be useful (follow up from Rick – editing the SwordSeat to add strapping, painting different colours, and increasing the back support are all possible so long as you can maintain the rigidity of the setup).

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