So there are a lot of new faces at the park and a lot of them are asking how to build things. Todays lesson is your basic (cheap) version of how to build a boffer. It will probably not last more than a few months of use but it's by far the quickest way to build a sword.

I prefer to build up my pommel then move towards sword construction as this tells me exactly how long my blade can be and still be within the limits of whatever size I'm going for. I prefer small pommels that end just past the base of my core as this gives me better reach with the weapon. I typically build my pommel onto an uncut core, then cut the core to length based on what I plan on making (short, long, etc) in general you'll have roughly 2-4 inches of foam in total on the ends of your blade so cut your core 2-4 inches shorter than the max length allowed for the weapon you're building (32-34 inches for short swords for example).

What you'll need:
1 core of your choice (bamboo, kitespar, golf club, I do not recommend pvc)
Green camp foam (Jones surplus typically has this for 10 dollars a roll)
Smurf foam (supposedly sports stores carry this it is a bit expensive ~15 a roll, this is not blue camp foam you buy at walmart for 5 dollars)
Length of funnoodle (I don't recommend "off" brands available at dollar stores)
Contact cement & brush of some kind (scrap camp foam works) (DAP, super 77, etc)
packing tape (2" wide is your best bet)
strapping tape (2" wide is what I use)
Something to cut with (1 razor and 1 serrated steak knife you use for crafting)
Something to cut on (I have a green rubber mat I got at Michaels, and a piece of scrap plywood)
Tape for securing cover (any tape works really I use electrical tape because it's not too tacky and doesn't leave residue on the cover)
Cloth for Cover
Tape measure (I use the kind that tailors use)

Step 1.

Get a core, put a pommel on it (there are many methods, I wrote one up go look at it) and measure using then determine what size sword you're making and remove ~2 inches from the total length allowed for that type of weapon.

Step 2.

Cut roughly a 1/2 inch strip of green camp foam to run the length of your blade (24 inches for a short) plus about 3-4 inches so 27-28 inches total for a shortsword. This will be used to make the core big enough that the funnoodle doesn't move around. Cutting a strip too long is not bad you can always cut of the excess, if it's too short you may have to redo the entire process.

Step 3.

Place the 1/2" x ~27" inch strip on the core so 2 inches or so are on the tip of the core and the excess hangs off the end of the core.

Fold the rest of the strip over the tip and secure it using strapping tape.

Step 4.

Using packing tape wrap around the core and the foam securing the foam to the blade down its entire length. You will want to apply some torque to the tape to pull the foam down, you want the noodle to go over this foam but not slide around easily.

Step 5.

Using a steak knife that will be devoted to crafting stuff cut the noodle to the length you need for the blade of the weapon (24 inches or so for a short sword again too long is better than too short you can always cut the excess) and pull the noodle over the core until the green foam is level with the end of the noodle.

cut any excess green foam you might have near the handle of the sword off using your serrated steak knife.

Step 6.

Some people will simply tape the sword down at the base using a few strips of strapping tape, I however torque wrap the bases of my swords with packing tape to ensure they won't slip down. While torque wrapping won't stop 100% of the movement of the sword it will make a huge difference. The first step is to use packing tape to torque the noodle down to the core, the second step is to torque just below the noodle on the core to ensure the noodle can't slide down.

Step 7.

Using a soup can, plastic cup, or cutting instrument cut out 2 disks of green camp foam and 2 disks of smurf foam to be used for the stabbing tip of your sword.

Step 8.

Apply contact cement to the end of your sword and 1 side of a green disk, let dry then stick them together. Repeat again for another layer of green camp foam and the two layers of smurf foam.

Step 9.

Using packing tape (preferably 2" wide) run a length from the base of the sword near where you torque wrapped over the tip of the sword and down the opposite side, repeat this until all the foam is covered in 1 layer of tape. This should only take 2-3 strips running from base to tip and back down to base. Minimal overlapping is best as the more tape you use the heavier your sword will be. I also run one layer of packing tape around the tip of my sword to secure the disks a bit.

Step 10.

Make a cover and secure it to your sword, I use electrical tape as it doesn't leave a residue, however athletic tape would also work well.

Congratulations on making a sword now bring it out to the field and beat people up with it.

As a side note I've seen many ways to build a noodle boffer, this is just how I do it, feel free to experiment with the tip construction I've seen people use 2 noodle halves taped to the end and many other methods that would require less work.