I received a gift of a very nice El Cid Colada sword. But the sword spent maybe 10 years propped up in a corner of the room where it didn't get much attention. It seemed to be crying out for a nice plaque to show it off. The display plaque you see here is made with sapele (sah-PEE-lee), an African wood similar to mahogany. Cutting and milling sapele is a pleasure.
The plaque is finished with one coat of sealer and five coats of clear polyurethane. The sword is supported by saddle blocks which are also made of sapele. Rare earth magnets located out of view in the saddle blocks, behind the sword, hold it in place so that nothing on the plaque covers up any part of the sword. Screws that mount the plaque to the wall are also hidden in the saddle blocks behind the sword where they cannot be seen.
The sword's blade is 32 5/8 inches long and its total length is 38 5/8 inches. The plaque is 42 1/2 inches long and 9 7/16 inches wide.
Though this plaque was made for this specific sword, you might find ideas here that will help you make your own plaque for a sword you own. If you think you might want to build one, BE SURE TO READ THE "INSTRUCTIONS.PDF" FILE that's included in the downloadable ZIP file.
More Pictures of the Plaque
Details Near Top Saddle Block
Details of Bottom Saddle Block
The Sword's Hilt is Uneven
Support Block Accommodates Unevenness
Details of the Round-over and Bead
If you think you might want to build a sword display plaque like this one, BE SURE TO READ THE "INSTRUCTIONS.PDF" FILE that's included in the ZIP file.
The ZIP file contains INSTRUCTIONS, pictures, and a SketchUp file plus a PDF file with all the SketchUp details and dimensions. NOTE that the SketchUp file and accompanying PDF file contain known dimensioning errors. The included INSTRUCTIONS.PDF file includes corrected dimensions.