What happens if you supersize a dagger? 

Well it appears that the Swirk is an unexpected hit - shall I introduce it as a Tod Cutler sword?. Thoughts?

Wait… so you just made that beautiful sword JUST to be a talking point about grip size? You are crazy and I respect that 😂

I swear half of my weapons from DND campaigns are just going be items Tod has made

Great point about hand to height proportion. Another aspect to consider is that anyone who was a farm hand or general tradesman would have large muscular hands.

I would love to see Matt Easton try out your Swirk for practicality and how it wields👍😅 (And it looks beautiful!)

This supersized dirk is one of the best piece I've seen in your forge/workshop - I am enamoured with its style

The way you analyze and consider historical pieces to inform your beautiful designs is such an inspiring process. Reimagining the aesthetics of the past in steel. So cool.

I have a Tod's Blolock Dagger and the Bone 'coffin' handled Bowie (to name a few things I have). A family member said the handles are too small! So I showed them how to actually grip the bollocks, this is soooo Matt Easton, then I showed them how to use the 'coffin top' on the Bowie (where you grip with the little finger closed over the top or the thumb curled over the top. There was a look of confusion mixed with understanding between how it 'looks nice' and how it should be used. I went on to explain how a messer works. They only popped in for a cupper. Back in the late 1980s we had huge issues finding the correct items, so we ended up making our own, and the likes of Bodger, John Buttifint and myself (I am in incognito here) came into the world of historic reproductions. It is so lovely to see Tod et al taking up this and moving it on to great things like this; I am so chuffed with our (historic reproduction) grandchildren!

This is awesome, I do a lot of research into Irish weaponry and read somewhere that their Skean daggers could have blades up to 21 inches, so seeing a "swirk" is kinda like seeing an example of what I read about

I would like to see how well the Swirk handles. Maybe have Matt test it on the next weird weapons video? And (in my opinion) it looks fantastic, would consider buying if i was in the market for another straight single edge sword.

I feel you've missed the opportunity to make a two handed one and call it a Twerk. Great content as always.

Wonderful creation. Also, it's strange how much to my eyes at least it evokes an almost ancient Celtic aesthetic as an iron age longsword

Imagine the size of balls on that if it would have been aan bollock dagger.

I think messers are a neat example of this, the same basic concept goes from a working knife, to a hunting or self-defense shortsword, up to a longsword or even a greatsword. They've all got a nagel and a riveted wooden grip and one edge, but the ratios change as the length and use changes. But also, on a completely unrelated note, I wonder if the Swirk isn't a decent example for what Sting would have looked like, a giant's knife or a hobbit's sword.

The "Swirk" makes me think of the old seax. Feels like a very similar concept!

Capwell made a point about his English armor that is similar to this and stuck with me: The closer they made things to the originals, the less troubleshooting they had to do. I found this to be quite true and quote it every time I'm helping someone with a kit!

Your Swirk might visually be my favorite sword now. It is like a giant butter knife!

Functionally very similar to some iron age Celtic swords funnily enough, the hilt especially. Would make for a cool set.

That's one hell of an object to make JUST for demonstration purposes. I really admire your commitment. Any chance someone like Matt can get their hands on that swirk just to test it? I'd love to find out how effective it is as a sword.

Please make a series of Lord of the Rings swords in your own interpretation. That dirksword makes me want a Tod version of King Theoden’s sword.

this is so cool and amusing. Now I kinda want to see a whole series of medieval knives scaled-up to sword length.

I mean, scaling up knives to usable sword proportions actually could make for really cool fantasy swords.

That giant dirk is giving me some bronze age/iron age vibes.

Missed opportunity to call it a swagger

I've seen a few dirks and although they were all dirks the handle length did vary. One them had a 14" blade and a 6" handle, biggest blade I have seen was 20" with a handle of 4". This led me to believe that in reality, the original dirk makers made their weapons to the customers requirements or what was seen as best fit. It is a modern construct that tries to standardise everything into set patterns, but they were not a standard item when being individually made. I would love to see you walk / run with your oversized dirk in your sock 😂😂

On the topic of sword daggers, you should make a video on the actual dagger shaped swords that were used in the 14th and 15th century, the comically large basilards and roundels i see in art have always interested me, and I know they existed because there's a surviving basilard sword and these depictions in art are detailed enough that they dont give room for it to be written off as a mistake

I was taking a look at my TodCuttler daggers and came to the following observations: With TC15 (twisted grip rondel), I could have the handle about 1 cm shorter easily, without wearing gloves. Putting on sturdy leather gloves, the handle space is needed and it locks in your hand well. Looks that Tod got that one close to historical. My ColdSteel training rondel, which has about the same length as Tod's dagger, has a handle that leaves me with almost 2 cm space between the rondels, even with gloves on. Tod's studded bollock dagger TC31seems to fall more into "make it for the taste of the modern buyer". Even with a handshake grip type of gripping, putting the thumb "between the balls" for aligning the blade (that sounds very kinky, lol), there is still a bit of hilt left on the bottom. Overall the grip could be shorter. (it gets more absurd with a blunt sword I own, which as a single handed arming sword has a grip that easily could accommodate two hands)

The Todd saga "A fistful of daggers" "A few Rondels more" "Big Swirk on his hip" etc

If you run into the problem with balance (dagger toppling over) when sheathed, instead of trying to change the dimensions of parts of the dagger, wouldn't it be easier to just give the sheath a counter weight at the tip?

I love how people assume that medieval folks were like Ewoks or Hobbits 😂😂😂 Bruh, it's only a couple hundred years ago 😅 Thanks once again for a very informative and creative Chat, Todd 🙏💪

I love the authenticity of your replications

This actually reminds me of the "estoque de Boabdil", a sword that belonged to the last Sultan of Al Andalus. It's almost just a scalled up ear dagger. The concept is quite réminiscent of this video.

TBH, if I had the kind of money such a piece would command, I'd be all-in on a "swirk."

The whole thing actually reminds me of an Iron age Celtic style sword actually. Was that intentional, or just a happy coincidence? Either way it looks quite neat! :)

I wonder how large a viking-era sword would be if you scaled it up to be a 'desirable' modern hilt size. Great video, Tod.

This sword should really be featured in Highlander Remake!

So when you making a giant sword size Bollock Dagger? Gotta win the measuring contest XD. I'll name it Betty, because Sword + Bollock = Swollok. And what else could a Swollock be called other than Betty? Looking forward to seeing some Betty Swollocks on the channel XP.

I heard Scottish dirks got up to 20 inches in blade length. Yours seems more akin to some Irish skeans.

Tod, a simple solution is to put a brass tip to the end of the scabbard to make it bottom heavy, so it stays upright.

Great lesson on the proportions and requirements of knives, dirks and swords in addition to the need to make them look "right and beautiful"

Swirk looks like amalgam of several late antiquity and early medieval swords. I love it.

Tod: "I need to make a point about grip size and proportions." also Tod: "I need to make a giant knife to make that point."

Swirk is closer to the original, for sure

Tod finally did it. Behold, the MESSEST

Tod please stop making me want things I never knew I needed again and again

That swirk looks to me like a late bronze age or early iron age sword built with an 18th century aesthetic. Very cool and I can imagine it being wielded by the main character in a fantasy movie or game.

That " Swirk" is soooo cool! I wish i had the funds to buy it.

This is such a great way to tie so many deep ideas together. Philosophy, usability, and aesthetics, neatly forged into one beautiful object. Thanks for the thought-provoking video.

I think you forget that the originals were made by craftsmen with the same fundamental problem, they needed to sell their wares. Functionality is part of a customer's consideration, and if back in the day it was the larger part of it functional elements would have been more prominent. If you could pull one of those craftsmen out of time, I don't think they'd give you grief for changing things to suit the current market.

You could put a little lead in the sheath to keep it balanced.

That is in fact a knife a fine one too, very nice explanation, I hope to someday have a well made dirk, and a formal kilt, we'll see if that happens

Well regardless of the off proportions and historical inaccuracies of it the sword is a gorgeous work of art and I love the design. Excellent work and I totally want one!

It looks surprizing like a Viking style sword. Its almost like there is a form/function thing going on. What a marvelous looking piece.

You are the best Tod. What a beautiful subject and what a awesome way to illustrate your point.

Nailed it in one, "there are so many questions"

It was interesting watching you thread the needle between "these measurements are incorrect for period reproductions" and not saying "My customers and their more modern sensibilities are wrong". That does beg the question: How much variation was there at the time for personal choices? Anybody who could afford to commission a weapon could also afford asking for an extra inch here, or slightly shorter there, etc. to make it more comfortable for their own use.

A dirk that can both cut down men *_and_* saw down trees. Thanks for the video Tod. It's always a treat to watch you.

A bollock dagger of that size would be awesome.

I have one of the quillon daggers and a ballock dagger and they are both fantastic.

Looking at it and the responses (and my own gut reaction), if you add this to your catalogue, it's going to sell so so well. It's bloody gorgeous❤❤❤

That was a really interesting video. And that swirk is really nice.

I cannot help drooling over the lovely falcion you made as the example piece for this vid. Wow!

Another great video Tod!!! I enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

That's a damned beautiful sword.

Great video Tod, really enjoyed it! Cheers mate 👍

The "Double-Dirk" you're describing sounds like a knife for giants. Beautiful work with the Swirk. I love seeing your historical work, and the way you adjust it for a modern market, but I also love seeing something new in sword design. Especially when that new thing is built on the old foundations, and has a fidelity to the principals of design they engender. Always cool to see a new contribution to the landscape. Thanks for sharing.

This is literally just a bronze age sword made out of steel and I'm all for it

Now make a sword sized quillon dagger

Lads, we need you to be buying more of Tod's weapons so he can buy a new sweatshirt

Great Video as always ❤

Your SwirkS looks like something you would find at the Rohirrim Sir thank you for the posting utterly a great one

Tod, I bought one of your daggers (had you sign the blade if you remember that one) , and though the quality of both the weapon and the sheathe were exceptional, I feel that, for practical use, a counterweight in the pommel area would've been better, to put the center of mass within the grip, thus facilitating changing grip. In regards to having a dagger not hang properly at when in scabbard because of the balance, I'd just add weight to the scabbard. By the way, where does your leather work come from? If you do your own, can you show us how the scabbards are made?

Thank you for taking us on a trip through your brain. It was entertaining. It was interesting. I almost understood half of it. Time to watch the video again.

That Swirk is actually a realy nice Sword. I am actually Impressed that it didn´t excist. Also that book you have there seems to be loved through!

By far my favorite youtube channel. Tod had completely changed my view of swords and sword like items. Unfortunately it has made 99% of all modern "reproductions" unacceptable to me because id always look at it and know it's wrong. Saving up to get something tod makes

Cool. Now do an Italian stiletto. I've had so many people tell me a stiletto is just a shrunk down rapier, but if you scale up a stiletto it won't be a rapier.

That's the weirdest looking Spatha I've ever seen.

Never wanted a "fantasy" sword so much...

The drifference between a craftsman and a master is that a craftsman is skilled in making stuff. A master understands why it is made the way it is made.

The Swirk gives me the impression of a Roman Spatha!

Thanks for the explanation, I did not understand beforehand

You are awesome, man. Well done.

Reproductions are great, but its also nice to see something thats a bit different and out of left field. Something unique, that isn't a stainless steel ninja wallhanger, but something that actually took some effort. I think I like the idea of sword sized daggers, and now I want to see more haha! Also, I wanna buy a swirk now. Thanks a lot, Tod, my wallet hates you.

Awesome Blade! Like the look a lot!

I'd love to see what a swordsman would make of this thing.

I look at that swirk, and I see something perfect for one of my characters to own. Gotta run stats up for it now.

Great content as usual! Any chance you could include more content from the prosess of making the items without revealing to many secrets? :D keep it up please!

As a scotsman i love a dirk, very practical, great for everything from preparing food to repelling the english

When you first raised the swirk into view I couldn’t stop laughing, the blade was so much longer than I was expecting

" That's not a KNOIFE mate ! " What a splendid piece, great work.

I believe their hands were probably bigger. They WORKED. More muscular hands, with thick layers of callusses. Even guys that work now, didn't have the toll of the everyday back then. I know a family that hand milked their herd when they were kids. They all looked like they were wearing baseball gloves all the time. 2 decades after I last saw my friend I ran into his brother. As soon as I saw his hands I said "you must be a (family name)", sure enough he was. The mitts on that family are as recognizable as the Hapsberg chin.

Ten minutes+ of Tod rambling. An I have enjoyed each and on of the 640 seconds

That "Knive" looks like a very nixe sax to me - I like it 😎

Great point, and lovely way to make your point. But also... This is a spectacularly cool sword. Tod making fantasy weapons inspired by other, related historical weapons is a cool niche and I'm sure you can sell it.

I am not sure why but that looks fun to cut with.

I think another big reason why daggers were the size that they were is that you just cannot effectively reach around with it from a prolonged arm if the blade was longer. What I mean is that the proportion of blade length to arm length sets the limit to what angles you can hit in close combat.

Now i want a swirk and a bulkock-sword, too.

I love the dirk I got from you. Pure bad ass. The dirk sword (swirk) is just awesome.

10:19 I Liked it too! Great work man!

that swirk looks like a fantasy weapon. Like it looks similar enough to what we are used to as a dirk, but also fantastical enough to not quite fit into our world.