Dave Swift Leather Workshop & Wood Craft

I spend much of my off screen time working with vegetable tanned leather and other natural materials creating artistic pieces and to reproduce historical originals for TV/film projects and for museums. Some samples of my past projects are shown here. 

16th century fringed claymore sword scabbard in contemporary Gaelic style. The scabbard is lined in sheepskin to maintain the blade

Chainmail standards: basic neck protection for the professional medieval soldier

Chainmail standards: basic neck protection for the professional medieval soldier

Chainmail standards: basic neck protection for the professional medieval soldier

Detail of a Viking style poplar wood-core scabbard. As with originals the scabbard is lined with lanolin rich sheepskin to protect the iron blade and the wooden slider under the leather is an exacting copy of one from Fishamble Street Dublin

High Medieval leather bound wood core sword scabbard with integral belt in calf skin shown here with a mail coif c.12th-13th centuries

Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe: the leather is stretched and left to dry before dying in dark brown. The rear is fitted with deer skin with the hair in situ to assist in the absorption of the shock effect of blocked melee weapons

Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe: the targe has been dyed is now ready to be decorated with brass tacks

Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe: the rear of the targe after dying

Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe

Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe

Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe. As per the original it is exactly 19 inches in diameter

Reconstruction of the 16th Century Gaelic Irish 'Bell' Targe

A Viking age knife sheath based on an original from Fishamble Street Dublin

A c.1550-1650 era tooled leather belt with assymetrical tinned copper alloy belt buckle

Isle of Lewis Chessman inspired 12th century shield reconstruction

Isle of Lewis Chessman inspired 12th century shield reconstruction

Gaelic scabbard work in progress

Gaelic scabbard work in progress

Gaelic scabbard work in progress

Detail of the painted pig skin cover of a 10th century Viking Age shield

Leather sheath for a quillon dagger based on an original from the Mary Rose wreck. The dagger is a copy of a north Italian original

Wood core scabbard in pine with wooden 'riser' prior to binding in calf skin. The riser helped prevent the hanger from slipping upwards when the sword was worn at the waist

Sword riser detail: like the dagger this beautiful half hilt sword is also from northern Italy. The pentacle is copied from an original scabbard from the Mary Rose. The leather rain guard on the sword's ricasso is also visible

Side sword and accompanying 'left hand' dagger

Detail: sixteenth century Italian side sword and accompanying 'left hand' dagger

Norse purse based on 9th century remains from the Viking cemetery at Kilmainham in west Dublin

Custom order of a 14th century baselard dagger sheath in rich red calfskin

Custom order of a 14th century baselard dagger sheath in rich red calfskin

Custom order of a 14th century baselard dagger sheath in rich red calfskin

Detail of an Irish Volunteer belt reconstruction c. 1914-1923. The belt is made in 3.5mm thick bovine shoulder leather

Detail of an Irish Volunteer belt reconstruction c. 1914-1923. The belt is made in 3.5mm thick bovine shoulder leather

Irish Volunteer/Óglaigh na hÉireann belts c. 1914-1923. The belts are made in 3.5mm thick bovine shoulder leather

Hilt pieces of a River Corrib sword from Galway being fine tuned and refurbished

A deerskin covered Early Medieval/Viking Age round shield

A deerskin covered Early Medieval/Viking Age round shield

Rear view of two Anglo-Norman shields c. 12th-13th centuries

Danish 10th century sword with scabbard in Dublin style

Shield reconstruction inspired by an original at Ballateare on the Isle of Man

Dublin 10th century knife sheath with incised herringbone and linear decoration

Viking knife sheath

Viking knife sheath detail

Viking utility knives in calf skin sheathes

Viking knife sheathes

Dublin Viking shield with Irish Sea shield boss

Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood

Gaelic Irish methers c.14th-16th century

Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood produced for the National Museum of Ireland

Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood produced for the National Museum of Ireland

Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood produced for the National Museum of Ireland

Four handled Irish traditional 'mether' hewn from yew wood produced for the National Museum of Ireland