Any active castle you visit in Europe will have numerous weapon racks lining the hallways and in many of the rooms. It was clear that the occupants felt it was necessary to always have weapons close at hand.

These weapon racks were always of wood and were seldom of furniture quality. Rather, they were rough finished and clearly built specifically for the group of weapons they were storing. The woods used were local in nature and the construction was inevitably butt joints secured with wooden pins. Seldom were complex furniture type joints used.

They were designed to fit flush against the wall and take up as little space as possible. Thus, weapons stood almost upright, with very little lean to keep them from falling forward from the rack. Since having a heavy, sharp object fall on a passerby is not generally a desirable situation, there was always a metal safety chain or bar in front of the weapons. Seldom could this safety bar be locked in place, for the obvious reasons. (Nothing ruins the day like having bad guys coming over the walls when no one can find the steward with the keys to the weapon racks.)

An army on the move would not lug weapons racks around with them. However, an army settling in for a siege would soon acquire most of the comforts of home. Near the top of the list would be a weapon rack that would keep weapons up off of the ground and out of the way of normal foot traffic, but still close at hand.

Such a rack would be constructed using the local trees that were being cut to supply firewood, siege weapons and structures. Joints would be simple butt joints and wooden pins would be used rather than metal fasteners. Not having to be placed along a wall, it would be free standing and not easily knocked over.

Using the above as guidelines, I have constructed a weapons rack that will be used in a temporary encampment…in this case the South Florida Renaissance Fair Royal Guard encampment. Southern pine was used as suitable substitute for the Scottish pine that would have been used in the area of England where the Fair supposedly takes place. Pine is also used, rather than a wood like oak, as it is softer and easier to work with. This is important for an item that has to be made in a hurry and is not intended for sustained usage.

No nails, screws or bolts were used in the construction as they had to made individually, by hand, and were expensive. Carpenters glue was used as a substitute for the hide glue that would have been used during the Adrian Period. Hardwood pegs hold the joints firmly together. Hardwood dowels were cut and shaped to make the pegs.

Once the boards had been planed and cut from the rails split from logs, apprentices or servants could have been put to work boring the peg holes. The master carpenter would only be needed to do the final fitting. I used commercially available lumber, which I cut to length. Hole boring was done with a drill press.

A period rack used indoors would have been varnished or left bare; one intended for an encampment would have not been painted or finished. Since I wish mine to survive the inevitable rainy day at the fair, I have coated it with a spar urethane, giving it much the appearance of wood that is covered by a period varnish and adding significantly to its survivability. Because it will be a highly visible feature of the fair encampment, I stained it to look like European Oak, which makes it look like American Hickory.

The safety chain used was selected for its period look. The nails that the safety chain hangs from are cut nails such as first appeared during the 1800s, however unless one knows what to look for, they have much the appearance of a medieval hand crafted nail.

Based on personal observation of weapon racks in castles in Germany and England: Marksberg, Simmergin, Windsor, & Warwick.

Sources:
1. The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms and Weapons, Edited by Leonid Tarassuk, Simon and Schuster, New York
2. The Encyclopedia of Wood, Edited by Aidan Walker, Facts on File, Oxford, New York
3. World Woods in Color, William A. Lincoln, Macmillan Publishing Co., New York
4. Coloring, Finishing and Painting Wood, Adnah Clifton Newell, Chas. A. Bennett Co., Peoria, Illinois
5. Home Tanning, Kathy Kellogg, Williamson Publishing Co., 1984