Prop for my cosplay in progress, Full Daedric Armour. Obviously this is the sword. It is made mostly from Plywood which I shaped using a coarse file, a palm belt sander, rotary tool and finished with sandpaper. After that I painted it to give it the final look.

It totals just shy of 1 metre in length and is surprisingly lightweight and well balanced.

In total I spent less than a month on it, only working on it now and then, not focusing only on it.

Step 1: Starting Out

First thing I did was get a reference picture. I was very selective in this, choosing only one that matched the game perfectly. I ended up with this one
http://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120305235241/elderscrolls/images/3/3f/Daedricsword.png

After saving that image I used a picture editing program called Gimp and re-sized it to be approximately 1 metre in length.

Then I was able to print 2 copies (see next step for why) out on multiple pages to give me a full sized template. I then lined these up perfectly to make one seamless image approx. 1 metre long paper sword.

With the second copy I then cut out the hilt section (removing the blade entirely). This is because this section needs to be thicker than the blade. (see next step for visual difference)

Step 2: Moving on to Cardboard (Optional)

as you can see I translated it to cardboard because I thought it would be easier to trace around and I wanted to leave my options open for making more than one. (and it was stinking hot outside and I didn't want to be in the heat)

Step 3: Finally Some WOODWORK!

I then used my cardboard templates to draw out where I would need to cut my wood.

I used plywood of different thicknesses for the 2 types of pieces.

I used 5 ply for the whole sword (middle) piece
and
7 ply for the only hilt piece.

To cut it out I used a Jigsaw with a fine 'Scroll' blade, to help with the tight corners

Step 4: Shaping the Blade

Next I decided to shape the sharp part of the blade.
To do this I used a coarse file and worked at it gently.

To get the right angle, look and shape I stood near the tip of the blade and followed the shape of the sword.

Step 5: Construction

After the blade was shaped I then joined the 3 pieces using Liquid Nails and clamps to hold it in place

Step 6: Shaping the Sword

Now it is really starting to come together.

From here I then shaped the 2 outer most pieces.

To do this I mostly used my new Ozito Palm Belt Sander.

First I used the sander to make all 3 pieces level with each other

Then I was able to start getting the shape into it, curving edges making points etc.

and i finished this stage by working with the Hilt. This was probably the most difficult part because it was extremely fiddly with the tight twists and turns. This is where I used my new Rotary tool, using the Sanding disk attachment.

All the while using the picture I had (and the 3D model in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim game) as a reference to make sure it was accurate

Step 7: Adding the Details

At this point I first noticed that the section that extends 2 thirds of the length of the blade from the hilt, was actually lower than the peak of the crosspiece. This meant that I had to add that detail before proceeding.

From there I marked out all the extra detailing sections using a pencil so i had a guide to go by on the work

Again using the Rotary tool (this time with the engraving pen and engraving bits)
I worked on adding the darker detailed parts on the hilt sections. this was really fun and precise work.

this had to be duplicated on the other side, which made me nervous, often one side looks great and the other, not so much.

Step 8: PAINTING!

FINALLY! we have something that pretty well represents the Daedric Sword featured in Skyrim... but the one thing missing is COLOUR!

so... first thing we need to do is give it an undercoat. This stops the coloured paint from soaking into the wood and losing colour.

so here it is pretty obvious to see where the colours go but I'll give you a detailed rundown anyway.

Blade
I experimented a lot with this colour, thinking I would need a mix of silver and grey.
but I ended up just going a shiny silver, on top of a grey.

Raised section on the Back of the Blade
Iused a darker grey with a very small amount of Brown mixed in (this was to make it a more distinguishable colour than the blades silver) and used the Dry Brush technique with some slightly darkened silver.

Cross Peice
this section was a blend of black, a small amount of white and some silver

Handle
for the brown bits, I originally painted it, but ended up going with some string twisted together to make it thicker then putting some PVA glue (aquadere, wood glue etc.) . Once I had it wound around the handle I coated it with some more glue (watered down this time)
The grey parts are the same as the crosspiece with silver trimming for added effect.

Pommel
This was the same as the section near the blade, with some shading nearing the handle

Detailing
Either Red or Black depending on the part

The section on top of the string is made from some thin rubber painted grey and trimmed with silver. I then used small screws to hold it in place and to give a guide of where to glue the circles to. (also made from rubber) To glue it I used Epoxy, however I think it was expired as some didn't dry, so I re-glued them using super glue

Step 9: Final Notes

Tools Used

Scissors
Sticky tape
Jigsaw (with fine scrolling blade)
File (coarse)
Palm Belt Sander
Rotary Tool
Liquid Nails
various paints
Clamps
Glue (super glue, epoxy)

Materials

Plywood (spare bits lying around my shed) sorry no measurements (approx 100cm x 30 cm)
cardboard (scrap from a box from my house)

If you have any questions or comments leave them below :)

If you want to contact me include that in a comment and I'll do my best.

I really enjoyed making this and I'm more than happy to help others if you want a hand or more advice.