Real-life craft times...

[jaldaen]

Does anyone know where one would go to find out how long it takes in real-life (assuming Medieval technology) to craft weapons (i.e. axes, swords, etc...), armor (leather, breastplate, etc...), and miscellaneous items (backpack, signal whistle, etc...) found in the PHB?

Any help in this regard would be greatly appreciated ;-)

Thanks,

 

[barsoomcore]

Ask people on ENWorld. The amount of knowledge that can be generated here can be pretty amazing.

I have a very detailed book on katana making that I will review for you when I get home (assuming I remember).

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

I should try contacting a living history society or re-enactment society which contains craftspeople who actually do this stuff. Pick one which specialises in a period and country of interest that's reasonably close to the campaign setting.

It's important to be specific about your questions, though. For example, "How long does it take to make an axe" is about eight seconds, if you have the haft, the head, and the wedge to hand; but if you need to make one from first principles, starting by mining the ore and smelting out the iron, then it isn't quite so fast.

The most variable manufacturing times will certainly be armour, which varies heavily by quality. You can make a mailshirt out of 10mm links (internal diametre) in a couple weeks of work, because you only need to attach about 9,000 links to do it - but a mailshirt made from 6mm links with rivets might contain 70,000 links and take six months to complete.

 

[Pinotage]

There was a program on television here in the UK where they showed a re-enactment of medieval jousting. They crafted armor for four people to joust against each other, using real solid wood metal-tipped lances, albeit not the sharpest tips. The metal armor was fantastic - the lances didn't ever pierce it, and even if you were struck on the helmet you didn't feel a thing (the point of jousting being to break the lance, not dismount your opponent). Granted, back in realy jousting times armor wasn't of such quality so injuries would've been more severe.

Anyhow, the point was that it took 600 man hours to craft those four sets of armor (full plate) at a cost of 8000 pounds each.

Pinotage

 

[Turanil]

Here in France, we have an interesting experience going on: the building of a real medieval castle (Guedelon Castle) but in using the methods and tools available in the middle-ages (the workers even use medieval clothes!). I fear that the construction of a medieval castle is odiously long...

For the next 20 years, thirty five craftsmen and women will be building before your very eyes a medieval castle. They will do so following XIIIth century techniques. The natural site in the middle of the forest will provide them with all the building material necessary : wood, water, stone, earth, sand and iron.

Quarriers, stone hewers, masons, carpenters work in front of you, as they once did 7 centuries ago. The building yard is a continuous, lively and progressive site where Towers, Curtains and the Keep will have taken 25 years to rise up from the earth.
You may realise that from many viewpoints, this building site straight from the past will answer many expectations of modern men and women.

 

[cmanos]

I have a friend of mine who makes realistic quality (i.e. not costume) armor and weapons. I know he was making himself a set of gauntlets and it took him about 2 months to hammer out all the little pieces into shape.

 

[jasper]

You are not thinking correctly. 2 months of his HOBBY time. Not a full shop working dawn to dusk with x masters, y journeymen, and z apprentices. With the full knowledge base a yell away. Unlike today where we are trying to figure out how they did that, and teaching ourselves.