WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START
A Lightsabre is many things to a Jedi; it is one of the many challenges he must complete on his way to knighthood, it along with his skill to weald it are the physical representations of his dedication to the Jedi order. A Jedi's Lightsabre is the single most important thing he possesses.
In the star wars universe construction of a Lightsabre is something very personal. A Master might construct one for his Padawan so he can train to use it safely before beginning the very difficult and sometimes dangerous task of constructing his own, but when a Jedi makes his own it is a intricate process of combing the right components the right way, safely so when finally turned on it does not overheat or explode.
How a Lightsabre works is by a battery powering a light focussed through crystals (1 to 3) and an emitter, the light then loops out and back to its source in such a small loop that it looks like a single beam. This is why it appears to be a single beam which simply stops for those of you who like to complain about that. The length and intensity of the beam can be adjusted by outside controls moving the lences.
In the real world constructing a (Non-working) Lightsabre hilt is easy, even if you have only a little skill. Several sites like bigyellowbox exist showing you how to construct Lightsabre "handles". I like BYB in particular because it published several techniques I already used (Thus strengthening my belief in them) and even taught me some new ones, which I refined to improve my own Sabre making skills.
Here I will focus on explaining the techniques and ideas of Sabre making, unlimately showing you how to construct your own. I will also include some examples of my own work to show you the finished looks of the techniques contained herein.
The earliest Lightsabre designs as pictured in the graphic novel: The Fall of the Sith Empire were slightly cumbersome, the technology was not yet available to construct a single unit Sabre, the battery supply was so large that it had to be worn separately on the belt and connected to the sabers hilt via a cable. Many of these designs included ornate extrusions like hand guards, spikes and prongs. Count Dooku was a traditionalist in many things including his fighting style and his Sabre shows a little of this traditionalism.
Soon after this period the technology evolved to a level, which let the sabre become a single unit. Although the designs were still almost ornate and in many cases organic looking. It is around this time that a powerful Sith Lord Exar Kun developed the first double sabre, it is on this design that Darth Maul based his own. The double sabre is normally only wielded by the Sith, the Jedi have no need for such a weapon, it is very dangerous to use and is used largely for attack.
The Sabres built at almost any time up into the time of the prequel movies are generally of a better standard then those built afterwards, up until this point the Jedi were plentiful, they were well respected and had much freedom and many resources at their disposal, so finding or even making the right components was not difficult.
But in the time of the empire, things changed. The Jedi were driven underground, almost all were killed and only a handful survived, and had to stay in hiding. When Luke Skywalker gave new life to the Jedi there were many things lost to the past and so he had to go on with the few things he knew.
Often a Jedi's Lightsabre is crafted with some resemblance to that of their masters. That isn't to say that they look a lot alike Qui-gon and Obi-wan's lightsabres have little in common. Luke used plans found at Obi-wan's Tatooine home to construct his and they have many resemblances.
There is one thing, you must take into account when constructing a Lightsabre, it is made up of three sections; the battery, the lens assembly and the emitter. There are several other things, which are optional they are added, as the Jedi desires. There must be an activator mechanism, but this does not have to be external and a recharge port. Others are: The Blade length adjust, the Blade intensity and a safety feature which switches off the sabre should it be dropped. The Length and width of the sabre also depend on the Jedi's preference; it must be a comfortable size for the wielder.
I know that not everyone is as "skilled" (I use this term loosely) as I am, either artistically (A Sabre is a work of art IMHO), or technically. Not all of you have the tools, parts or time to construct the Sabre you want, so skip here for an alternative: Sabresmith Hilts. Or Go on to:
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