Hi Tom,
Didn't we hit this before
here?
I agree that it's easier to hollow out one side in a two-piece wood scabbard. It's also safer, in that the edge of the blade hits wood, rather than hitting the gap between two pieces of wood, where it might cut its way out.
I think that there are some other reasons for the one piece, open scabbards, that we talked about before. They're easier to clean out (you can scrub out the gunk that would accumulate in a closed scabbard). They're also good for showing off the size of one's blade. What I'd like to see is an open face scabbard that isn't mated with a beveled edge blade. Simply for safety's sake, I think a beveled edge is a better design when there's only a single slat of wood and several straps holding it on.
I still think it's a fun topic though.
Fearn