Melee weapon skills

[pawsplay]

I'm digging into DF for the first time, and one thing that I notice is that most of the non-magic types have a singular melee weapon skill. Eg. the barbarian has one, and the knight has between one and three. That's neat and simple, and in keeping with the idea of each template being a strong archetype. However, it doesn't quite jibe with other games or the fictional sources, in which strong warrior types are often dangerous with just about anything with a handle.

How do you typical approach this, with regard to DF character creation? Do you spend a couple of points getting minimal skills in various weapons? Do you work mainly from skill defaults? eg. If the barbarian with Two-handed Axe/Mace has to resort to a spare weapon, they go with a one-handed axe or mace, and manage.