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Machete design


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I've been asked if I can forge a machete for some close hunter friends of mine after their rather cheapo machete broke at the handle.

I have some 5160 leaf spring around, so I figure I'll start with that. I've forged lots of things, but this would be the first try at anything knife-like. I'm thinking of a 'pinky-catch' (not sure of the terminology) on the end of the handle to keep it from slipping out of a sweaty hand when slinging it around for a long time.

I'm guessing a good thickness in the spine area to be 1/8" thick ballpark?
Is the blade normally tapered toward the edge? Or rather constant thickness until the edge grind?
From what I've looked at, I believe I would be going for a general Bolo or weighted design with a more weight toward the end for chopping uses.

Is there any general shape/size guidelines for handle and blade dimensions to start with?
Or any pointers that I should be aware of before starting on this experiment?

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I won't attempt to add anything to the geometry aspect of this, but my personal preference would be a ring for the index finger and not the pinky finger.  That's all I can add and it's only a personal preference so take it as you will. Looking forward to see what you come up with.

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Go to www.machetespecialists.com and do some reading.  A lot of the design goes into the specific application - light thin blades cut leaves and vegetation well, while heavier blades are used for woody plants.  For example, I made myself a 17" kukri, which is great for small limbs and camp work but it will wear you out when cutting light stuff and vines.  One of the best machetes I ever owned was a very light one made in Mexico that was about 24" long and less than 1/8" thick; easy to swing and cut grass like a breeze - but it was no good to split firewood or cut limbs.

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GMU, I have seen that very one while looking around for design ideas.
And from previous machetes we've used, I was thinking around an 18" blade ballpark....

HW-I also found that very site while doing some info searching on some blade designs.
I guess I'm wondering how much taper there should be to the blade thickness going from the spine to the cutting edge?

Is it a constant thickness from the spine right up to the edge grind, or should it be tapered?

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GMU, I have seen that very one while looking around for design ideas.
And from previous machetes we've used, I was thinking around an 18" blade ballpark....

HW-I also found that very site while doing some info searching on some blade designs.
I guess I'm wondering how much taper there should be to the blade thickness going from the spine to the cutting edge?

Is it a constant thickness from the spine right up to the edge grind, or should it be tapered?

 

The Mexican machete I mentioned above was evenly tapered from the back - just a long, even V-profile from the spine and about 3" wide at the widest point.

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I like a longer handle so the pommel swell doesn't rub against the pinky.  Maybe I have large hands, but I've always found store-bought machete a pain to work with because that stupid little down-turn on the pommel.

 

If the idiots are worried about the thing slipping out of my hand, why don't they make it with something besides a glass-smooth handle??  

 

My Woodsman's Pal is a big hunk of flat sheet until you get to the edge.  The face of the bevel can't be more that .5" wide.  Great tool, but really tip-heavy and not great for a lot of tasks.  Of course, could say the same thing about any other machete.

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It all goes back to the intended primary use.  North Americans seem to want heavier machetes because they will chop firewood in a pinch, cut woody limbs, etc.  In a tropical environment with a lot of leafy vegetation, a wide light blade does a better job - not so tiring on the arm due to less momentum to overcome.  A Central or South American trained in its use can clear tall growth faster than can be cut with a lawn mower.  They use a hook cut from a limb to pull the stalks and keep the off hand out of the way of the blade.

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  • 2 weeks later...

When I make bush swords (souped-up machetes), I usually start with 1/4" stock and will forge in multiple distal tapers. The spine will often taper from the chopping sweet spot back to the handle, and forward to the point. At the sweet spot, it may be close to the original 1/4", while the rest of it will be more like 3/16" or a little under. This helps keep the weight forward for powerful chopping while keeping the overall weight low.  The sweet spot is also usually the widest part of the blade for the same reason.

 

The stock is heavier than commercial machetes, but I use a shorter length than I typically use on a commercially built machete. Most of my bush swords are between 13" and 16" blades, and most commercial machetes I use are 20" or a bit longer. My cross sections taper from the spine down to the cutting edge, with a secondary bevel for the cutting edge itself.

 

Most of my bush swords have an elongated sine wave shape to them, which drops the chopping sweet spot below the level of your knuckles a smidge. This adds to chopping power. If you get a lot below, it becomes harder to control. A lot of folks notice that when they first use a khukuri, that it takes some getting used to how they handle. I prefer to get that drop with the curvature of the handle and the angle of the handle to the blade rather than with a recurve to the blade. Recurves are harder to sharpen on a flat whet rock. I like the blade to have a gentle progressive arch to it. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about:

 

parang06_zps5e4a02c0.jpg

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