Survival/tactical Sirupati: The Hexed Edge

[Tobarah]

Inspired by Himalayan-imports sirupati

http://yhst-73330987...chsirupati.html

And the buck hoodlum as well

http://www.knifecent...-survival-knife

Like my axe idea, I want a brutal critique of this blade. Would you use this as a survival/tactical knife/sword. If so, why? If not why? What would you recommend be changed about the blade?

The blade would probably be anywhere from 25-30 inches, weigh about 2-3 pounds and be about 1/3 inch thick. Obviously it would be a carbon steel of some kind. If you have better ideas for the specs of the blade just speak out.

I've attached the sketch of the blade to this topic.

[Woody]

The design looks good to me, go get a hunk of carbon steel and start hammering away. You should have your knife/sword finished in a week or so, please post pictures when you are done.

[David Einhorn]

Go for it, please post pictures when you are done.

[pkrankow]

Looks a lot like a kukri.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukri

Phil

[kevin1050]

1/3 inch thick? That is going to be a heavy blade. 1/4 inch starting might be better. Think about weight and how much chopping you will be able to do with a heavy blade.

[Tim McCoy]

Most knives, khukri, swords and whatever else seldom have blades that thick. Choppng does not require that much heft and if you intend to do more than chopping like would happen in a camp a hatchet or small ax would be better. Think about carrying what you want ot make for long distances or a long time. Potential use and the facility of having a sharp cutting/light chopping tool can dictate size for you. Check out the hundreds of you tube vid's about machetes and the like - I would not use or carry as heavy or as long a blade as your proposing, but that's just MHO - do what you gotta do, you can only learn!

[pkrankow]

My heavy machete is maybe 1/8 inch thick, if that.

Phil

[metal99]

Same here my machete is 3/32. If you made that blade 1/3" thick and it was 30 inches long . . . Yikes so to answer your question. I would not use it because I could probably only swing it a couple times lol

[matei campan]

a machete is good for it's purpose because it's light and thin. I have 4 machetes, but i use mostly a bolo type one - it's light and, because the "bulbous" tip, has the weight more forward than an equivalent "latin" shape one. that's what I have: http://www.machetespecialists.com/tr14bomawiha.html
the machete works by speed (due to its lightness)and penetration power (due to its thinness). apart of hammering, where the hatchet could be used, I can cut wood/branches as well as with a twice as heavy hatchet, and it's even better for thin, flexible unsupported branches, where a hatchet just recoils by lack of speed.

another thing - the swept forward shape of the blade is quiet unstable and much less versatile than a straight or a slightly up-swept one.

is that a bottle opener there on the back?

[ThomasPowers]

make a mock up and try it out. To me it looks like the center of percussion will not be at a handy place with the straight blade, unlike bolos and kukris that have the swell to make the impact spot more normal to the blow.

[VaughnT]

Or, you could try actually making a real, regular knife instead of posting awkward sketches of comic-book designs that you think look cool.

Not to be harsh, but you keep posting drawings and asking for critiques, and everyone tells you to go ahead and get your hands dirty. And then you post another sketch.

Grab an old file and grind an edge on it. Then stick that blade into a chunk of old barn siding. You'll end up with a better tool, and a better weapon, than anything you've sketched out so far.... and you can say that's actually accomplished something.