Custom machete with wooden scabbard

Stormcrow

Stormcrow

Well-Known Member
I haven't posted any new work for a while. Been busy during that time, though. Some of what I've been working on will be posted later.

This short custom machete is ready to ship to its owner now. It has a 13.5" blade forged from leaf spring and was hardened multiple times in veggie oil prior to multiple tempering cycles. It has an integral socket handle wrapped in hemp cord, with a cotton cord double Turk's head knot at the front, all sealed with amber shellac.

Here it is prior to heat treamtnet:

bushsword018.jpg


It ended up with a bit more recurve.

I tested it out on some dead hackberry, which is never easy to cut, prior to sharpening. Here's the video of that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxq1q5LfSnE

Then I built a scabbard for it out of padouk wood. The scabbard is ambidextrous and has multiple holes for a variety of carrying and accessory mounting options. The overall package is light, and the blade is very lively in the hand, although as you can see it will easily tackle big chores.

014.jpg


012.jpg


And now that it's actually sharp, let's see what it will do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbspYMfGQCY&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
 
Very nice , nothing like a big chopper to clean up the yard or anything else in the way. Do you have any problems with the shellac drying? I love the finish but it takes mine days to dry......Thanks......Randy
 
Beautiful work, and I very much love the scabbard. As a khukri obsessive, I've always been intrigued by wood for this application over leather.

Couple of questions if I may? Did you full quench and soft back draw temper in the forge or with a torch, or use an oven?

One thing I always ask, and hopefully you won't take offense, but what's with the big choil? Sorry it's kind of a pet-peeve. I firmly believe the choils, like ricasso, to be dead real-estate. Wasted material and weight, serving no function. Although I fully understand that they're deeply ingrained in the aesthetic. Personally, I'd always rather have the extra edge if the blade is going to be "X" long regardless, and a piece this big, the only way to do fine work would be a spine grip near the tip.


Beautiful work though, the extra recurve after HT adds to the piece, a fortunate occurrence. ;)
 
Thanks, guys!

Randy - Not too big of a problem with it drying. Usually it's overnight for most of it, might take another day or two. It'll still be a bit soft until you start to use it. I flood the wrap with as much shellac as I can with my brush on the first pass. By the time I work my way down the handle, that has soaked in fairly well and I immediately put on a second layer that isn't quite so heavy. Sometimes that's enough, sometimes I put on a third coat. Cotton cord takes more coats because it will be much rougher than hemp once the shellac sets. We're essentially making a composite material in place!

Javan - It was fully quenched, then temper drawn with tempering tongs. Then I found a slight waver and re-did it, drawing temper in my kiln that time. A bit of the recurve is grinding on the edge to help clean up, but you can see that the spine is more curved as well. I actually didn't notice that until I was putting the pictures up in this post.

For me, the choils are aesthetic. My eye traces the lines of the profile, and I will actually hear a mental "tone" as they follow the lines. To my eye, a well-integrated choil just looks good because it flows well with the other lines, either in compliment or in contrast.. Occasionally they are intended for a choked up grip, but mostly it is just the flow of lines for my eyes. I do 'em in different sizes depending on what size blade I'm doing and what the handle treatment is, but all of my knives have them. It's a part of my style.

I'm with you about ricassos. Don't like them, typically, although there are occasionally good-looking or at least inoffensive ricassos. :) No offense to those who make knives with 'em, just not my cup of teas.
 
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