14" Old Hickory Butcher as a machete?

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beckerhead

Joined
Feb 11, 2005
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I am an Old Hickory fan, and was wondering about the 14" as a machete? Would the temper be an issue? And has anyone else tried such a thing? It looks like it would be a little front heavy which is always nice on a 'chete.
 
Soft material, no problem.
It's the hard wood that can chip or break the blade.
I have chipped out pieces of Old Hickory blades by whacking on hard wood...:(
 
Yeah, I wondered about the hardness. How hard would a home "softening" process be on a relatively thin slice of 1095? I could probably get my bro. to make me some Bois D'arc handle slabs too.
 
beckerhead said:
Yeah, I wondered about the hardness. How hard would a home "softening" process be on a relatively thin slice of 1095? I could probably get my bro. to make me some Bois D'arc handle slabs too.
Click to expand...
If I were you, I'd try tempering it with a propane torch. I just found an article on tempering colors of 1095, and how they relate to Rc. Figures, I can't find it, but it's around somewhere.... I just tempered a 1095 knife that I just finished making. If I remember correctly, if you get it to a blue color, then water quench, its Rc should be around 55-56. That should be pretty good for hacking.
I'll keep looking for that article, then post a link.
 
I would think it would be just fine as is hardness wise.

Also, take a look at some of the big Dexter line. When I was in the industry (line cook, then a caterer) I used a big Dexter lettuce knife that would perform well as a machete. Additionally, I think the handle on the Dexter is better suited for that kind of work.
 
Troop said:
If I were you, I'd try tempering it with a propane torch. I just found an article on tempering colors of 1095, and how they relate to Rc. Figures, I can't find it, but it's around somewhere.... I just tempered a 1095 knife that I just finished making. If I remember correctly, if you get it to a blue color, then water quench, its Rc should be around 55-56. That should be pretty good for hacking.
I'll keep looking for that article, then post a link.
Click to expand...
Found it.
http://home.cogeco.ca/~sheppard/sharpenguide.htm
 
beckerhead said:
I am an Old Hickory fan, and was wondering about the 14" as a machete? Would the temper be an issue? And has anyone else tried such a thing? It looks like it would be a little front heavy which is always nice on a 'chete.
Click to expand...

The old hickory knives may cut food and meats good, but i don't think it will hold up to hard chopping, the reason i say this is i have worked in a meat cutting room for over 30 years, and i know the brand of knives your talking about, i used it. If you want a good machete than buy one, please don't use a meat cutting knife, its not the right tool for the job and will just let you down. Please do alot of asking and thinking about the tool your buying, save you money and get the best machete you can buy. I would like to see you have a great tool your happy with, and not just some old tool your a fan of. Im saying this as a good friend, you need the best, not the 2nd best, your friend at the post Donald S.
 
thesupersurvivalpost said:
The old hickory knives may cut food and meats good, but i don't think it will hold up to hard chopping, the reason i say this is i have worked in a meat cutting room for over 30 years, and i know the brand of knives your talking about, i used it. If you want a good machete than buy one, please don't use a meat cutting knife, its not the right tool for the job and will just let you down. Please do alot of asking and thinking about the tool your buying, save you money and get the best machete you can buy. I would like to see you have a great tool your happy with, and not just some old tool your a fan of. Im saying this as a good friend, you need the best, not the 2nd best, your friend at the post Donald S.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input, and concern for me. I am a fan of these knives because they are nice functional knives, not "just some old tool". If they were crappy I wouldn't like them to begin with. Specialized use of non-specialized blades is a good thing to do under controlled circumstances IMO. The Ontario machetes are .080" and .125" thick respectively (depending on model), with an Rc of 53-57 per the factory, the 14" Butcher is .095" thick with an Rc of 53-57, so other than thickness and profile they are of comparable constitution.
What you seem to see as a second rate hunk of crap, I see as a nice usable light machete/draw knife/food prep/butcher knife/etc.
A nice sheath, and some new handle slabs and I think it would be a neat big/little blade.
Thanks for the warning, but rest easy. I wasn't gonna buy one, and hit the Amazon with just it, a pair of tighty whiteys, and an elephant turd water carrier. It is gonna be a project, with all due testing and evaluation carried out under controlled circumstances. Thanks again!
Beckerhead
 
Old Hickory is owned by Ontario. I've seen reports on the forums about using an OH as a machete. They didn't fair well. I'd suggest picking up an Ontario Machete instead. That said, if you really want to try the OH as a machete, I suggest putting a convex edge on it.
 
I don't know about use as a machete, but I think they make great camp knives. Here are three that I own, an Old Hickory/Ontario, a Ka-Bar and a Russell, 7-8 in blades:

6ce1p5i.jpg


Sorry, kinda off topic, just taking another chance to show off my old blades :)
 
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