A Piece From A Time When Men Used Steel

JParanee

JParanee

Joined
Dec 23, 2006
Messages
15,019
At the Gathering this year Paul Farina the dealer that shared are quad space had a Carcass Splitter from the 1800's

As soon as I picked it up I was amazed at how it felt

The piece exhibited things that today's stuff rarely has

First off it had radical distal taper

F66A7D32-B465-4E33-8C7F-2DC4016AD8AF.jpg


Next it had a wonderful tapered tang

93C567B0-D69A-4B27-9E57-588FCA0BF1E1.jpg


It had a differentially heat treated blade

E3883A61-110E-4117-89C6-19C682ECCA93.jpg


This was a tool meant to be used and its build quality and more importantly its build design echos a time when men built high performance tools and had the advantage of really putting them to use to test them

This is who made this piece

89A9067D-0067-4C82-83E4-055A07E3424E.jpg


It's survived a lot of use and stands as an example for all modern day makers who have seemed to forget the performance engphancements this blade exhibits

This piece really made an impression on me

03BF85C1-81A5-46BD-9F37-D3E9F6DA9906.jpg


18D1B907-4F0A-4AD9-9946-A4875D5DEEA0.jpg


F44E5AFF-EFA5-418C-90D3-D0FA7F3A182C.jpg
 
Naa

I don't think there is much use these days for carcass splitters

You know with saws and all :)

But the reason I posted this is to show how far we have come from what really works

All makers that ignore the magical propertied that distal taper and tapered tangs gives blades are missing out

I would just love to see more makers utilize these features in their blades
 
Joe: Who needs a splitter when you have a set of guns like yours? :D

All makers that ignore the magical propertied that distal taper and tapered tangs gives blades are missing out

I would just love to see more makers utilize these features in their blades
Click to expand...

I agree whole-heartedly

 
I have one like that. It hangs on my wall, and every once in awhile I take it down and play with it. It's an awe inspiring blade made in the 1880's, still as solid and sharp as the day it was forged. I paid $100. for it at a flea market and consider it one of the best finds I ever found at a flea market.
 
Thats cool! Paul is a good guy I have done business with him on multiple occasions and his prices are always very fair.
 
Cool pics! I have one thanks to a member here (Thanks Gooeytek!) and have debated to restore or keep oiled and in the current condition.

I saw an old video of these in use... they were held somewhat paralell to the chest and lightly dropped forward to slice the carcass, very efficient as I bet these guys were cutting a carcass in half every 15 seconds.
 
Was this a power lifters convention or a knife show..lol. :D
Great looking massive cleaver, Joe ! :cool: :thumbup:
 
I consider them a limbo between a sword and a tool; it works in either bailiwick. It was made in the thought that tools should work and not just look cool. :D
 
Joe, here is a Foster Bro. #8 cleaver that I redid the handle on and a Foster Bro. beef splitter that I am going to refurb for a customer. The beef splitter is 28" OAL with a 12" blade.


another shot showing the distal taper on both


I turned a new handle out of osage orange for the cleaver and just cleaned up the blade. The splitter is going to be a bigger project.
 
Doug C said:
Was this a power lifters convention or a knife show..lol. :D
Great looking massive cleaver, Joe ! :cool: :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Good point, Doug!! I have to taper everything simply because I'm so skinny - if I don't, I can't pick 'em up!!!

; )

Good stuff, Joey!
 
rwn2000 said:
Joe, here is a Foster Bro. #8 cleaver that I redid the handle on and a Foster Bro. beef splitter that I am going to refurb for a customer. The beef splitter is 28" OAL with a 12" blade.


another shot showing the distal taper on both


I turned a new handle out of osage orange for the cleaver and just cleaned up the blade. The splitter is going to be a bigger project.
Click to expand...


Thanks for posting

What are your thoughts of the temper ?

How do they feel ?
 
JParanee said:
Thanks for posting

What are your thoughts of the temper ?

How do they feel ?
Click to expand...

I haven't done anything to the edge on the beef splitter yet so i can't say anything about the temper. It feels a lot lighter and faster in the hand than it looks like it should. I am sure this is due to the distal taper, as you mentioned. You would still have to be a REAL MAN to swing it all day in a butcher shop but it is definitely designed to be used.

I have played around with the cleaver a lot more. As far as the temper and judging from how a mill bastard file cuts near the edge, i would say it is softer than most modern knives but as hard or harder than most axes or hatchets. It will definitely take a shaving sharp edge and it has held it pretty well while i was making feather sticks and doing fire prep. I am pretty sure that these were differentially hardened based on other ones I have seen. Several have had mushrooming on the spine, I guess from using a hammer to drive/baton it through a big joint.
It feels fairly heavy in the hand but it is almost 1/2" thick at the handle and only has an 8" handle. I have used it a few times for chopping pork barbeque and you dont really have to swing it for doing that, you just pick it up and let the weight do the work on the way down.

I hope 42Blades sees this thread. He is very knowledgeable on cleavers and every other kind of chopper.

randy
 
Yes, often cleavers were differentially heat treated. Also, the edges are traditionally done as a fairly thick appleseed with an angle more similar to a cold chisel since their job was to cleave through thick bone. The tangs on nice examples were tapered, and the blades were double-tapered, having both a taper from heel to toe as well as from spine to edge. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top