AK Bowie -> yari

S

samoand

Joined
Jun 8, 2004
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Hi all. I posted this question in a different thread, but it may deserve a thread of it's own. It seems that due to the shape, the relative size of the handle, and the hole at the end of the handle it might be possible to design a pole with a mount that could turn Bowie into yari, and then back to Bowie, in matter of seconds. The result would be a combination of a highly practical knife and a walking stick that could turn into a spear. Any thoughts on this? Feel free to flame away :p :p
 
Sounds like you're thinking of finding a way to make a versatile tool more versatile. Nothing wrong with that.

My experience with spear-type weapons is limited to the throwing variety only. I have absolutely no experience with a yari or something similar; I've never even handled one. The AK bowie is a pretty hefty blade. Is this too heavy for such an application?

The false edge is not sharpened. A considerable amount of metal would have to be removed to leave it with a usable edge there, enough so that I personally wouldn't be comfortable doing the work. Then again, the blade is heavy enough that a blow with the dull false edge would be very uncomfortable, if not life threatening. Is this acceptable?

The weak point of such a weapon, I would think, would be the socket attaching the bowie to the shaft. Could this be engineered properly so that the weight increase wouldn't unduly affect the balance?

Is the bowie blade large enough for a yari-type application? I'd always pictured a yari blade as being a bit larger, but again, I don't know a lot about the subject.

Just some things to ponder. You can probably come up with better answers than I can.
 
I believe yaris have a standard spear head length (10+ inches). Don't most yari have an edged guard? I know that not all do, but most of the ones I have seen do have some kind of a guard. I think that the bowie polearm would be closer to a halbard with out the back hook/spike/flail.

Logistics aside I think it would be a good project. However I dont think that one where you just attach it with the extra metal hanging off the end would be safe. The one pin might also be a problem. Historically polearms have long tangs and two or more pins.

http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41217&highlight=yari+naginata
 
I have often thought along those same lines. A bowie and a staff that you can turn into a polearm fairly easily. I think it is a great idea and maybe a good project. The hardest part of it is going to be devising a mounting system that is secure once engaged AND is easy to engage and disengage. Those two concepts seem to be at odds with one another. Good luck and let us know if you come up with anything.
 
Cold Steel's "Bushman" works well as a knife/spear combo. But once your used to HI's weights, the Bushman will seem flimsy. Times change.

AA
 
If somebody wants to 'donate' a Bowie, I'd be happy to try to make polearm! ;) (jk)
 
Bobwhite said:
I have often thought along those same lines. A bowie and a staff that you can turn into a polearm fairly easily. I think it is a great idea and maybe a good project. The hardest part of it is going to be devising a mounting system that is secure once engaged AND is easy to engage and disengage. Those two concepts seem to be at odds with one another. Good luck and let us know if you come up with anything.
Click to expand...

How about a simple hollow handle (albeit smaller diameter than your usual hollow handle POS knife) with still steel rod, say about 8 cm, =~3" long, and threads (1 cm or so, =~ 2/5") to make a solid lock between the two ?

This woudl require some time to operate (unscrew the cap over the abovementioned rod, unscrew the end cap of the knife handle, screw walking stick into the knife handle, pocket both handle end cap and walking stick cap or screw them both together to form a short closed tube).

If you had something faster in mind i suppose some kind of locking lugs in the "rod" part of the walking stick would be necessary - design resembling modern folding umbrella. The joint would be less stiff (depending on tolerances, size of locking lugs and stress that thing was put under) but woudl be way faster to (dis)engage. Im sure a gunsmith could help you ut with this approach, whereas first is DIY even for less mechanically adept person (like nyself).

Oh the silly ideas ... :rolleyes:
 
Maybe if you fabricated some scales out of different material and thinned them down to where it would slide down into a modified shaft. Also make the rivets hollow so that you can run something from one side of the shaft, through the tang, and out the other side. I'm thinking something like trailer hitch pins or something. Then when you're done, just yank the two or three pins, and pull your knife out of the shaft. Yeah, i know, not practical in the least;)

Jake
 
Yeah, those are the ideas I've had too. I really don't like the hollow handle idea as much as the mount in the shaft idea. The hollow handle just doesn't lend itself to a good ergonomic grip. I could never think of way to make it practical. It is kind of like you need to compromise too much on the knife and/or the shaft for me to like either as itself other than when they are used together. I would want a great bowie and a great staff that can go together, but to do it you need to compromise the designs of one or both components too much. The bushman is the closest I've seen, but it lacks a certain je ne sais qua.
 
This is way off in the brainstorming area and would require a custom-made handle but it should provide both good grip on the handle of the knife and good (solid) locking with the stick - if blade tang was split as the 2-picthed fork and two sheets of steel bar were welded to it (and whatever scales you want fixed to those) you'd still have "hollow" handle (a plus for faster locking), handle hole would be rectangular so the piece of the stick fitting in (the thickness of blade tang) would provide a snug fit (another plus as the tip of your "yari" wouldn't be wobbling around) and handle should still be thinner than your regular hollow-handle knife (my initial suggestion of "hollow handle" wouldn't be that far off your thickness specs either i believe - the handle of fixed blade knives i have here is just short of 25 mm in width, it should be trivial to fit a 8-9 mm hole in there without compromising the handle or the strength of the locking rod of "yari").

This doesn't sound like something that woudl be worth the bother though, unless it was needed for next James Bond / Mission Impossible movie :D Maybe some knifemaker coudl chime in with their experience with steel handles ?
 
OR you could machine or weld on some slots and a latch and fit the shaft with the complimentary fittings and let the whole thing work like a bayonet.

OR
Take the bowie and cut the head off of the stick at a 60 degree angle and use that as the spear head.
(hey, many critters have died from being stuck with just such a tool)
 
thanks for all the opinions

DannyinJapan said:
...
Take the bowie and cut the head off of the stick at a 60 degree angle and use that as the spear head.
(hey, many critters have died from being stuck with just such a tool)
Click to expand...
... this also calls for a lighter - to burn the spear head very fast :p :p
 
I gave Bud Malstrom a 4' staff, rounded a bit towards the end, and a Bushman, some years ago. He was going as an observer on a safari, and could not carry a
firearm, but wanted something to keep the hyenas off, if necessary. He was planning on drilling the staff, and having a pin set-up for quick mounting.

John
 
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