We had a bit of a change in our routine yesterday. Jackie - my wife - headed off to a quilters function, and I went out to make some temporary wheelchair ramps for a relative.
I scrounged some old plywood and some odd bits of timber. The timber had to be cut to the correct width to make the ramp the right height, and I chose to cut a bevel on the top of the timber supports to allow good contact with the ply. I used the Tora Tamang Chaura for both these jobs and it performed very well. I just held the timber vertically on a chopping block and chopped carefully with the kukri. While my handiwork is unlikely to appear on a future edition of the 'Antiques Roadshow', what I made is sturdy and will serve the purpose. (Actually, when it comes to jobs that don't have to look good ..... I'm the guy that put 'rude' into rudimentary. Why muck about with a tenon saw and sandpaper when the job can be done with a chainsaw or axe). The bottom ramp is sitting in place to do its job. On top of it is an upside-down smaller ramp I made to get the wheelchair over the door frame. That pocketknife holding up the kukri is an Eka Compact. (A great wee performer and a 'politically correct' knife..... and I have about 25 of them left after importing them to sell
)
With that job out of the way, Lizzy and I headed out for a walk. I was keen to try the new kuk as a chopper, but I was going to an area where I didn't have permission to cut trees. But nobody would have minded me chopping some gorse which is one of the big pest species down here. It might look quaint in the British Isles where it came from, but it can take over a New Zealand farmer's hill pasture relatively quickly. I would normally prefer to use a slasher or machete when cutting close to the ground.... it doesn't matter so much if the blade connects with a rock. Plus the thinner blade of the machete should slice better, and the lighter machete will generally swing faster for cutting light branches. But the kukri cut through this young gorse without a whimper.
I headed up into a pine plantation. About 15 months ago we had a big easterly storm that brought a number of trees down. I think the dead pine I chopped at might have been one of them. When I set pole snares, I would use a branch of around this size for the pole. The dead, seasoned wood was fairly tough, but with the kuk at the right angle it was no trouble to chop. It took quite a few more strokes than it would have done if the wood was green, but thats life.
While I was off the beaten track I tried hanging the kukri from a large belt. I found that it didn't feel quite as awkward as I thought it might. However there will be no way I can hide it like I do with my sheath knife by allowing my shirt to hang over it. On a rainy day it will sit nicely under my poncho, but when I'm in a public area it will have to travel in my pack.
With all the chopping, Lizzy got into the spirit of the occasion and attacked a root protruding from the riverbank:
I scrounged some old plywood and some odd bits of timber. The timber had to be cut to the correct width to make the ramp the right height, and I chose to cut a bevel on the top of the timber supports to allow good contact with the ply. I used the Tora Tamang Chaura for both these jobs and it performed very well. I just held the timber vertically on a chopping block and chopped carefully with the kukri. While my handiwork is unlikely to appear on a future edition of the 'Antiques Roadshow', what I made is sturdy and will serve the purpose. (Actually, when it comes to jobs that don't have to look good ..... I'm the guy that put 'rude' into rudimentary. Why muck about with a tenon saw and sandpaper when the job can be done with a chainsaw or axe). The bottom ramp is sitting in place to do its job. On top of it is an upside-down smaller ramp I made to get the wheelchair over the door frame. That pocketknife holding up the kukri is an Eka Compact. (A great wee performer and a 'politically correct' knife..... and I have about 25 of them left after importing them to sell
)
With that job out of the way, Lizzy and I headed out for a walk. I was keen to try the new kuk as a chopper, but I was going to an area where I didn't have permission to cut trees. But nobody would have minded me chopping some gorse which is one of the big pest species down here. It might look quaint in the British Isles where it came from, but it can take over a New Zealand farmer's hill pasture relatively quickly. I would normally prefer to use a slasher or machete when cutting close to the ground.... it doesn't matter so much if the blade connects with a rock. Plus the thinner blade of the machete should slice better, and the lighter machete will generally swing faster for cutting light branches. But the kukri cut through this young gorse without a whimper.
I headed up into a pine plantation. About 15 months ago we had a big easterly storm that brought a number of trees down. I think the dead pine I chopped at might have been one of them. When I set pole snares, I would use a branch of around this size for the pole. The dead, seasoned wood was fairly tough, but with the kuk at the right angle it was no trouble to chop. It took quite a few more strokes than it would have done if the wood was green, but thats life.
While I was off the beaten track I tried hanging the kukri from a large belt. I found that it didn't feel quite as awkward as I thought it might. However there will be no way I can hide it like I do with my sheath knife by allowing my shirt to hang over it. On a rainy day it will sit nicely under my poncho, but when I'm in a public area it will have to travel in my pack.
With all the chopping, Lizzy got into the spirit of the occasion and attacked a root protruding from the riverbank:
