Ok, so I took the machete out today even though I hadn't finished prepping it.. This is the first machete or knife i've ever "prepped" this way. Here's the vid..
Please forgive the black circles around my eyes and the extremely awkward rambling "UHM, UH..." type of vocabulary. I'd just finished getting pretty beat up by the waves and I haven't been to the beach in a while. Oh and i'm not possessed =)
[youtube]W9oLcHhrHwE[/youtube]
I know i'm getting overexcited about a cheap hardware store machete but this being my first project i feel like i'm back in the boyscouts carving up my pinewood derby. I've been eye'ing the hell out of that condor golok and i'm probably going to get one, but I still think i'm going to take this guy out to Culebra as well.
By the way, I was scrounging the knifemakers market forum on here and some guy posted a chopper inspired by the 2008 version of Rambo. That's exactly what I would have loved to get. If i were wanting to get a custom chopper made, would anyone recommend someone in particular? I also have to add that i'm on somewhat of an economic budget being a student and all =/
Thanks
Preacherman explained it well. The base of the blade on a machete is barely touched in normal chopping. Its normally only the sweet spot a few inches back from the point that takes all the hard impacts. If you give the base of the blade a really sharp edge it will stay that way, so I figured why not go all the way and give it a scandi for woodworking.
Machetes are not hardened like a knife so that scandi edge is a little more prone to roll under hard use. I do use it for very accurate power chops when making things, I'm just careful not to slam it into anything hard. The convex edge up front is much stronger and will take hard impacts all day without edge damage.
cool, thanks for clearing that up, I believe you mentioned that in your video as well =/ I probably just got distracted.
I think everyone is ignoring the obvious answer here... order one of everything that tramontina makes, have the fun of putting a perfect edge on all of them, and then plan a trip where you can find out which you like the best. Then you give the runners-up to your friends who scoff at your blade habit and watch as they become addicts as well.
Haha, at least I can dream eh?
I'm on the wrong side of 50 and grew up using a machete in deep South Texas and throughout Mexico where my father was a rancher. At least 45 years of using just about every type of machete you can imagine. Truth be told, the people with a lot of experience (over 30 years at least) use a variety of tools...not just a machete because in practical terms there is no one tool that does everything. Shovels, picks, machetes, axes: A group clearing a brecha or sendero will take what they need. However, on several occasions I've spent time along tropical beaches and we simply spray painted the machetes with rust-resistant paint; in fact, we brought a can along to touch up blades when need be. Very simple, very practical, and quite effecient. The Tramontina machete is a good machete but thin in the blade and cannot be recommended for anything other than areas where the wood is not particularly dense: specific gravity over 0.60. A short machete is more practical in thick brush; a long bladed machete can be difficult to use in a lot of situations. For practical terms a 14" blade is probably the best but even it can be too long in certain situations. I have been using a Condor golok and find it very nice. The Ontario Knife machetes are extremely rugged and excellent if the wood has a specific gravity over 0.60. The parang with a tapering 1/4 inch thick blade and 12 inches long is incredible and will hold up when other thinner bladed machetes wear you out if the wood is very dense. Trick to it is to learn how to move through the brush/woods/jungle without having to wear yourself out clearing everything in sight. Clearing simply to clear is not always prudent, practical or bright.
Yea, I think my next purchase is a Condor golok... it just looks nice... hehe by the way I want to do as little "clearing" as possible with the machete. I plan to set up camp literally right on a hill on the beach.
Try the 18 inch Latin Machete from Cold Steel. It works for me.
I was going to scrap it all and just go with this, but I thought it would be a little more fun to try something new for a change.
With all that salt water/humidity, you might wanna consider a Spyderco Aqua Salt or Rock Salt, made of H1 steel, so it wont rust and corrode. The Rock Salt would probably be better at splitting coconuts, or hacking at weeds, but it is bulkier and heavier than the Aqua Salt, which has a more conventional survival blade look.
The Rock Salt is actually very thin and lightweight. I recall being very surprised when I first picked it up. Ed Schemp designed that one as a jungle knife, IIRC, so it should do the job nicely, albeit with a substantial price tag.
Wow, the rock salt looks pretty nasty. Do you think that would be too small for what i'm looking to do?
If you are going to be around a beach, try one of the condor SS, and mod that the same way. It acts much like the carbon steel versions. H1 is AWESOME for any beach trip. I LOVE THE STUFF. I wish I had an h1 machete, but the problem is that H1 must be hollow ground. Doesn't work so well on machetes unless a custom maker does it right.
that rock salt is sounding better and better. What custom maker would you guys recommend for a project like this? How much would something like this cost for someone on a students budget btw?
This site is going to make me beyond break my wallet...
By the way Joe, your profile pic is awesome dude. Don't know why, but every time I go to a thread and scroll down to see that pic for some reason I just think "awesome pic!" lol
Thanks for responses guys
, fire prep,