Blade Shapes

[Tai Goo]

How about a thread on "Blade Shapes", history, uses and the wide variety throughout world history,... for inspiration, and ideas?

Maybe you guys can help me out with some links, images and information.

Let's show our "diversity" and heritage as bladesmiths.

Here's a few for starters:
http://www.mambele.be/

http://old.blades.free.fr/

http://old.blades.free.fr/swords/dayak/parang_dayak_intro.htm

 

[dustfurn]

one of my favorite archetypes:

http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_seax.html

 

[Tai Goo]

Here's a nice E-nep from Thailand. I believe they were originally designed for chopping bamboo, etc...

 

[fitzo]

http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/index.php

http://therionarms.com/antiques/index.shtml

 

[atakach]

i like the idea, would be interesting to see the varity of things people can dig up

 

[Roa Knives]

Here is a good one for the khukuri.

http://www.khukurihouseonline.com/Content/KukriInfo/

 

[Haley Bell]

Ulus are my favorite type of unique knife shape. I haven't found anything to beat it for skinning and fleshing hides(my hobby previous to bladesmithing), my Mom uses one in the kitchen. Traditionally it's an Inuit woman's knife, I know some Alaska Native grandmas who can skin a seal in less than 60 sec. They actually have competitions for it.

The Nunivak design is the most comfortable in your hand for long use because you can fit three fingers through the hole.

Here's a link:

http://outdoors-magazine.com/spip.php?article265

P.S.
As a note to Tai Goo. Someone lent me your video on bladesmithing that you did with "Hood's Woods" when I was 17. I only made it half way through and I got up and started building my first forge, been doing it ever since. Thanks

 

[Phil Dwyer]

TRADITIONAL FILIPINO BOLO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_knife

I never tire of seeing some of the local Filipinos, who care for peoples yards, use their bolos. For instance, I've seen whole hedges that would "normally" be pruned with power trimmers shaped completely with a bolo. Around here bolos are fairly simply shaped. They're often no more than something like a piece of leaf spring split down the middle with a beveled edge. They're very thick and have quite a heft to them. You can hack trees down with them as they won't warp or bend easily like thinner machetes are likely to.