Bob Kenny Bolo -- wood versus steel comparison. Pix.

An extra foot never hurt anybody.

Did I say that?

No word, Terry. Of course, they'll try to make a run of 5 or 6 I'd guess rather than just one. Sometimes a single will go pretty fast if it entertains the kamis to make it.
 
Originally posted by Bill Martino
I was impressed with the design the sarkis came up with to house the unusual chakma and karda. Pretty neat.
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Any pics ?????? :D
 
If Bob likes his Bolo, I might have to put off getting a GRS and get one for me. I think the Bolo turned out rather nice. I like it. :D

I'm drooling in anticipation for the field report.


Heber Ellsworth
 
Uncle,

What type of sheath (if any) came with the Bolo? The more I look at it, the more useful it appears... it could even double as a sword in a pinch :)

Wal... if you remember, MY birthin day is before yours :D

Alan
 
I will definately put up a review of this once I get it. I will try to put up pics. I will have to either take some and get someone else to post them or borrow a digital camera. Either way I will need outside help and can't guarantee anything. I am technologically challenged. It seems to have translated better to steel than it did to wood, like I had hoped. Based solely on the pics, it looks like they did what I asked. My models for the utility knife and sharpening steel (karda and chakma)had different handles, but I like the looks of these better. I like that they match the big blade's. I can't wait to see what kind of carry rig the sarkis dreamed up. I had no ideas for that and told Uncle Bill to let them use their imagination. It looks like they gave the utility knife the profile/geometry I wanted, sort of like an old straight razor in the blade's cross section. The fuller on the big blade looks like what I wanted too. More details to follow...
 
She's in the air, Bob. May take a little longer than usual to get to you so hang in. We'll wait for your report before we do anything.
 
OK guys, here is a priliminary review. I have not gotten a chance to give this thing a work out yet. The finish is the usual HI standard of excellence. It was made by the kami who uses a cross for a mark, Sanu if I am correct. The wood appears to be walnut. The sarkis came up with a sheath like a traditional khuk one. The utility knife and sharpening steel ride behind the main blade. It is tooled leather covered wood with a HI superfrog. The karda rides at a bit of an angle away from the rig, so it is easy to grab. Most of my other rigs are hard to access the karda. The chape has a nice little flourish to it, not just straight lines. All together it weighs 3lb, 1 1/2 oz.

The main blade, the bolo, is exactly what I was looking for. It weighs 2 lbs. and .01 oz. Can you get any closer to the 2 lbs. I was hoping for? The blade is 12 1/2". It is 3/8" thick at the spine. It is 1 7/8" at it's widest part and 1 1/2" at it's narrowest. The wood handle is 6 1/2" in length. The bolster is 1 1/2". The long handle tapers and allows for many different grips, you can even get a hand and a half on it. The curvature of the blade is very nice, way better than my models'. The fuller is very deep. The point of balance is about 3 or 4 inches in front of the boslter. It swings very nicely, I wanted the weight to be forward distributed and it came out about where I thought it would. The flat part at the tip looks like I intended it too, I hope it works the way I want it to.

The utility knife is profiled like a straight razor. It is 4.6 oz and comfortable in the hand. The spine is 3/16" thick. The blade is 5" long, 1" wide; the handle 4" and the boslter 3/4". The point curves up nicely to a sort of chisel point on the spine. The sharpening steel is square in profile and I did not weigh or measure it. It looks like it will funtion as intended though.

I can't wait to take this out for some real use. My intitial reaction is "This was what I wanted, but better". Thanks Uncle Bill and Thanks to all the craftsmen who worked on this project. More details after I get to use it.
 
Bob, I have liked your design since I say the wood model and like the finished product even more. If it works well for you and everything is cool, I'll order one. Am drooling in anticipation for your field report. :D


Heber Ellsworth
 
Some more testing has been done. This thing chops every bit as well as my 19" AK. Both penetrated the same distance into some old cherry boards from a busted coffee table when swung with equal force. For splitting, it works great. The flat part at the back of the tip, or hammer section, allows for it to be used like a froe (Thanks for the idea Yvsa). Stick it in, and hammer it through with a piece of wood. This allows very controlled splits. The hammer section allows drove nails almost as well as a standard hammer. To sink some 2" nails into the aforementioned cherry boards, It only took about 3 swings using wrist only motions. It is kind of a narrow area to work with, but it does work. The nails did not significantly mark the steel. This will not be a primary function of this tool, but it is there when needed. The handle is VERY comfortable, more on this later. Unlike my AK, this is comfortable to choke up on and can be used for slicing or carving.

The razor profiled karda is very comfortable for carving and slicing. It is now scary sharp. Just like a straight razor. I am growing in my beard now, but when it is time for it to come off, I know this is what I am going to use. It is that sharp. I plan on using this a lot. The whole rig is what I wanted, it is uncanny that it came out like this. I have to tell the whole story, now that it is here and it is what it is.

The whole idea came to me as I walked to work one day. It is about a mile and a pleasant walk. I am an avid whittler and the best wood source is old furniture. The way the kamis turn old truck parts into other things, I turn busted furniture into other things. I was walking to work and this table leg was out in the trash by the curb. I get a lot of my wood this way. Any how, I pulled out the table leg and was walking along eyeing it up to see what I could turn it into. The thing just sat in my hand in an incredibly comfortable way. It swung naturally, beautifully, I must have been a sight walking down the street swinging a table leg with a huge grin on my face. I just 'saw' the bolo in there. Many carvers can tell you that they don't do anything but remove what is not supposed to be there to reveal what they 'see' in the wood. This is what happened here. I knew the weight would change with the removed wood, but I reasoned that in metal it would compensate for the lost mass. I did not want it too heavy so I put a nice deep fuller in there. I wanted to recreate the feel of the table leg in a knife. It was a long shot, but it absolutely worked like I wanted it too. It even came in at the weight I wanted and balances like the original table leg that felt so good swinging in my hand. The other tools were just ideas I came up with along the way. The straight razor profile is something I always wanted, and the steel is based on a kitchen style one. It all came together, like I had hoped for. Maybe intuition is real, I see this as a gift from God. That I happened upon this chunk of wood; made it into a model based on no experience from a knife design or engineering standpoint; sent it to another ccountry to have done into steel; and that it all came out like I had first envisioned it is just too coincidental to me.
 
More testing has been done. I limbed and trimed an old mulberry tree in the back yard that was in need. It was very comfortable to swing, not blisters and not a lot of fatigue, even when swinging above my head. The blade stayed sharp through the workout. The only problem I have encountered so far is a tendancy for the handle to turn in my hand if I connect at the wrong angle. It seems to prefer a draw cut sort of motion to a staight hacking one. It will chop an inch thick mulberry branch off clean with the right motion, but if you don't get it right it will just bend the branch after cutting half way through. I guess I will need to practice to get the motion just right. It sure is sweet when it connects that way. All in all I am very happy.
 
Bob, Glad you like your Bolo. :) A few questions for you. Is the handle more rounded or oval in shape? I'm thinking, if it is more rounded then that might help explain why it twists. I want one, Can I place an order with Uncle Bill?

Uncle, Can we place an order for one yet? If so, how much will it cost?


Heber Ellsworth
 
The handle is round in profile, maybe I will shape it a little into an oval like you said. I might rough it up a bit with some sandpaper first and see if that solves the problem though. As far as ordering one, Uncle Bill will have to answer that. It handles chopping light brush sort of like a machete if you get the right motion, just a lot heavier. It will do light sapling and twig cutting better than my AK, which is not good for light brush at all. If you don't get the right motion though, it will just beat the bush down rather than cleave through. This is how my AK performs too, just sort of pushes light stuff aside. It beats the crap out of a machete for heavy chopping and splitting though, like I said, as good as my AK; so it is a good trade off. The hammer section on the back is handy too. I think I just need to get more comfortable with it so I can get the "sweet spot swing" every time.
 
Bob, thanks for the info. The more I hear about it, the more I want one of my own. :D


Heber Ellsworth
 
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