Brushing and Battoning on a Budget

[iamjethro]

I have used my OKC kukri for a lot of what you mention. It is only about 50 on the web.

 

[Herlock]

Hi! For the type of job you describe, in my neck of the woods, we use the Roncola. It’s a centuries old agricultural tool, not that fancy , but designed to excel exactly in those cleaning of wood’s undergrowth tasks. It’s really a workhorse in this respect :thumbup:. Here we mainly have black locust, beech, alder, polar, etc. Too hard trees’ species for machetes and big choppers, though funny, ends up to be far less effective. The Roncola also can get along well with your Opinel, both have this "peasant/farm" tool appeal you seem to like . Have fun!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Herlock--the fungaiola pattern would be a bit too light and long for that circumstance I'd think?

 

[ocnLogan]

Lots of suggestions for billhooks. I've never used one (or seen one used). I get how the "hook" portion could work well for grasses or something like that, but how do they do on woodier targets? I used to live in the east coast/midwest, so I have some idea of the type of targets Pinnah is looking at dealing with, and most of it is fairly woody.

For my own education, does anyone have any video comparisons (or comparisons in general) between one of those Rinaldis vs something like a Parang/golok (as I've seen those in use before). From my total unfamiliarity with them, it seems like the beak/hook could be unweildy, but I'm more than likely wrong, and am totally fine with that.

And Pinnah, I've not had any experience with any of Condors larger blades, but from what I understand I think you'll be quite happy with one in terms of quality. The Eco series is a relatively new addition to their line (from what I recall), and typically just means a synthetic handle vs a wood one, and a nylon sheath instead of a leather, which lowers the price a bit. But as for which size/which one of their offerings meets your needs best, I'll have to defer to those with more experience. 42blades knows his stuff when it comes to brush clearing/chopping.

 

[Herlock]

Herlock--the fungaiola pattern would be a bit too light and long for that circumstance I'd think?

Hi! Yes, I agree with you! When it comes to mostly wooden undergrowth I always go with the classic one. I really enjoy the Fungaiola when it comes to brambles and hawthorn. That's really her playground and hard to beat .

 

[pinnah]

Thinking through this more, I envision this tool to be used about 25% of the time for clearing (by me) and 75% of the time for woodpile kindling splitting (by my wife).

Might something like this strike the right balance?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

That would do fine and dandy--that's a pretty hefty one that has a very cleaver-like feel. We're out of that one at the moment but I think I have a few landing in a few weeks. You might also consider something like the one we call the "Kindling Kleaver", which is a Legnago pattern manaresso, or the Lucca pattern billhook or one of the variants of the Giustina manaresso (either Falci or Rinaldi) we have.

[video=youtube;CLhh_MfIkPI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLhh_MfIkPI[/video]

 

[xrayit]

Pro tools woodsmans pal was designed to do this type of work. A little over the budget but a killer tool !


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[FortyTwoBlades]

I am personally not at all enthused with the Woodman's Pal. It falls quite short of its functional potential in a number of respects on a fundamental design level.

 

[herisson]

Whatever you choose, I would recommend the stacked leather handle version. Best working tool handle ever, especially in hot environnements... Plastic is probably the worst solution (unless you're always working with gloves or/and in very wet conditions) and varnished wood should be sanded raw and then treated with a wipe of mineral or linseed oil. As to durability, the old leather handled billhook above is way above a half century old. Still alive and working.

 

[katanas]

If you go with condor, (I have three of their large parang/goloks) Go to Baryonyx and get the special edge treatment add-on :thumbup:. I had a heck of a time getting a good edge on mine; lots of work. If I get another, it will be from 42 Blades; the savings involved in finding a deal elsewhere are NOT worth it. :grumpy:

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Whatever you choose, I would recommend the stacked leather handle version. Best working tool handle ever, especially in hot environnements... Plastic is probably the worst solution (unless you're always working with gloves or/and in very wet conditions) and varnished wood should be sanded raw and then treated with a wipe of mineral or linseed oil. As to durability, the old leather handled billhook above is way above a half century old. Still alive and working.

Depends on the plastic and the shape of the handle...I actually quite like properly shaped polypropylene handles. They're not sexy, but they're tough as nails and give you the best possible handle/tang connection when injection molded straight onto the darn thing. And I never wear gloves.

 

[herisson]

Good points, indeed ! I don't really hate plastic handles and they're certainly up there for durability (tang protected from corrosion, resistance to heat and cold, and all that). I can find no default in the Becker handle, it's kind of perfect (at least, it suits my hand perfectly !).

 

[NYOutdoors]

Just to suggest something different, I'd buy a $10 Tramontina Machete for the undergrowth and grab an Ontario SP8 to leave at the battoning station.

Think you could get that done for just a hair over $50 if you shop around.

 

[longbeard]

.....

 

[TheDandyLion]

Check out the Ontairo machetes, thick enough to split but light and balanced enough to slash brush. Cheap too but needs a new handle

 

[22-rimfire]

The suggestions have been very helpful so far. Trying to get a handle on the right size.

The suggestions led me to find this one by Condor, the Eco Parang. Has anyone tried one?

My two favorites are the Condor Village Parang or Pack Golok. Both similar to the picture above with wood handles. The other one that might be very good for your use is the Mini Duku. The handle is thinner than both the Village Parang and Pack Golok for smaller hands.