Bush Cane: Machete/fighting stick/blowgun/spear/survival kit combo

M

medcommander

Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
188
Okay here is my idea:

A cane sword design with a 26inch blade w/ a width of 35mm that is full flat grind and a convex edge. This sword/machete will only be single edged and will be a little more than 1/8th of an inch thick, and will have an eight inch handle with a full tang and no guard. The first 4.5inch or so will be similar to a machete grip and the last couple inches to allow a two handled grip. The handle will then bend 90 degrees to make the cane part of sword which will be round so to permit it to be used like a baton in cane mode. It will then have a a bent end jutting off of the cane handle at an angle slightly more obtuse than 90 degrees which will enable the stick to hook and grab things.

It will need a strong locking mechanism to hold the machete in place, and since it doesn't really need to be drawn quickly any sort of style could be used. The cane itself would probably be made from PVC or metal depending on how one wants to go about constructing it. The end will be need to be threaded so you can attach the extender piece and the buttcap for when it is in stick mode.

It will have a two foot extender that will act as a survival stick and be wrapped in paracord, duct tape, hold containers full of matches, a sewing kit, tinder, water purification tablets, a fishing gig, or simply act as a water container. This stick could also serve as an improvised weapon and will have an adaptor on the end so when attached to the stick it can function as a fishing pole, gig, spear, walking stick, etc...

Thats pretty much all I got for right now, but if you have any suggestions on the locking mechanism, blade materials, the handle, or anything else feel free to comment and leave any advice. I tried to mimic the sword design after the saber with an improved edge geometry and a shorter blade

P.S. I know sword canes are illegal but that will not be this tools function. I just wanted something that I could take backpacking or hiking and have the scabbard actually have a function instead of just being dead weight. This in no way needs to be inconspicuous and I really don't care if it looks like a cane at all. I am not trying to conceal it in any way...
 
Have you heard of Pat Crawford's Survival Staff? Same concept but already in production and actually in use.

The Crawford Staff only includes a spear. No way you will be able to fit anything like a machete into a tube diameter that will accommodate blow darts (what kind of lung capacity do you think you have?). Any blade that long and skinny will only deform and bend the first time you try to cut with it -let alone baton.
 
As CWL indicated, pretty much sounds like you're describing the Crawford Survival Staff.

Has almost everything you mentioned plus more. Nice thing is after along with the basic package, you can pick and choose the accessories you want.

I personally don't have one, but all the comments I've seen are very positive.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys and yes I actually got several of the ideas from the Crawford Survival staff, but I actually would prefer mine.

The machete it is actually just a single edged Patton saber with a FFG and a convexed edge. If you have ever held a real saber you would know that they are perfectly capable of hacking, slashing, and battoning. The idea behind this is to take a sword cane and modify it for use in the bush. I don't want a survival staff for I already have trekking poles, but a bush style cane sword that can serve as my survival kit, spear, gig, fishing pole, and machete I could definitely find a use for.

XialongJackson, to understand what I am talking about just imagine a cane that an infirm person would use that has a handle that is at a 90 degree angle to the actual stick. I would want the tang to run the full vertical length of the stick with the 90 degree bend just made from wood/fiberglass/ or some other solid material.

Thanks for the feedback on the blowgun idea. It was more of an extra then a significant function, but I think that at about an inch and a half the cane shouldn't make to bad of a blow gun. Then again I really don't know much about blowguns,and If you have any information or sources on blowguns I would really appreciate the help.

So far I have already changed the design up a bit. The machete portion of the cane will have 3 holes drilled through the handle, and hollow rivets, similar to what Fiddleback forge uses, will be added and threaded. I will put matching holes into the cane portion of the stick and thread those as well. To keep the machete in place I will then run screws through the holes and us wingtip bolts to apply tension. This will keep the machete firmly in place when traveling, and allow me to use the handle to hook objects. Not a very elegant solution but its what I have so far.

-MC
 
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FortyTwoBlades said:
Patton sabers were thrusters...not cutters. :confused:
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Yep. In reality All cavalry sabers were meant to poke holes in people and not really mean for slashing -no matter what the Movies tell you!

Most sabers used in the Napoleonic Wars (some of the largest cavalry battles in history) didn't even have a sharpened edge!

I suspect that you will find yourself with just shards of a Patton Saber if you do much chopping & batoning with it.

Also, if you want to use PVC for your staff material, you are only going to end up with plastic bits when it shatters on you.
 
CWL said:
Yep. In reality All cavalry sabers were meant to poke holes in people and not really mean for slashing -no matter what the Movies tell you!

Most sabers used in the Napoleonic Wars (some of the largest cavalry battles in history) didn't even have a sharpened edge!

I suspect that you will find yourself with just shards of a Patton Saber if you do much chopping & batoning with it.

Also, if you want to use PVC for your staff material, you are only going to end up with plastic bits when it shatters on you.
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Ehh...there were plenty of slashing sabers around the Napoleonic period, though the French did have a particular fondness for thrusting designs in specific. Light cavalry patterns in particular often were designed with cutting in mind. But I otherwise agree with you. Machetes may trace their origins to infantry hangars but sabers ≠ machetes. Cutting flesh is very different from cutting foliage and one is designed for the former and the other the latter.
 
FortyTwoBlades you are completely correct, and I apologize for the mistake. It was the only straight saber that I could think of at the time, so I naturally just kinda ran with it. A better description of the blade would be a shahska without any curve, and while I understand that by losing the curved edge it loses some of it's cutting power, I think that it should be fine for the purpose to which I am employing it. From what I have been able to find about the shahska it was originally used as a bush knife and then was later adopted into military use where it has stayed ever since. So think it would serve well for the tasks that I want to put it through.

CWL thanks for the heads up about the PVC. I might end up going with it anyway just because it's cheap, and because i'd like to get any bugs worked out of the design before investing in something more expensive. I have heard that the thicker walled grey PVC is a stronger material, do you think that would be an adequate material?
 
I would suggest that consider polycarbonate tubing instead. You can find online as well as from TAP Plastics in various diameters.

Same as bullet-resistant glass material, it won't shatter and is very difficult to crack.
 
medcommander said:
FortyTwoBlades you are completely correct, and I apologize for the mistake. It was the only straight saber that I could think of at the time, so I naturally just kinda ran with it. A better description of the blade would be a shahska without any curve, and while I understand that by losing the curved edge it loses some of it's cutting power, I think that it should be fine for the purpose to which I am employing it. From what I have been able to find about the shahska it was originally used as a bush knife and then was later adopted into military use where it has stayed ever since. So think it would serve well for the tasks that I want to put it through.

CWL thanks for the heads up about the PVC. I might end up going with it anyway just because it's cheap, and because i'd like to get any bugs worked out of the design before investing in something more expensive. I have heard that the thicker walled grey PVC is a stronger material, do you think that would be an adequate material?
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It's not the lack of curvature that concerns me so much as the lack of mass. You aren't going to have much cutting ability because of how narrow the blade would be, presuming you'd be using a cylindrical tube rather than a flattened oval. It wouldn't be able to suitably handle much more than lush vegetation and even woody plants would be prone towards hanging the blade up.
 
Thanks for the tip CWL that looks like an interesting option.

FortyTwoBlades I understand your concern but from what I've found 35mm is traditional blade width of a shashka. I'm not trying to make a heavy machete, but something narrower. Also I think that the two handed grip will allow me to use kendo techniques to chop through some of the heavier stuff. I understand that it's probably going to have limitations but thats also why a saw attachment is also intergrated into the staff.
 
You realize that 35mm is about 1.37 inches, right? That's going to make for one heck of a thick tube. I wouldn't want to use a cane that had an outer diameter of 1.5 inches. That would be FAT.
 
To be frank, I don't think this idea will hold water. Others have already pointed out that there are a fair few holes in the concept, but the question that leaps to my mind is:

Do you really want to lug around a giant "Machete/fighting stick/blowgun/spear/survival kit combo" swiss-army-stick that weighs a ton, is the diameter of a golf ball, cost you an arm and a leg, and is full of gadgets that you never needed in the first place?

I'm not really sure if you had imagined marketing this idea or if you just like the notion as a personal project, but it doesn't seem to me to be something that'll take off. Still, if you do end up having such a thing made, do let us know how it works. :thumbup:
 
Dorito Monk said:
I'm not really sure if you had imagined marketing this idea or if you just like the notion as a personal project, but it doesn't seem to me to be something that'll take off. Still, if you do end up having such a thing made, do let us know how it works. :thumbup:
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If its being done as a personal project it could be fun and I'm sure one would learn a lot in the process of making and refining it. And you likely would wind up with something you're proud of and exactly the way you want it.

As far as marketing goes, IF you can make it lighter than the Crawford and as functional, could be a place for it. Otherwise, you're just kind of reinventing the wheel (sort of :D). Or at any rate trying to compete for a pretty small market.

I'm a bit confused by the whole "machete" part. I'm no expert on machetes, but its hard for me to imagine a functional one that could be part of a staff. Seems like thats something you would just carry along with it.
 
Dorito Monk said:
To be frank, I don't think this idea will hold water. Others have already pointed out that there are a fair few holes in the concept, but the question that leaps to my mind is:

Do you really want to lug around a giant "Machete/fighting stick/blowgun/spear/survival kit combo" swiss-army-stick that weighs a ton, is the diameter of a golf ball, cost you an arm and a leg, and is full of gadgets that you never needed in the first place?

I'm not really sure if you had imagined marketing this idea or if you just like the notion as a personal project, but it doesn't seem to me to be something that'll take off. Still, if you do end up having such a thing made, do let us know how it works. :thumbup:
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You are completely and utterly correct. To be clear I should probably explain that this is just random project idea that i decided to try to develop in order to retain my sanity while studying for a biology final. I love to design things but am unlikely to ever build or create this idea; especially with all the flaws that have been shown to exist in the design. This is simply a project derived out of boredom and an interest in irish stick fighting and machetes. As a wildlife bio major I was interested in creating a sheath for my machete that could function as a blunt impact weapon.

FortyTwoBlades said:
You realize that 35mm is about 1.37 inches, right? That's going to make for one heck of a thick tube. I wouldn't want to use a cane that had an outer diameter of 1.5 inches. That would be FAT.
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You are indeed correct on that point, but honestly that would be the minimum width I would allow for a machete. Ah well, it seems like I have reached an impasse, but rest assured I'll return with another completely unproductive idea in a bit. Thank you for your input and advice, and I wish you all a Happy Holidays.
 
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