Diy a Ontario machete.

H

hobbiest

Joined
Jul 26, 2014
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I have two 12" Ontario machetes and one 18 and have always wanted to diy them. Not real knowlegble on blades but handy with tools so ok with any input. Didn't know what I wanted till I saw what bark river did with one yrs ago. So far working on the first 12" Im filing the edge to remove that atrocious secondary bevel (if that's what its supposed to be) and leaving the first 5-6" scandi to make feather sticks and transitioning to a convex to the end with out a defined transition as I saw one guy do. Not removing the shoulder on first one but will on second and leaving black coating on first as its smooth coating but will remove the coating on second one as it was rougher/ more like the bark river. Was leaving the first 1 1/2" on spine to place thumb if desired and 90 deg the next 5-6" for scraping and then rounding last half for hand placement. After those two will go for shortening the 18". Question: Should I sharpen all the way to the tip or leave the last 1" little dull?

Interested in any advise up till now but my biggest questions come from the handle. I have epoxy I do decorations with and can do the epoxy honeycomb you see on knife decorative scales but am afraid that will be to slick for a user. Have lots of reclaimed wood I can use like oak and even some exotic hard woods I don't know what they are but am afraid wood would be better but maybe still slick? What grit do you guys sand to? Like the thought of micarta the most but don't have the material for that and many slabs sold are for knives and a hair to small for this. Any thought on the grips?
After its done was going to cut down the plastic sheath available for them and add a belt clip and use ranger bands to hold a ferro rod and a 6" file.
 
First decision I’d make is, do I intend this machete for gloved or bare hand use? Prolonged machete use will be hard on your bare hand if the surface is very rough. Then I’d make sample blocks of different epoxy recipes and sand or wire wheel them for surface texture, and choose my favorite. Know that most epoxies are not long term UV resistant, but they allow you to shape and tune your handle easier than wood slabs. I’ve given wood tool handles an epoxy or fiberglass “overcoat” before, helps them withstand wet use.

While ago I needed a root hacking knife (froe?) for use down in a muddy slimy ditch. In my junkpile was a 12” industrial planer blade and a length of garden hose. I ground the handle end so the hose fit tight over it, then wire wheeled it lightly. Made a great non-slip handle.

Best of luck to you.

Parker
 
The stock Ontario scales are horrible to use for any length of time. Lose those . Do your own.
The scandi grind at the ricasso is an old trick from an old member here named Pict who iirc was a South American missionary..Very handy mod.
 
TY for the advise. Will mostly be used with bare hands. I didn't plan on going all the way to the grip with the scandi at the moment but I think I saw those pics. Might have to use the belt sander. Taking longer than I thought to get past that horrible second grind they put on with just using a file. The belt sander I have is not made for knives though and I get better results with the file and no heat up.
 
A file is the best way to go unless you have the right belt grinder and coarse belts.
If your file isn’t biting into the steel well, then it’s probably dull or full of filings. A sharp quality bastard file makes quick work of machete edges, a filing card helps keep the teeth clean and the file cutting well.
I have several files that don’t cut well do to age and having become dulled, I value my hard sharp files because they feel so much better on steel.
 
I’ve sharpened machetes with a side grinder, BUT: it’s awfully easy to grind off more than you intended, faster than you intended. Clamping in a vise or chainsaw clamp helps.

I’ve also improved some old dull files by soaking in acid solutions, primarily citric. Some respond well, some don’t. But it’s worth a try on your old favorites.

Parker
 
TY. I have several different old files USA made that I picked up at garage sales and two bite in really well. Cant do anything with the handle till it warms up little. Power tools in the garage and its cold.
 
Yah, cold here too, although not as cold as some places.

Garage sales, swap meets and estate sales are about the only places to get old files around here any more. I do have one thrift store, the owner knows to set them back for me to look through. The hardware store files are all imported here, and poorly made. Makes it even more important to take care of the old ones and keep them running.

Parker
 
Have one blade filed to the general profile. Going to sand off the coating. If possible Id really like to keep where its stamped Ontario and US. Think it would be alright if I am careful sanding? Anyone highlight this in anyway after taking off the coating?
 
I think I checked these guys out about 10 yrs ago, at that time their minimum was 100. Glad to see now that it’s one.

Parker
 
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