As I mentioned the other day, my dearly beloved 25" Kobra is currently in intensive care, due to go under the surgeons hammer as soon as he can spare a day from actual paying work.
Bad enough to lose my favorite cutting tool; but it couldnt have happened at a more inconvenient time.On Monday I fulfilled a lifetimes ambition and become the proud owner of 12 acres of woodland. 12 acres of neglected, unfenced woodland. Oh boy...
First priority was to get some fences up. Since every penny I used to own is now tied up in real estate and lumber, I cant afford to buy fenceposts, gates, gateposts &c; accordingly, on Monday morning I set off for the wood to cut and shape 50 3" X 6' posts. The wood is mostly mature oak, with some overgrown silver birch and some young, spindly ash. The obvious source for posts was the birch, since it needs thinning out anyhow.
Tools; well, under normal circumstances, Id have taken along the Kobra and a flask of tea. Instead, I took a 2.5 lb Sandvik felling axe, a 3lb broadaxe (a lovely thing; handmade, well over 100 years old, found in a corner of my dads barn, cleaned up and rehandled) and a light, long-handled hawk I made myself. As an afterthought, I hung on my belt a village khukuri Id bought from Uncle Bill about 2 years ago, basically because it was big and very cheap. It didnt seem right going to the woods without some sort of knife on my belt, and I thought it might come in handy for splitting shakes or something.
About this khuk. When it first arrived and I took it out of the box, my first thought was, Damn, too heavy!; it weighs a tad under 2lb 5oz for an overall length of 20 inches. Spine width is exactly 0.475" at the bend, tapering to 0.425" one inch from the point; blade width at the bend is 2.275". Blade is unfullered. Big, heavy sucker, in other words; not my style. It stayed in the cupboard.
Back to the wood, and to cut a long story short; I didnt get around to using the axes, or the hawk. The khukuri proved to be an absolute joy to work with. Felling; the center of percussion is slightly further back than Id have expected, and talk about efficient - this khuk bites *deep* with minimal effort. Another important point in its favor; it doesnt bind in the wood when youve cut in deep, so you dont spend half your time tugging it out again. Shaping; again, because of the balance and handling, its absurdly simple to get the blade to land *exactly* where you want it to go - very important with such a big, heavy blade. Im a little guy with small hands, and chronic tendonitis and bursitis; but fatigue simply wasnt an issue. No excessive expenditure of strength or energy required, just lift the khuk, aim it and let it fall in its own weight. The blade does all the rest. Trimming branches and twigs, cutting brush, undergrowth &c - not a problem, with perfect control and balance. This khuk does it all. Edge-holding; well, sooner or later itll probably need sharpening, but not yet. A few touches each evening with a carbide rod put it back to shaving sharp.
Anyhow; now I have my fenceposts. Fairly soon, Ill be in a position to start building my log cabin. Axes need not apply; the cabin has been named, in advance, the House That Khuk Built.
So, what makes this khuk so outstandingly good? Two things, I believe; blade shape and grip profile. Because its a village model, its got a smaller handle than the HI khuks, and it fits my small hands perfectly; no fatigue, no uncomfortable jarring of tendons or joints. As for the blade shape; well, its a bit like an AK, only without the fullers; a bit like a Ganga Ram; maybe closest to a Salyan, except maybe a tad leaner and more elongated. The important thing is, its sweet spot is a full inch further back than on my other khuks, which means the blade spends longer in the wood during each cut, if you see what I mean; the drawing and slicing effect of the khuk blade profile is utilised to greater effect. Whoever made this beauty is a master craftsman with a genius for ergonomic design.
(Things I dont like about it; the blade sticks in the scabbard, the karda wont keep an edge for two minutes together, and the chakma is just plain soft. Also, when Uncle Bill sold me the khuk, he warned me about a slight split in the handle. Now I trust Bill implicitly, and if he says theres a split, theres a split. I just havent found it yet, is all)
So; heres to the village khukuris. They get the job done, they turn chores into pleasure. What higher praise could there possibly be?
Who says you cant find true love second time around?
Bad enough to lose my favorite cutting tool; but it couldnt have happened at a more inconvenient time.On Monday I fulfilled a lifetimes ambition and become the proud owner of 12 acres of woodland. 12 acres of neglected, unfenced woodland. Oh boy...
First priority was to get some fences up. Since every penny I used to own is now tied up in real estate and lumber, I cant afford to buy fenceposts, gates, gateposts &c; accordingly, on Monday morning I set off for the wood to cut and shape 50 3" X 6' posts. The wood is mostly mature oak, with some overgrown silver birch and some young, spindly ash. The obvious source for posts was the birch, since it needs thinning out anyhow.
Tools; well, under normal circumstances, Id have taken along the Kobra and a flask of tea. Instead, I took a 2.5 lb Sandvik felling axe, a 3lb broadaxe (a lovely thing; handmade, well over 100 years old, found in a corner of my dads barn, cleaned up and rehandled) and a light, long-handled hawk I made myself. As an afterthought, I hung on my belt a village khukuri Id bought from Uncle Bill about 2 years ago, basically because it was big and very cheap. It didnt seem right going to the woods without some sort of knife on my belt, and I thought it might come in handy for splitting shakes or something.
About this khuk. When it first arrived and I took it out of the box, my first thought was, Damn, too heavy!; it weighs a tad under 2lb 5oz for an overall length of 20 inches. Spine width is exactly 0.475" at the bend, tapering to 0.425" one inch from the point; blade width at the bend is 2.275". Blade is unfullered. Big, heavy sucker, in other words; not my style. It stayed in the cupboard.
Back to the wood, and to cut a long story short; I didnt get around to using the axes, or the hawk. The khukuri proved to be an absolute joy to work with. Felling; the center of percussion is slightly further back than Id have expected, and talk about efficient - this khuk bites *deep* with minimal effort. Another important point in its favor; it doesnt bind in the wood when youve cut in deep, so you dont spend half your time tugging it out again. Shaping; again, because of the balance and handling, its absurdly simple to get the blade to land *exactly* where you want it to go - very important with such a big, heavy blade. Im a little guy with small hands, and chronic tendonitis and bursitis; but fatigue simply wasnt an issue. No excessive expenditure of strength or energy required, just lift the khuk, aim it and let it fall in its own weight. The blade does all the rest. Trimming branches and twigs, cutting brush, undergrowth &c - not a problem, with perfect control and balance. This khuk does it all. Edge-holding; well, sooner or later itll probably need sharpening, but not yet. A few touches each evening with a carbide rod put it back to shaving sharp.
Anyhow; now I have my fenceposts. Fairly soon, Ill be in a position to start building my log cabin. Axes need not apply; the cabin has been named, in advance, the House That Khuk Built.
So, what makes this khuk so outstandingly good? Two things, I believe; blade shape and grip profile. Because its a village model, its got a smaller handle than the HI khuks, and it fits my small hands perfectly; no fatigue, no uncomfortable jarring of tendons or joints. As for the blade shape; well, its a bit like an AK, only without the fullers; a bit like a Ganga Ram; maybe closest to a Salyan, except maybe a tad leaner and more elongated. The important thing is, its sweet spot is a full inch further back than on my other khuks, which means the blade spends longer in the wood during each cut, if you see what I mean; the drawing and slicing effect of the khuk blade profile is utilised to greater effect. Whoever made this beauty is a master craftsman with a genius for ergonomic design.
(Things I dont like about it; the blade sticks in the scabbard, the karda wont keep an edge for two minutes together, and the chakma is just plain soft. Also, when Uncle Bill sold me the khuk, he warned me about a slight split in the handle. Now I trust Bill implicitly, and if he says theres a split, theres a split. I just havent found it yet, is all)
So; heres to the village khukuris. They get the job done, they turn chores into pleasure. What higher praise could there possibly be?
Who says you cant find true love second time around?
