Fbm/machete

richstag

richstag

Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Messages
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I have been doing A LOT of clearing with my old trusty Ontario machete. My uncle and I made a pile the size of a house (not a joke). We mainly cleared softer wood (trees up to 1" in diameter) and by the end of the day I was not tired (neither was he since he had the chainsaw). I was so impressed by the performance of my old machete I decided it was time to really start using my FBM. I took it out and was surprised by the results.

First I went to some soft wood that the machete eats up like butter and has for years:

KEV_8020.jpg


First slice:

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Before I could hit it again it just fell off:

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I held the limb and went at it with the FBM at a thinner section about one foot out:

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I sliced this right off with the machete:

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Other side of the V with the FBM with no luck:

KEV_8028.jpg


Did this one to show the slicing ability with the right angle:

KEV_8029.jpg
 
Now it was time to move to some dead hard wood. Everyone tells me that is where the advantage is.

I wanted to see how deep it would go:

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Same for the FBM:

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Two chops with the machete:

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About eight chops with the FBM:

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I still have not chopped again with the FBM but I have chopped about ten times with the machete at this point:

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Sometimes the machete will flex and run wild (something the FBM will not do):

KEV_8038.jpg


So in the end I ask people that have experienced a good machete sharpened with a convex hair splitting edge and have also experienced the same with a FBM: IS IT WORTH IT?

Should I convex my FBM? Will I get this same “soft wood performance”, or just save this work for the 20$ machete? And BTW, the only time the machete has received edge damage was when I handed it to my uncle and he started nailing a wire fence with it (the fence was behind the sticker bushes he was clearing).

This is by no means an attempt to knock down the FBM. On the same token I get tired of hearing machetes referred to as “disposable” and other such terms. I would also really like to see some pictures of modified FBM’s if anyone has them and is willing to take the time to post them.

Thanks so much for your time and comments!
 
I've found a number of thinner blades that will out-chop a big thick heavy chopper. Thin blades bite deep and don't tire you out as much.

The choppers are more versatile, though - try to use a machete with a baton to split wood, or to pry on something, and you'll see where the heavier blades shine. For actual chopping, though, a Condor machete or golok is going to chop like crazy.


My semi-cheap, quite thin Cold Steel LTC kukri handily outchops every single Bussekin blade I own. It's not nearly as durable, though.
 
Horses for courses - don't see too many Clydesdales doing steeplechase

No knife is best at everything - that's why we have so many different designs.
 
antonio_luiz said:
Horses for courses - don't see too many Clydesdales doing steeplechase

No knife is best at everything - that's why we have so many different designs.
Click to expand...

I understand that. I am asking if anyone can give me an idea of how the FBM will compare if I sharpened it in the same fashion. Also looking for pics of peoples that have already done so.

I know it is much thicker...but I am unsure how much that matters with a different edge.

Thinking by your logic I would be taking along a machete and a FBM. Just trying to figure out how to get my FBM fine tuned. Maybe you are right and I am looking for something that is not possible.

I walk the woods a lot and find that I really don't need to clear that much brush so I don't NEED the machete...but to have the FBM be able to match the tree chopping ability would be my goal.

Thanks again.

Kevin
 
I have seen some pretty wicked convex edges on the FFBM.

Horndog comes to mind.
 
Yeah, Horndog puts wicked edges on his knives, and really knows his stuff.

I'm sure he will chime in sometime.

I don't think it is uncommon for a nice machete to out chop the FFBM.

I still like my FFBM more though.. ;)
 
P-Easy said:
Yeah, Horndog puts wicked edges on his knives, and really knows his stuff.

I'm sure he will chime in sometime.

I don't think it is uncommon for a nice machete to out chop the FFBM.

I still like my FFBM more though.. ;)
Click to expand...

That would be cool. There is no question that I like my FBM better then my old machete. That is not to say that I dislike my machete though;)
 
P-Easy said:
Yeah, Horndog puts wicked edges on his knives, and really knows his stuff.

I'm sure he will chime in sometime.

I don't think it is uncommon for a nice machete to out chop the FFBM.

I still like my FFBM more though.. ;)
Click to expand...

A good machete with a good edge is hard to beat. That said, the FFBM is a fine chopper and a great wood splitter. Last year, my Condor 14" Puerto Rican machete and my CS Panga out chopped my FFBM. But the Condor's wooden handle worked loose. Since then, I gave my FFBM a full convex grind. Time for a rematch!

FFBM023-1.jpg
 
Horn Dog said:
A good machete with a good edge is hard to beat. That said, the FFBM is a fine chopper and a great wood splitter. Last year, my Condor 14" Puerto Rican machete and my CS Panga out chopped my FFBM. But the Condor's wooden handle worked loose. Since then, I gave my FFBM a full convex grind. Time for a rematch!

FFBM023-1.jpg
Click to expand...

Okay, that looks awesome! Bring on the rematch!!:D:D
 
Not to get to complex but a machete has a very thin profile and has more force disipated to the cutting edge. The BM is thicker, so the force of the swing will be disapated to the cutting edge as well to the sides of the blade as the initial cutting edge is much smaller than the blade. Not sure if I explained this clearly but if you were to grind the BM down to be as thin as the machete then you would find that they cut about the same. The BM would blow it out of the water with edge retention and durability; at least I think... Busse AFAIK has never done a "really" thin blade so I'm not sure how INFI would hold up with a thin blade. From what I have seen the thickness of the blade would not affect the general properties on INFI. All said and done "the right tool for the right job" is the name of the game. If you want one tool that will do almost every task that you ask of it then the BM should be your choice. If you have the room/ abillity to carry a machete/ axe / whatever else then use the tool that's best for that job.
 
Tankerwolf said:
Not to get to complex but a machete has a very thin profile and has more force disipated to the cutting edge. The BM is thicker, so the force of the swing will be disapated to the cutting edge as well to the sides of the blade as the initial cutting edge is much smaller than the blade. Not sure if I explained this clearly but if you were to grind the BM down to be as thin as the machete then you would find that they cut about the same. The BM would blow it out of the water with edge retention and durability; at least I think... Busse AFAIK has never done a "really" thin blade so I'm not sure how INFI would hold up with a thin blade. From what I have seen the thickness of the blade would not affect the general properties on INFI. All said and done "the right tool for the right job" is the name of the game. If you want one tool that will do almost every task that you ask of it then the BM should be your choice. If you have the room/ abillity to carry a machete/ axe / whatever else then use the tool that's best for that job.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I understand the BM is thick and the machete is thin.
 
Machetes are hard to beat on anything up through 3” diameter. In my mind, the FFBM/NMFBM advantage over a machete starts at about 4” thick and in general is more appropriate competition for a hatchet than a machete. The FFBM/NMFBM’s benefits over a machete on thicker pieces of wood are 1) the machete is more likely to bind in deep penetration than the thicker blades; and 2) the greater the length of edge contacting wood on impact, the more advantage you get from the added weight and momentum of the thicker blade—i.e., a 5” wide piece of wood being contacted all the way across with a machete will result in enough resistance to quickly slow the lighter blade down, while the NMFBM or FFBM will continue to take deep bites. Try a machete on a 4x4 with the edge striking the flat side straight on and see what happens. Then view Noss’s chopping demonstration on a 4x4 with the NMFBM, taking huge chunks with almost every stroke. The NMFBM/FFBM advantages over a hatchet include a MUCH greater length of edge in the “sweet spot”, meaning you don’t have to “aim” so accurately as with a hatchet, and, as has been mentioned, the greater efficiency with a baton when used as a splitter.

I would love to see a 15-18” long x 3/16” thick machete-shape blade in INFI. Some say such a blade would be too easy to bend, that it might take a set too easily, but the AK is in this length class and no thicker, and obviously has proven itself under hard use.
 
Will,

Thanks for your reply. I agree with you. Are you saying that it would not be worth it to convex the FBM?

Thanks again,

Kevin

BTW, I was not as much trying to compare it to the machete as if they are the same beast. I understand the differences for the most part. I was just thinking with the added weight and a convexed blade it could be a real monster. The machete will always be my high velocity laser (though it can go through some large diameter trees, you just have to work around the tree above 5-6").

You reminded me of the NMFBMLE... that was a full convex from the factory. That should be good also I would think.
 
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