Fiddleback 16" machete mod

[FTR-14c]

Somehow I ended up with a second 16" Fiddleback machete.
What I really always wanted was a decent machete around 13 or 14 inches, so I drew a few blade profiles on my older model and went to work.
I decided to keep as much belly up front for weight and tapered the bevel for strength. The tip area should hold out well for digging and whacking grounded roots.
At 13.25" it is exactly what I wanted. I took it out back and trimmed some banana and palm trees. It feels very lively in hand slices like crazy.
I also did a little chopping and split some kindling. It bites incredibly deep with almost no fatigue. Along with a small fixed blade, this is going to be a light weight, very usable pack knife for the woods and swamp.

Here are some quick and crappy cell pics:

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[worldwood]

Thats a super sweet mod man!! It looks better IMO.

Excellent work.

 

[FTR-14c]

I agree, the blade profile really works on a machete of this size and is perfect for my needs.
I ordered a 14" and received another 16 by mistake.
At first I was bummed but in the end it could not have worked out better.
Not only is this exactly what I really wanted but it fits perfectly in a sheath I had laying around.
Another 1/2 inch of blade would have poked out the end of the sheath..
I would have trimmed it down and with a partial clip point I don't think it would have worked or looked as good as it does now.

 

[FTR-14c]

After trimming everything in sight I decided to do a little work on the handle.
With the quicker motion of the shorter blade I felt myself wanting a place for my palm to settle.
I took out a small relief from the top of the handle and blended it in. The removal of this material really made a big difference for me.
It's very comfortable and I'm getting great pivot motion with a pinch grip.
For now I like the full grip of the original handle on the 16" so I'm going to leave it as is.

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