- Joined
- Mar 27, 2008
- Messages
- 193
Howdy folks, I have been a huge fan of Khukuri blades since I was in the Army twenty years ago. Over the course of that time I got to try out several KLO's and some awesome HI's in the field, during primitive skills and around the farm. I have never found a blade style or hatchet that lent itself to cleaving wood, setting up shelter or emergency access that have worked better. While looking at Khukuri pics it seemed that the older models have more of a continuous curve, similar to a crescent moon kind of like the Hassee or Boomerang. Curious about how this would affect the swing, impact and shearing effect compared to my straight handled model's (18" Tin Chirra by Tirtha and 16" Ang Kola by Bura) I went to the forge. The goal was to make a KLO that was around 20 oz and 17-1/2" overall length with a complete convex blade 1/4" thick from some leafspring. The shape was to have that older, crescent shape and the grip carved out of Maple, mostly a traditional. The next few days were pretty busy and forging out the blade was a challenge, I have a 1/3 hp wheel grinder in my shop but the rest of my tools are all hand powered. After hammering the steel to shape a file is used to shape the convex edge, then several different grits of sandpaper on a flat stone block to buff out the scratches. The leather sheath has a steel ring to allow freedom of movement while the leg ties are spread out so that the sheath does not "flop" against the while running. After all the work I finally got to put the blade thru its paces, it was great! The new angle is different but chops like a beast and cuts deep into seasoned hardwood. It is light and fast with a comfortable grip, anyway enough with the yammering enjoy the pics!
Please keep us updated on how it prforms. I think your length, weight, and spine thickness are going to make a great handling khuk. Thanks for sharing it!
