is this possible?

L

LeaderofthePack

Joined
Aug 4, 2013
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Hello everyone just joined the forum and had a question or two for a project I am hoping someone can answer. I'm looking to make a knife(more like a machete) and after many scrapped ideas i have found one that if possible may be the ultimate camping/backpacking tool. The design is based off a katana except shorter and with a wider blade(2" instead of I think 1 1/4"). My questions are these 1- is it possible to put a finger hole just before the blade for a solid grip in wet conditions without sacrificing durability?2- what is a good steel or method to get the curve without cracking the blade? Thank you in advance
 
This is one i like to use. It is my favorite yard knife. Though, I dont think the D guard design is always the perfect thing, i would much prefer it to just a finger hole. That would (in my opinion) be something that might injure the finger, in having it trapped. There is an advantage to having all the fingers together, in a chopping tool. Were the knife to be pulled from your hand and your finger is caught, you might lose it. Does the risk justify the use?
Even with a D-guard, with heavy chopping it starts to pinch the pinky toward the back. But, you learn to modify your grip.
David
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Just to clarify,are you talking about getting the curve with the quench after heat-treating?
Eddie
 
2 knife my thought behind the finger hole was to allow a solid grip for one or two handed use instead of putting a guard on. Yeah the quench is where I am looking to get it so it hopefully curves more naturally than anything I could hammer/grind . I'm looking at an OBL of between18 and 21 inches with a 9 to 10 inch handle . Thank you again for the input :-)
 
A wide bladed Kat with a good curve would be a better slicer than chopper. A good grip is better than a retention method that traps the hand or digits. Hot spots suck when cutting for a long time. So do sharp edges. But hey, make what you want. The curve is caused by the differnce between the hardened edge and the softer spin I believe, tho Japanese weapons are out of my league. Hopefully someone will be along shortly to help on that.
 
I believe it would be difficult to keep a blade that wide from warping or cracking when the martensite along the edge expands against the pearlite along the spine. The greater the distance from the centerline of the blade the greater the compressive forces on the pearlite. You would have better luck starting with a 3" (or whatever you need) wide piece of steel and grinding the shape you want. Also the blade profile for a machete is quite bit different than that of a katana.
 
As one who has done a good bit of yaki-ire, I can say that your plan will not work. Getting sori in a 2" wide blade isn't going to be easy. Also, the steels for a large chopper are not the steels for a katana or for attaining sori.

Get a 3"wide bar of 1/4" 5160 and shape it to whatever curve you wish. Make holes where you want them, and have the tool hardened professionally ( unless you have skills in this area). You will get a good and durable camping tool if you design it properly.

I can also say that trying to re-invent the wheel is a waste of time. Look at a dozen or so real machetes and other camp choppers. Forget about the fantasy blades and Zombie killers. Look at what real use people carry, and what real bush folk use. You will find that they are not fancy, or odd shaped. They generally are wider at the tip/front, fairly straight, and rarely longer than 16-18". A good ergonomic handle is far preferred to something with odd holes or shapes.
 
If you are worried about keeping a good grip on the blade, then I would recommend focusing on shaping a handle that is ergonomic. For a little added safety, you can add a lanyard to go around your wrist. There are lots of good pictures on the interwebs to peruse.

TedP
 
I have the exact same machete (Am I allowed to call it by name?) and concur with everything 2knife said. No thanks to having my finger stuck in a hole while I chop through something. Lanyards and big pommels make for safer retention. Look at some historic swinging/chopping/hacking weapons; the barong from the Philippines, the seax from western Europe, the kukri from Nepal, even the dao sword from China all have extra large pommel areas to address the centripetal forces created during the swing. With all that being said I like the D-guard on my BC machete, sometimes I use it to push briars out of the way. It would be way cheaper, easier, and more instantly gratifying to go buy a machete like the above. My personal preference for camp/bushcraft cutting duties is a small axe/hatchet, my BC machete, and a small fixed blade (a puukko in my case). I leave the machete at home if I'm not likely to be clearing "jungle". By the way what will you be swinging two handed at while camping?
 
You guys are in a class of your own compared to me lol. I am very grateful for you not only ripping the idea apart but explaining why and perrin a couple of the ones you mentioned give me an idea on some ways to completely redesign it with a better feel. And as for the two handed aspect it was kinda one of those add ins that for I probably wont need it but might not hurt to have. Thank you all again .. back to the drawing board for the night lol
 
On a side note my reason for the katana design isn't for fantasy or just looks . Back when I was a little younger I messed around with both full size machetes and almost straight katana like machetes( cant remember who used to make them) but I became more fond of the traditional two hand grip and slice of the katana over the almost seemingly brutish swing of the machete. Most of the stuff I cut up and plan to cut up was no wider than my wrist so the two handed grip cleaved them to size in no time. the finger hole was based on that train of thought that no matter what it would be a one swing deal. Also with the slight curve comes the katanas smooth draw from its sheath that the machete just didn't seem to have. Hope that fills in any blanks on the design.
 
For a practical use machete you can't beat a mil surplus Collins 18 or 24 inch Machete from Ontario Knife. Properly sharpened this tool will take 2 inch trees in one shot (with proper technique) I have been using them since I was 10 (36 years) and really there is nothing to be gained by reinventing the wheel

-Page
 
But wheres the fun in buying it. I know ill have my work cut out for me since I want to do it by hand( hopefully just stock removal on a 3" wide piece. Still trying to find my old one wish I didn't lose it back then.
 
What on earth makes you think that is a real sword in any way. The words "Black Ninja" should tell you it is a fantasy....and $19 should tell you it isn't anything meant to be used.

I would assume you don't want our advice, but want to do what you want to do. That's OK, but you won't get mush help from the chaps here on making a mistake, so have at it and show us the results.

If you want to make your own real machete, look at one of the ones suggested, and make a copy of it. The Collins type is a classic design, and while a 16-18" blade will be a lot of work by hand. it is doable.

BTW, if you haven't seen this video, it is worth taking a look at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQFJst_aNzI
 
Is it wrong to have enjoyed that video beyond the lesson aspect? I saw the same guy not too long ago on TV so it didn't kill him nor was he wearing an eye patch. Perhaps he earned a schlager scar for his trouble. When I was a kid I broke my dad's surplus machete (pre Collins) with a broad side blow to the blade. It snapped off in a nice clean line about mid blade. Turned out to be a really nice size for grapevine harvesting in heavy overgrowth.
 
LeaderofthePack said:
On a side note my reason for the katana design isn't for fantasy or just looks . Back when I was a little younger I messed around with both full size machetes and almost straight katana like machetes( cant remember who used to make them) but I became more fond of the traditional two hand grip and slice of the katana over the almost seemingly brutish swing of the machete. Most of the stuff I cut up and plan to cut up was no wider than my wrist so the two handed grip cleaved them to size in no time. the finger hole was based on that train of thought that no matter what it would be a one swing deal. Also with the slight curve comes the katanas smooth draw from its sheath that the machete just didn't seem to have. Hope that fills in any blanks on the design.
Click to expand...

You might want to consider something like the Paul Chen Banshee as it seems to fit most of your preferences. From reviews I 've read, it may need a bit of a tweak with the edge, but nothing too severe
 
Thank you parbajtor. Didn't think about reversing the tapper and going a little wider. At least I know its somewhat doable and has been done.
 
Bladesmth the link was just to show the idea. I had it when i was around 16 and back then it fit the bill for just screwing around up north clearing the road. From what ive read of the Paul Chen banshee it is exactly what I'm looking for. Thought getting a smooth draw will require some tweaks to either the blade,sheath or most likely both this knife will be my backup to the smaller one I plan on making first. And yes the little one will have the finger hole to make cleaning game or any other task that would require me to keep my hand in one position for the majority. But enough handle where if I use the little one for splitting firewood I can just grab it like normal. In my experience with knives size isn't as important as knowing how to handle it for any task. For my camping knives I figure having one at both ends of the spectrum would fit any situation I could get into.
 
Well after spending the day on the sketch pad the design is a bust for now. I'll pick it up down the road but I think I'll focus on the smaller one for now. Thank you all for the input and suggestions but onward to my primary use knife. This one I'll be sticking with a more classic design. Looking at a blade length of about 7" with a drop point tip. Ive heard a2 and o1 are both good steels for hard use knives. Any advice? And yeah you win for now bladsmth lol
 
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