Khukuri Cutting Techniques Pics or STFU!

[Thomas Linton]

That's only for "Pioneer" donors who have bought me $200, 000 worth of chicken food or more

Hey, I'm not askin' ya' to cut your favorites - just a little bilton or 12" siru. $200,000 seems a tad steep.

 

[the possum]

We have had some close calls cutting timber too. Dad once got whacked by a fairly small tree in the shoulder, and was out of commission for a few days. Grandpa very nearly got killed when I was in high school- dad was cutting a 250 year old white oak in the pasture, and a sudden gust of wind pushed the tree the wrong direction. Grandpa tried running, but he was running straight away in the same direction the tree was falling. About 20 or 30 feet up, the trunk forked into two huge limbs, each a couple feet in diameter. The two limbs fell just on either side of grandpa, with him in the middle! The ground literally shook when that tree fell. If it hadn't been for his guardian angel that day, grandpa would have been planted six feet under like a fence post on the spot! ('course, he wouldn't listen when dad told him to stay back, either.) Dad's best friend was killed almost 20 years ago while trying to push a fallen tree off the edge of his field with a bulldozer. He didn't realize the roots were still in the ground, and the more he pushed, the trunk just built up tension like the limb of a giant crossbow. The tree slipped over the bucket and hit him in the head. Just a couple weeks ago, a local guy got instantly killed when the trunk split, and hit him in the chest.

Eh. Sorry for getting so morbid there.
Back on topic, I haven't seen the bend of a kuk's blade as all that great of an asset while chopping fallen wood. I mean, after all, most fallen wood is laying on the ground. If I try using the sweet spot on the kuk's belly, the tip would hit the ground. The only real option is to chop with the tip, except my kuk simply cannot cut effectively with the tip, and any attempts to do so result in numb fingers from the shock within just a couple swings.

 

[hollowdweller]

Back on topic, I haven't seen the bend of a kuk's blade as all that great of an asset while chopping fallen wood. I mean, after all, most fallen wood is laying on the ground. If I try using the sweet spot on the kuk's belly, the tip would hit the ground. The only real option is to chop with the tip, except my kuk simply cannot cut effectively with the tip, and any attempts to do so result in numb fingers from the shock within just a couple swings.

I agree with you. Except the tip thing. That's what I usually use to cut the part left in the middle when I have chopped both sides and the log is on the ground.

However I think the tip is a part that the Kamis neglect as far as sharpening. I usually really work that part over so it shaves like the rest of the blade. WW2 and Ganga Ram both have nice tips for using IMO. One problem is some khuks are not well hardened out to the tip.

 

[the possum]

Well, in my case, it's not an issue with the sharpness or hardening. It's just that the rotational centers are wrong, so that tip cuts have only about half the power of a belly cut, and transmit a great deal of shock to the grip. One of these days I plan to do some regrinding to get the rotational centers where I want them; this should make the tool far more versatile and a better chopper overall.

 

[hollowdweller]

Well, in my case, it's not an issue with the sharpness or hardening. It's just that the rotational centers are wrong, so that tip cuts have only about half the power of a belly cut, and transmit a great deal of shock to the grip. One of these days I plan to do some regrinding to get the rotational centers where I want them; this should make the tool far more versatile and a better chopper overall.

What khuk are you using??

I don't get any shock to the grip, but I don't swing a khuk hard, I try to rely on the sharpness and the weight of the blade mostly.

 

[the possum]

21", 32 ounce Dui Chirra.
Since this is almost entirely a balance issue, I'm sure that there are plenty of other models that just happen to be better in that regard.

I still do not regret the purchase though. Just need to do some tweaking.

 

[Bladite]

back in the day, our neighbors were fairly serious tree eliminators. they wore protective gear, they had spotters - never worked alone, and they had some seriously neat goodies to help out with, like "come alongs" - serious ones - big monster chain ones - that could probably pull king kong off a building strong. they'd send someone up a tree and attach a loop around the tree at the desired height, then they'd run up the chain to that point - very heavy, and the other chain end to an anchor - tractor, tree, or a very very long iron bar nailed into the ground. the come along would then be tensioned up, encouraging the tree - strongly - to fall the proper way. then the chain saw of doom usually - 60" if it was a foot. much care taken to keep out the way of the tree jumping - they do that - nasty. they had axes that you could give a mosquito a vasectomy with. wow. the expression "put a shaving edge on a bal peen hammer" applies. the same come along would be used for yanking the trunk out as well - usually *some* digging and axing of roots, but POP. out they come. good times. oh, guess who got to SPLIT the wood?

also back in the day, but not so far back, my HS teacher had a *60* inch exposed logging saw attached to his tractor to saw up the goodies on his wood lot. fortunately, he also had a hydraulic splitter that could handle even the most evil knotted oaks. yar.

bladite

 

[Yvsa]

If y'all notice some posts missing you'll find them in the HI Cantina in this thread....

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=382405

They won't make sense seeing as how they are all out of context now but what ya sew is what ya reap.

Please lets not hijack our own threads and especially with language that's suggestive of off color subjects.

 

[hollowdweller]

If y'all notice some posts missing you'll find them in the HI Cantina in this thread....

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=382405

They won't make sense seeing as how they are all out of context now but what ya sew is what ya reap.

Please lets not hijack our own threads and especially with language that's suggestive of off color subjects.

Sorry Yvsa. After I posted it I realized I had actually gone so off topic that it no longer belonged in this side If you don't think it makes sense I don't care if you delete it.:thumbup:

 

[jamesraykenney]

Sorry Yvsa. After I posted it I realized I had actually gone so off topic that it no longer belonged in this side If you don't think it makes sense I don't care if you delete it.:thumbup:

That is why I do not like the new 'split'... Things are not so 'free flowing' as they once were... Sad, really...

 

[hollowdweller]

21", 32 ounce Dui Chirra.
Since this is almost entirely a balance issue, I'm sure that there are plenty of other models that just happen to be better in that regard.

I still do not regret the purchase though. Just need to do some tweaking.

Yeah that's a beautiful model but knowing it is that one I can understand why chopping with the tip hurts your hand. The M43 was always really hard on my hand. A lot of people don't like it's short handle but for me it was something about the weight distribution in combination with the bend.