Machetes for all occasions

I love Machetes...If I had to grab one knife going out the door it would be one of my machetes...Probably my 14" Tram !
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I have a few Machetes but I keep going for the 14" Tram....It's shaving sharp & holds its edge really good & 14" seems right to me !
 
Was out with my wife today between work (love working two casual jobs, but I finally have work! YEAH!!) and we stopped in at a disposal store. Lo and behold, the proprietor of said establishment had an assortment of Tram steel! some cane cutters, big bolos, some 10s and some 16s. I picked up a 16, as the 10 seemed a bit small for the yard work I have planned, unfortunately he had no sheaths to go with it, so I'll have to get some leather or something and make one up. Seems pretty awesome so far, I've been going over it with some 180 grit on a chunk of thick neoprene, and I think I'll leave the tip dull for now. once I get the sweet spot tuned up, that will be about it. I may do a sharper scandi section near the handle, but realistically, I doubt I'll ever use it for fine work.
 
Do the whole edge thin enough and you won't need a scandi portion. Trust me. The chopping region of the blade can handle being that thin just fine. :)
 
it'll be a long slow process, so we'll see what happens. Good to know that I don't need to worry about edge thickness, I'll try to keep my angle down as much as possible. now if I can just get a day off to test it.... isn't that how it goes, time and no money, then money and no time! could be worse, at least I found one to play with even at Aussie mark-ups. (19.95)
 
Got some 180 grit wet-dry, got the middle of the blade done, and then took it to the pile of branches in the yard that needed to go in the garden waste bins. It made short work of the pile, ranging from thin and springy brush to heavy, hard bottle-brush tree branches. I'll extend the edge a bit, right now it is dull for the first three or so inches of the blade. now I just need to figure out where to get stuff for a sheath, or find one to order. I've also sanded down the handle quite a lot, I've left the handle a bit proud of the tang a bit, as I don't want it to shrink, and leave the tang exposed.

Between this, my RC-3 and a small folder, I've got my Queensland Nessmuck trio!
 
I have several machetes but have started forging them trying to find the perfect one for me.I have forge two thus far. They chop well but still adjusting the drop. Both have a distal taper and tapered tangs, steep flat grind infront of the riccaso and convex starting 3" past riccaso. About to start on another one and will take more drop out adjust the nose and change the convex taper on the nose as well. Hope to get it right this time cause my arm is about to give out swinging the hammer! Here are a few pics of the first two. They are both 1.52 and 1.65 lbs total weight 22L

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The first one
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The second one. Changed the nose and convex height. Still too much drop IMO I do like the cold blue on this one.
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I'm considering ordering a few machetes (tramontina / imacasa / hansa)of different sizes to clear weeds, brush, wild rose and other tasks, and wondered which handle material (wood/polypropylene/plastic) those of you that have swung a machete for any length of time prefer.
 
I prefer an injection-molded polypropylene handle when possible.
 
:cool: Machetes for All Occasions was an interesting discussion in the website I made while a Peace Corps volunteer in Western Samoa some time ago. Without repeating the whole thing here, the results were:
clearing brush to make a taro plantation wooden-handled Martindale bush machete with 18 inch blade
cleaning up debris after a typhoon tutusa lava (same thing)
cutting branches for the cooking fire repeat
butchering a pig for Sunday dinner repeat
killing fish by lantern light in the lagoon repeat
cutting rope repeat
opening coconuts for drinking repeat
fighting off zombies repeat
destroying vampires repeat
cutting grass near the house repeat

I really enjoy learning about the different patterns and seeing the pictures of machetes collected in different places. I need to remember, though, that any 10 year old from the village has more skill with a "sapelu" (machete) than I probably ever will.
Faiaoga
 
I usually hang out in the traditional folders but I ran across this thread and thought you guys might like these
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The 18 inch blade is new the 12 in saw back saved my life TWICE the first time a particularly nasty ordeal in South Africa that came down to machete vs bayonet
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The second Afghanistan when a piece of shrapnel bounced off the handle taking the little chunk and lodged just below my skin right below my ribs.
They are both Ontarios and I can Highly recommend them.
 
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I have had one US surplus Ontario 18" for the past 35 years

The Svord 12" machete is on my list when I am next in the US
 
I really like the Trams myself...tough, light and did I say, tough? I have a 18" condor eco I think, it has the orange handle, its a really nice machete.
I found a really cool 14 inch when I first got back down here...at the Flea Market, for $.50 , I couldn't pass that up. Rusty or not.
Hey Joe, later on in your pics, you have a couple of SIGUY's custom..one of the first "custom" machete's.
S7 Paul Boss heat treat. That's a blast from the past. I own that one now...he was nice enough to trade it to me last winter...at a camp out. I rehandled it, but it looks basically the same. Great machete...
 
Coal,

I appreciate the input on the 14' Tram machete. How is the sheath? Serviceable?

Also, does it hold up to some batonning?

Thx

D
 
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