Machetes

roloss_valdes

roloss_valdes

Joined
Aug 21, 2002
Messages
397
I just want to share you the importance of the machete for the people who live in the Jungle or in the rural field.

I saw a film called " A Place Called Chiapas " that is a documentary of the way of life of our Campesinos in Chiapas ( Mexico ).

I am so sure that the Machete is one of the best tools that the Campesinos have, they use their machetes as a machetes and as a knives, you can see it in the next pic.

I took this pictures to some frames of the film so the quality is so poor....

The first one, is a Campesino cutting a fruit using his machete as a knife ( I am not sure what kind of fruit it is ).

machete_cutting.jpg


And the second one is a Campesino sharpening his machete with a stone.

machete_sharpening.jpg


Could you post some pics of your Machetes in action.

Thank you
 
this reminds me of the 'axe as your knife" chapter in one of the books I've read. Versitality achieved on big blades. Sure there are benefits to small blades, etc, but there is just something about seeing someone do small tasks with large blades that makes me all fuzzy inside



or maybe makes me feel better about owning so many :-D
 
I've always been surprised how few Americans here in the Estados Unidios don't appreatiate a machete. Most the time my knife work can be done by either a pocket knife or my 12 inch Ontario machete. It's been a very long time since I had need of a knife between 4 and 12 inches. A sak, a mora, and a machete does it all. And if you need a self defence blade while camping, a sharp machete will take careof a heck of alot or threat, short of a gun.
 
Ray Mear's has a "Bushcraft" series where he travels around to various natives and long blades are common, more parangs, goloks and other long knives than stamped machetes. Rarely do the guys carry an additional small knife, the long blade tends to do everything.

-Cliff
 
I just bought another machete ( cheap ) the brand is Truper it cost me arround 5 dlls and today I am going to receive it's clothes, I am going to dress it with a leather sheath.

As soon as I get it I am going to post some pics of it.
 
Aside from the obvious, chopping and clearing trail, the machete can be used for other things as well.

Here is one of my students using the squared off back of the machete blade to scrape up a handfull of wood shavings for tinder.

psttinder7wi.jpg


Machetes are a low cost item that take a great deal of abuse. I use them to dig quite often. Here I'm using the machete to dig out the remains of a termite mound for use as a fireplace. The edge suffers very little contact with the dirt.

tortura06417tk.jpg


My daughter and I constructed this bunk bed shelter under a huge overhanging rock during rainy season. It took us four hours to complete. The only tools were a BK-7, Machete, and a Mora SWAK. We stayed there for two days.

rcoabrigo5rf.jpg


Machetes Rule.

Mac
 
When I was in Puerto Rico, the first time, I was amazed at the ubiquitousness of the machete. Everything from clearing brush to mowing the lawn. They are cheap and effective.

Q: What do you call a Puerto Rican with a machete?

A: Senor.
 
Here's an old Collins from Guatemala and a not so old Tramontina from Brazil.

Luis


Click to enlarge
 
jackknife said:
I've always been surprised how few Americans here in the Estados Unidios don't appreatiate a machete. Most the time my knife work can be done by either a pocket knife or my 12 inch Ontario machete. It's been a very long time since I had need of a knife between 4 and 12 inches. A sak, a mora, and a machete does it all. And if you need a self defence blade while camping, a sharp machete will take careof a heck of alot or threat, short of a gun.
Click to expand...

Machetes are among my most used hand tools. I hack away at alot of brush on a 1.5 acre lot on the western slope of the Blue Ridge Mtns. Its a hard wood forest of mostly oak and maple. My CS heavy machete gets alot of work at home.
When I go fishing I tote a CS light machete to clear away vegetation for a fishing hole if necessary. I go far away along the stream to get to the fish and away from other people. Its also a comfort to have on a lonely night in the bush . I'm with jack knife, he has it about right!
 
jackknife said:
I've always been surprised how few Americans here in the Estados Unidios don't appreatiate a machete. Most the time my knife work can be done by either a pocket knife or my 12 inch Ontario machete. It's been a very long time since I had need of a knife between 4 and 12 inches. A sak, a mora, and a machete does it all. And if you need a self defence blade while camping, a sharp machete will take careof a heck of alot or threat, short of a gun.
Click to expand...

A machete is hard to carry around everyday and a 4 inch pocket cliped folder isnt.
 
This is the sheath that I bought, actualy I asked for it to one of our local " Talabarterias (Business who work with leather ) ".

I asked for it in order to easily carry it, in company of a survival kit, sharpen stone, file, pocket folder or what ever I want to have with me.

This sheath is a Universal Sheath, because I can carry most of the machetes for example in the pic I have sheathed a 22 " machete, I can carry facing to the left or to the right, because of the rouded shape, I can sheathed a short machete with out a problem too.

funda_machete1.jpg


funda_machete2.jpg


funda_machete3.jpg
 
How do you recomend to sharpen the machetes, wich angles do you recomend to use and what kind of tool ..... ?

Thank you
 
My machetes tend to get beat up. It comes from cutting into the ground when clearing low brush, etc. So I just use a file. I presume any more sophisticated sharpening to be a waste of time.
 
I attached a cord to my sheath, let me put some images here:

funda_machete4.jpg


funda_machete5.jpg


And this is how it works, this is how I am going to carry it.

funda_machete6.jpg


funda_machete7.jpg
 
Hossom's process isn't simply a sharpening, it is a reprofiling, this is more important than the actual sharpening. I noted this years back by adjusting the grinds on Barteaux machetes. Once you have the grinds established with a belt sander you can sharpen it as required with a file or stone. Like echosix I rarely take machetes all the way up to a hair popping edge as they get used for fairly rough work. I usually just maintian with a file and 600/1200 dmt stone and then hit them with the belt sander every once in awhile to keep the profile from thickening.

-Cliff
 
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