Make Your Machete High Performance!

Horn Dog

Horn Dog

Joined
Sep 9, 2005
Messages
4,363
Machetes are cheap. Not everybody will pay the price of a Busse Battle Mistress for a camp chopper. But for a little over $100, you can get a Delta belt sander and make your machetes cut much better. No, they won't be as tough as that Mistress, but they will get the job done pretty darned well. Here you see the machine stripped down for knife grinding. The platen is rotated out of the way for grinding the convex edge that really improves the chopping performance a lot.
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Then you can put the platen back into position to grind the flats of the blade and generally clean up the look, if it matters to you.
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I am really pleased with my new Delta sander and what it can do to an ordinary Ontario camp machete.
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I got my Ontarios done the same way and it totally changes them into high performance cutting tools.

-RB
 
I've been eyeing that one for a couple weeks now. 1x42 belts, right?

Nice work with the chopper!
 
I have got that same belt sander from Lowe's. It works great! It does take the 1 X 42 belts.
 
looks like a nice grinder, it looks like a nice step up from the HF 1x30...

but i think i am going to save up and go for a 2x72 when i upgrade.

nice job too on the machete.
 
I need to get busy on the yard, but just for fun, I'm going out back to compare the chopping of the machete to my Battle Mistress. The FBM is heavier, so it has an advantage in chopping, but we will see how the modded machete does. I'll post the pics when I'm done.
 
OK, I'm back. I actually put the convexed camp machete up against my big bad Busse.
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Both are sheathed in kydex. The machete in Survival Systems, and the FBM in a very thick one that I got with the knife.
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The first comparison was in slashing blackberry vines and palmettos. The Busse did fine chopping the palmetto stalks, but was less effective than the machete on the limber lighter stuff. For clearing light vegetation, the camp machete did better.
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Next up, some chopping. I found a piece of Tupelo that had the same diameter for a good length, so I used it to compare chopping.
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The Busse chopped through in 23 chops.
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As you can see, it too has a nice convex edge I put on it. It would have taken more chops with the factory edge, I'm sure.
The camp machete did it in just 16 chops. I was amazed! The convexed blade just bit deeper with each stroke. I had thought that the heavier FBM would kick some Ontario butt here, but that was not the case.
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All of mine are done pretty much the same way. I was amazed when I did the first one and tested it. I pretty much use 12 in machete's as my main choppers now. Especially nice if ya get a Martindale or Tramontina machete. If ya go really slow you can also shape up the handle a bit for more comfort, but too fast and ya get a melted mess. Great work ! Nice test too. Thanks,Steve
 
Finally, I did some baton work, splitting maple. I had to beat the heck out of the machete with a big stick to split this piece, but it finally did it.
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The thicker bladed Busse did much better than the camp machete in splitting maple.
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But in two out of three camp chores, the machete was superior. Now I am not saying at all that there aren't other things that the Busse can do better than the modified camp machete, or that the convexed machete is a "better" knife.
I am pretty darn impressed with what a properly sharpened inexpensive camp machete can do, though. :D
It is now a true "high performance" machete.
 
I can't believe you friggin' people and the money you're costing me.

Before I came to this forum I never dreamed I'd be shopping for belt sanders!!

:D
 
bladefrienzy said:
All of mine are done pretty much the same way. I was amazed when I did the first one and tested it. I pretty much use 12 in machete's as my main choppers now. Especially nice if ya get a Martindale or Tramontina machete. If ya go really slow you can also shape up the handle a bit for more comfort, but too fast and ya get a melted mess. Great work ! Nice test too. Thanks,Steve
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Thanks. I did sand the handles flush with the spine and rounded the scales a little, but as you say, it got hot and started to melt, so I just left well enough alone. :D
 
Great post. I am glad youi came up with that outcome since I can't afford an FBM:o
 
tonym said:
Great post. I am glad youi came up with that outcome since I can't afford an FBM:o
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The idea was to make a camp machete an economical alternative to an expensive chopper. I knew that the machete would chop well, but I was surprised at how much better it chopped than my coveted FBM. I really thought the Bussse would out chop it.
 
Does anyone make convex machetes? Some of us can't afford the belt sander :(
 
BoxANT said:
Does anyone make convex machetes? Some of us can't afford the belt sander :(
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Yes. I may not be sure on the name but I think maybe Linder or Linderman. I think they are stainless blades though. Not totaly sure thi is all accurate though. You could just convex the edges gradually by hand too.
 
Condor machetes from El Salvador come with a nice convex edge. They're made from 420HC but they should have a few carbon models coming out soon
 
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