- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 3,264
Bram has a thread going with a vision of a Civilian with a kinetic opener and a Compression Lock. I have a larger vision, of something that might be able to do a lot of work, and also damage if need be.
We SpyderNuts know what a Civilian looks like. The blade would be a very "agricultural" shape, but that point is too slender for serious harvesting or pruning duty on anything woodier than mushroom stems. The Civilian is hardly the first martial blade to evolve from an agricultural tool. For example, the English bill, a pole arm in deadly use from the 14th to 17th centuries, which proved to be much more versatile than a simple pike.
Now look at another S-curve edge on a pure vegetation management tool:
<A HREF="http://www.chaicutlery.com/kellam/marttiini-billhookandknife.jpg" TARGET=_blank>
</A>
There are 7" or so of sharp edge there, and a rounded "point" that won't do raptor-claw duty, but will keep the edge from being damaged if you swing too close to dirt and rock. The overall length of the steel part is about 10", and there's about a foot of handle. It's tool you would normally keep in your tool shed or in your vehicle, and not one you would walk around with.
Anybody for a folding billhook?? Maybe one with an equally rugged tip that is not so smooth and rounded, which one would certainly want to get out of the way of in a not-so-benign situation? And a guard on top of the blade that would also be an opening device? On the trail, you could whip it open to get through some wait-a-minute vines, or maybe to bash with (horned instead of rounded) backside of the blade to discourage a feral dog.
A wide broad-nosed blade could also be an light-duty digging tool, if you kept your fingers on the handle, and it is important to have something to dig with among your tactical stuff. There's even a passage in the Bible to that effect (Darby translation selected for its archaic charm):
Or, from a less reverent source, "The Extremely Reform Book of Isaiah":
Technical questions - Would a Compression Lock jam open if stray dirt got in there? And would it be strong enough for machete-type duty? And should a folding billhook or machete be made from some relatively simple and economical carbon steel, on account of the amount of steel it would use, and the amount of scratches and dings it would get in use?
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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
We SpyderNuts know what a Civilian looks like. The blade would be a very "agricultural" shape, but that point is too slender for serious harvesting or pruning duty on anything woodier than mushroom stems. The Civilian is hardly the first martial blade to evolve from an agricultural tool. For example, the English bill, a pole arm in deadly use from the 14th to 17th centuries, which proved to be much more versatile than a simple pike.
Now look at another S-curve edge on a pure vegetation management tool:
<A HREF="http://www.chaicutlery.com/kellam/marttiini-billhookandknife.jpg" TARGET=_blank>
There are 7" or so of sharp edge there, and a rounded "point" that won't do raptor-claw duty, but will keep the edge from being damaged if you swing too close to dirt and rock. The overall length of the steel part is about 10", and there's about a foot of handle. It's tool you would normally keep in your tool shed or in your vehicle, and not one you would walk around with.
Anybody for a folding billhook?? Maybe one with an equally rugged tip that is not so smooth and rounded, which one would certainly want to get out of the way of in a not-so-benign situation? And a guard on top of the blade that would also be an opening device? On the trail, you could whip it open to get through some wait-a-minute vines, or maybe to bash with (horned instead of rounded) backside of the blade to discourage a feral dog.
A wide broad-nosed blade could also be an light-duty digging tool, if you kept your fingers on the handle, and it is important to have something to dig with among your tactical stuff. There's even a passage in the Bible to that effect (Darby translation selected for its archaic charm):
Or, from a less reverent source, "The Extremely Reform Book of Isaiah":
Technical questions - Would a Compression Lock jam open if stray dirt got in there? And would it be strong enough for machete-type duty? And should a folding billhook or machete be made from some relatively simple and economical carbon steel, on account of the amount of steel it would use, and the amount of scratches and dings it would get in use?
------------------
- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
