Newbies, listen to your Khukuri

ferguson

ferguson

Joined
Feb 21, 2001
Messages
4,238
I consider myself a newbie when it comes to using khuks. Have been hanging out here for a while and have read how she will talk to you, but never experienced it until today. I went out to clear some storm damage from the yard today. A pine tree had fallen across the road, and I had just winched it to the side. Took my trusty 16.5" Bura Chiruwa AK to limb the pine tree. Now I'm 49 years old and pretty out of shape. Put a loose fitting work glove on my Khuk hand. (first mistake) Was trying to be safety conscious, so I watched my foot and leg placement, so if I made a glancing blow I wouldn't cut myself. Then I started chopping, putting the full force of my arm and body into each swing (2nd mistake). I had cut 3-4 large limbs and my hand was getting pretty tired. My left hand was holding some brush back, at least 3 feet above and to the left of where I was striking. You guessed it, she twisted in my hand and glanced up dead into the tip of my index finger, to the bone, splitting the nail about 1/2 way down. I went inside, washed my khuk, and then my finger and went to see the Doc. Some steri-strips and a tetanus shot and I'm fine. The minor injury is not the point of this post. When I came back I figured I would finish the work. I had already fed my Khuk, so I figured she would cut me some slack. ;) Starting to work, I did little more than let gravity pull my little darlin into the wood. Surprisingly, she cut better for me than when I was trying to muscle her. Also, I wore no glove, and my hand stuck to the smooth horn like it was glued there. Didn't get tired either. Cut off all of the limbs, and even cut the 8" trunk in two, just for fun. I think I could have worked for several hours if needed. My point is this, and it has been stated by others so many times before. LISTEN to your Khukuri and she will guide you how to use her. It's just like making love to a woman. The subtle movements and sounds will tell you when you are doing it right. What a great day this has been! Almost a mystical experience. Now I just have to remember the lesson and not get cocky!

Steve
 
ferguson: "Almost a mystical experience."

Wrong, kinda, sorta: when you become attuned, and with the right khukuri sometimes it is a mystical experience at times! That's why we keep telling you to listen and it will teach you. Listen to your body as it listens to the khukuri.

Unless that is, it keeps telling you to stab and slash like my little Audrey. Then put it away and use another that isn't out to drink blood and eat flesh. You can then go back after you learn from other khuks, and learn from the bloodthirsty ones and still be in control.

I sound like I'm talking voodoo, don't I. I'm really not. Some knives just move different from others and you don't know why, but you can tune in and feel it.
 
I'm not sure just how to put this into words. I have tried to do that very thing. Let the Khuk teach how it is to be used.

Only twice while working with the khuks I have come close to hitting a leg, both times was too close to a knee for comfort. What really got me to thinking was the feel of the hit on the wood when these near disasters occurred. It did not feel right when the blade hit the target. When I went back to work, I concentrated more on the sweet spot. The rest of the day went without incident.

The second time was a case of getting in too big a hurry and missed the sweet spot all together. This one touched my trousers and scared the hell out of me. It was with a different knife so, I figured for sure I had made the same mistake. No, I had just got careless and was not standing where my body parts could not get clipped.

Here I have to say that, this is the only knife that I have ever used that sure will teach a man how to use it. The few I have I have learned to love like no other knife I have ever had. I just wish I would have been advised about Khuks a long time ago. Don't get me wrong here. I have been cut several times during cleaning and sharpening. I just managed to avoid bad wounds working at the trimming and tree cutting.

I found that just useing the weight of the knife do most of the work comes out much better also. That and a flick of the wrist and you can sure get a lot of work done.:) :)
 
when the rest of the guy's were chopping the big stuff I was flicking the limb's and teaching:cool:) file:///C:/WINDOWS/Desktop/Photo/new%20khuk%20convert%20(2).jpg I was trying to link photo of MauiRob sister in Law working a BAS --- Flick! Flick! Flick! --- Control !!!
 
"LISTEN to your Khukuri and she will guide you how to use her".

I'm agree with your words Ferguson, more especially as each HI Khukuries are differents and uniques because they are all handmade!
 
Here's the picture Akabu was looking for:
 

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excellent. The same is true with other tools as well, namely axes, picks, sledge hammers, and all manner of hand saws. Glad to hear the injury was not severe. I've done the same injury with a pocket knife.

"Unless that is, it keeps telling you to stab and slash like my little Audrey. Then put it away and use another that isn't out to drink blood and eat flesh. You can then go back after you learn from other khuks, and learn from the bloodthirsty ones and still be in control."--Rusty

That's why my YCS does not see much use. It's a bit naughty...


Keith
 
Every time I pull out my Tarwar, I get the irresistable urge to ra.....uh, raid and pillage.:eek: My other knives/khuks would give good account of themselves in a fight, but that Tarwar is every bit the weapon it was meant to be, and it has a way of letting you know what it would like to be doing.

Dadgum Steve, sorry to hear about the "got'cha". An uncle down in Alabama taught me how to use an axe properly. I still remember him saying,"boy, going at it like that you're going to be wore out in ten minutes, if you don't cut a foot off first, let the axe do the swinging and you just do the aiming". Under his tutelage I got good enough to do team splitting, where two guys with axes face each other from opposite sides of a log. The first guy starts the split, second guy swings and strikes exactly in the split without hitting the head of the first guy's axe. This drives the split deeper and pops the first guy's axe loose so he can swing again. Alternating back and forth like that you can split some ridiculously tough old hickory logs. Kind of scary for a teen age boy? You'd best believe it, but the confidence and trust that went with it was a lot like when my father gave me my first shotgun. Stepping stones on the road to becoming a man.

Sarge
 
Good posts, good topic!!!

I think most all (good!) tools can "talk" to you if you listen carefully. Khuks just talk very loud, which is good because they are are one of the ones that you should really pay attention to!!

I've slowly learned that if most any tool isn't doing most of the work, somethings wrong like:

wrong tool
dull tool
improper technique

A tool that is made with usage foremost, not economy of fabrication, can usually let you know when things are going right. Some tools just aren't made right most of the time now, like really fat-bladed axes and small, thick knives with oblique edges. I think the biggest problem is inproperly sharpened or dull tools, especially power tools. How many times have you seen some guy leaning into a dull chainsaw, probably working harder than if he had a sharp handsaw?? A properly sharpened chain will nick your finger just about as easily as a shaving sharp khuk edge, and throw out shavings, not sawdust. Just the weight of the saw will be more than enough to do the rest. I learned that pretty young, when I worked with one all day summers--one light errant pass through the dirt I had to bust my butt using it until I sharpened it again. Had to learn fast to sharpen it and keep it out of the dirt, which was much easier when it was sharp and cut by itself, as I had full strength in reserve to control it. Dullness begets even futher dullness. I think most people must not have had to work for a long time with an edged tool and never learn the difference between an sharp one and a dull one.

I borrowed a video from the library that showed Japanese cabinet-makers and they NEVER used a mallet with the chisels, and the hand planes often made shavings as long as the pass. You could also see that they used the lightest of grips on the tools, and moved them slowly and precisely. The razor-sharpness was obvious, as they never crushed the grain and produced shavings you could see through. Sandpaper was not used or needed. The hand planes made shavings like a sheet of the finest paper. The video also had a section on knives. A sushi chef slowly turned a piece of big daikon radish against his knife and produced a single 6-7 inch wide, paper thin slice or peeling that was God knows how many feet long. How sharp is that? I can only hope to be able to get a large knife that sharp someday. That's where those very long, fine strips of carrot and radish come from in Japanese restaurants.

The fact that one now has to look hard to find sharpening stones of any kind in stores, especially finer ones, suggests that most people just don't have experience with really sharp tools and knives any more. How many hardware stores carry any decent stones anymore? Your'e lucky if you find a single type of combination stone, that while purported to have a "fine" abrasive side, really doesn't. I think for many people the purchase of a disposable utility knife blade or a single-edged razor blade is the only way that they have experienced a sharp tool. This is sad.


Use gravity when-ever possible, don't work against it, and keep those edges sharp. Sometimes one is forced to use a dull or mismatched tool. Always keep enough strength in reserve to control errant motion and be extra, extra careful and patient in such a case.

A bit of a rant, but I just can't believe some of the stuff I see nowadays, no wonder some people think all edged things are innately dangerous and to be avoided--I bet they haven't used any that are SHARP enough to keep under full control.

BTW, how come most flexible thin bladed Western hadsaws cut on the push stroke instead of the pull stroke???
 
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