- Joined
- May 5, 1999
- Messages
- 3,065
Uncle Bill,
Our mailman is accustomed to bringing long heavy packages, but seemed startled when I jerked the door open before he could knock. "You must have been expecting this", he observed with considerable understatement as I scribbled my name on the receipt and vanished into the house to open my new prize. Little did he know that the dying mulberry tree he had just walked by was already slated for demolition, but more on that in a minute.
First the basics. For those who missed the posting (it went fast
) here it is - Bura the Royal kami's version of a forward-curving khukuri:
Belly: 2 3/8"
Blade: 12 1/4"
Drop: 4 1/2"
LOA: 18 1/4"
Handle: 6 3/4", with a pronounced downward curve to the rear half - the top of the buttplate is 3/4" below a straight line extended along the spine at the ricasso
Thickness: 1/2" at ricasso
7/16" at belly
Weight: 2 1/4 pounds
Karda & chakma each 6 1/2" overall
Fit and finish of everything is top-of-the line HI all the way. The new stitched and laced superfrog, the first I've seen, is at least 50% better than the best of the old ones. Blade dangerously sharp right out of the box.
And so to work!... Without even removing the shipping grease, proceeded to remove a 2 /1/2"-diameter mulberry tree that I'd saved for the occasion. What a chopper! The chips just flew, and the tree was down in no time. Then to dismember the fallen foe into useable chunks, and this is where I named the khukuri "Big Mo". The momentum this design accumulates from a full over-the-head swing is absolutely amazing. As I hit one limb at a slight angle and effortlessly split right down the trunk, a line from Stone's Glossary of Arms and Armor came into my head: "There are well-authenticated instances of a Gurka [sic]having split the head of a man and cut well down into the chest with a single blow." Using a khukuri of this design, I have no doubt of that statement.
It is a little difficult to identify the "sweet spot" of this blade; in fact, it doesn't exactly have a sweet spot in the sense that most khukuris do, and seems to transmit more impact to the handle than I am used to, regardless of point of impact on the blade. Part of this may be due to the handle ring, which is fairly sharp and seems to impact the fleshiest (and most tender) part of my palm, and may need some sanding to achieve perfection. In any case, the most effective chopping area seems to be just slightly forward of the belly.
Needless to say, the only effect of this workout (on the blade, that is, not on the fat boy wielding the big knife in the heat and humidity of a Texas afternoon
) was some smearing of the shipping grease, and removal of the wire edge on the blade so it is now merely very sharp. My thanks to Bura for making such a beautiful blade, and to you, Uncle, for getting it here so quickly. Time now to clean and polish
.
Berk
[This message has been edited by Berkley (edited 05-18-2000).]
Our mailman is accustomed to bringing long heavy packages, but seemed startled when I jerked the door open before he could knock. "You must have been expecting this", he observed with considerable understatement as I scribbled my name on the receipt and vanished into the house to open my new prize. Little did he know that the dying mulberry tree he had just walked by was already slated for demolition, but more on that in a minute.
First the basics. For those who missed the posting (it went fast
Belly: 2 3/8"
Blade: 12 1/4"
Drop: 4 1/2"
LOA: 18 1/4"
Handle: 6 3/4", with a pronounced downward curve to the rear half - the top of the buttplate is 3/4" below a straight line extended along the spine at the ricasso
Thickness: 1/2" at ricasso
7/16" at belly
Weight: 2 1/4 pounds
Karda & chakma each 6 1/2" overall
Fit and finish of everything is top-of-the line HI all the way. The new stitched and laced superfrog, the first I've seen, is at least 50% better than the best of the old ones. Blade dangerously sharp right out of the box.
And so to work!... Without even removing the shipping grease, proceeded to remove a 2 /1/2"-diameter mulberry tree that I'd saved for the occasion. What a chopper! The chips just flew, and the tree was down in no time. Then to dismember the fallen foe into useable chunks, and this is where I named the khukuri "Big Mo". The momentum this design accumulates from a full over-the-head swing is absolutely amazing. As I hit one limb at a slight angle and effortlessly split right down the trunk, a line from Stone's Glossary of Arms and Armor came into my head: "There are well-authenticated instances of a Gurka [sic]having split the head of a man and cut well down into the chest with a single blow." Using a khukuri of this design, I have no doubt of that statement.
It is a little difficult to identify the "sweet spot" of this blade; in fact, it doesn't exactly have a sweet spot in the sense that most khukuris do, and seems to transmit more impact to the handle than I am used to, regardless of point of impact on the blade. Part of this may be due to the handle ring, which is fairly sharp and seems to impact the fleshiest (and most tender) part of my palm, and may need some sanding to achieve perfection. In any case, the most effective chopping area seems to be just slightly forward of the belly.
Needless to say, the only effect of this workout (on the blade, that is, not on the fat boy wielding the big knife in the heat and humidity of a Texas afternoon
Berk
[This message has been edited by Berkley (edited 05-18-2000).]
