skill question for the machete pro's

C

chopchop

Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
562
I read this today on another website:
Use a protective baton, for machete work, a protective baton of an appropriate size in the other hand, will give you balance, and can protect against blade come backs, if used appropriately, it can also protect lower limbs. It also allows to hold or push the material to cut. Professional macheteros use a baton with a hook.
Click to expand...

Does anybody know how this works? I'm having trouble picturing the technique... any professional macheteros out there?
 
i dunno.. ive used machetes for most of my life and never felt the need to have a baton in my other hand.. cutting away from you i guess makes sense, but its also something ive never done.. machetes in my opinion like a long fast swing, i usually position myself in a way that at the fastest part of my swing, the cutting edge is impacting with whatever i want to make shorter. i tend to keep a light but firm grip on the handle, and just let the blade do the work, something i always found is that once you get in a groove, your cuts will be right on target, and you just let the cutting edge do its thing without any effort.
 
I could see using a baton to hold a small diameter log while trying to chop it, instead of your hand. Blocking your shins with a "baton" could work, but I just stay out of the way.
 
sounds like a swordfight with yourself ...well a machete fight anyway ..

i dunno , I used a stick to get some blackberry canes out of the way while I cut them .. and I regularly enough baton on my machete to split kindling ( Im too lazy to go walk around sometimes )

But , I cant see having a stick in one hand to whack an outa control machete in the other is going to work ...
 
I think you mean as demonstrated in this short video

[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/momachetes#p/a/u/0/4zoTfoZJMUg[/video]
 
Notice how he used 1 machete ( looked like a Bolo style) to construct the hook and another design altogether in conjunction with the hook.
 
a helper stick will help you clear vines out of the way. I have some footage of guys who know what they are doing (I'm not good at it) with sticks, but in the mean time, here is machete specialists video. Might help you save some thorn pricks.


http://youtu.be/vult_w_oYDI


http://youtu.be/4zoTfoZJMUg
 
I dunno if i would ever call it a baton though. Oh and it looks like someone else beat me to it. Time to upload my own private video then :)
 
seth said:
i dunno.. ive used machetes for most of my life and never felt the need to have a baton in my other hand.. cutting away from you i guess makes sense, but its also something ive never done.. machetes in my opinion like a long fast swing, i usually position myself in a way that at the fastest part of my swing, the cutting edge is impacting with whatever i want to make shorter.
Click to expand...
I had never heard of this before, so I just couldn't picture it. If I had grown up using them, I would be more comfortable. I've seen guys open coconuts they were holding in their hands. I don't think I'd still have all my fingers!

foxx said:
I could see using a baton to hold a small diameter log while trying to chop it, instead of your hand. Blocking your shins with a "baton" could work, but I just stay out of the way.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was picturing blocking with it somehow. Didn't make much sense to me when like you say, you could just keep clear of the blade. Holding small diameter rounds on end with another stick when you want to split them makes sense, though.


Myal said:
sounds like a swordfight with yourself ...well a machete fight anyway ...
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I was picturing. I wonder who would win... me or the machete. :D


bigbadboom said:
I think you mean as demonstrated in this short video
[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/momachetes#p/a/u/0/4zoTfoZJMUg[/video]
Click to expand...
I had no idea what I meant, but that vid makes sense. Pretty slick to use a forked branch as a reaping hook.


Joezilla said:
I dunno if i would ever call it a baton though. Oh and it looks like someone else beat me to it. Time to upload my own private video then :)
Click to expand...
Exactly. And feel free to share any more of these kinds of little tips for machetes. From what I've seen, I bet you have a ton of great vids. :thumbup:
 
at some point I will! Thanks.

Here is another, one of the Golok videos I did, using it at 2:31

[youtube]tuai6KPCv2o[/youtube]
 
for some of that grassy looking stuff , a grass machete might be the go instead of lifting it up and whacking it down again .. I shamelessly lifted this image of one from jade machete ..
20090915165623446.jpg

Its something that an ex-girlfriend ( still seriously good friend ) made me aware of when she came back outa South Africa ..
Its more or less a lawnmower for folk where fuel and wheels can be an issue , but I have seen it being used to clear brush that was kind heavier than Id expected . long reach on it saves the old back a little apparently .
 
I've seen those before. The costa ricans have a bent one too, that they like
 
I think you hold the machete in one hand, and a stick with a hook in the other. Then swing them or block with them, or protect youself with them when not swinging them or blocking with them. Oh yeah, and use the hook too (for fishing I think).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top