These Three Have Proven Quite Useful Around Our Ranch

R

rwc53

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Dec 21, 2009
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Nothing fancy here, just an older H&B Forge axe, a cut-down Case XX butcher knife with Osage orange scales, and a Winchester (Queen Cutlery) 2880 1/2 swell-center jack from 1988, Just used them to help build a fire in our fire pit to cook some burgers! The Winchester is my favorite pocketknife, but will probably be replaced when I get my Vintage Knives Moose back from Glenn after its re-scale.

Ron

 
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Thanks! It's in my side yard, looking out at our front pasture...some of our horses are in the background.
 
Ron

Love the pic! I have an old butcher knife and those things get shaaarrrp. Your is a beauty with that osage handle. The forged axe is something I will get someday. I really like the shape on yours.
 
Ha! You're right, Carl! Hadn't thought about that! It comes very close to what "Nessmuk" would have used, doesn't it? I know I find them quite useful for my cutting chores.

Ron
 
rwc53 said:
Ha! You're right, Carl! Hadn't thought about that! It comes very close to what "Nessmuk" would have used, doesn't it? I know I find them quite useful for my cutting chores.

Ron
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It's a funny thing, Ron, but he had it figured out pretty good so long ago. No great honking' big knife to baton through logs, no huge hollow handle movie knife. Just a good pocket knife for general use, a butcher knife for meat work, and a hatchet for the rough stuff. Right tool for the job. As effective in the 21st century as it was back then. :thumbup:
 
A very nice "Trinity." That cut down Case butcher knife looks a bit like a Kephart. I like it a lot. Great photo too.
 
Amos, it is much like a Kephart. The blade is right at 4 1/4".

Gev, that axe was found in my Dad's booth at Friendship/NMLRA range after he passed away. It was covered in rust and looked beat up. It cleaned up very nicely, and has a nice heft to it. By the way, I live about 40 miles east of you, out US290 in a little place called Paige.
 
Ron,
Great looking combo!:thumbup: Being from Kansas I have always liked Osage Orange as a material for knife handles. It has a very nice distinct grain pattern and is very durable. I don't know why it is not used more as a handle material. I have made several osage orange handled fillet knives and like them very well.

I have also put down quite a few fence posts of hedge wood in years gone by. Years ago my grandfather showed me a large hedgwood corner post that is now over 100 years old and still standing.
 
Mort, I agree wholeheartedly, Osage orange/Hedgeapple/bois d'arc wood makes excellent knife handles. I've used it quite a bit for that purpose over the years. And I've tried pounding nails into 100 year old Osage orange fence posts before! You have to use a high speed drill bit to make a hole in one!
 
Ron,
I don't remember trying nails on Hedge. I have used a lot of fencing staples on hedge posts and even they are hard to drive in. Hedge posts also do a great job at holding either lag bolts or eye bolts for decade after decade without rotting. My grandad's corral had hedge gate posts that were old when I was a kid and the cattle were never able to push the hinge anchor lag bolts out of them.

After my Granddad died, his nephew took his stock of dried hedge posts and made a big bonfire with them. :grumpy: Ah, well! These days very few farmers maintain their hedge rows so the tree trunks grow pretty large and occasionally you can find some pretty good size stumps.
 
Yep, should have said staples! I have some very old mesquite fence posts on our property, and they are just as tough! Staples will just bend if you try and drive them in! That is sad about the fence posts! What a waste!
 
No rush. Did you make a sheath for it or just shove it through the belt? Going to have to find one soon I think
 
Combat: I had an old sheath that I am using at the moment, until I make a good pouch sheath for it. I'll try and get some more pics later on today.

Andi: Great to hear from you, my friend! How's Southern Bavaria? Are you having a beautiful Fall season?
 
That's a great quality trio you have there :) :thumbup:

jackknife said:
It's a funny thing, Ron, but he had it figured out pretty good so long ago. No great honking' big knife to baton through logs, no huge hollow handle movie knife. Just a good pocket knife for general use, a butcher knife for meat work, and a hatchet for the rough stuff. Right tool for the job. As effective in the 21st century as it was back then. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Spot on Carl :thumbup:
 
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