Trail/brush clearing tool

[Arakiel]

Flamethrower or Agent Orange.
Seriously though, the swedish bush axe seems like your best bet.

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=1763

 

[kipzroll]

Flamethrower or Agent Orange.

And WD-40 and a lighter for blazing through your neighbor's tomato garden, of course

 

[Arakiel]

And WD-40 and a lighter for blazing through your neighbor's tomato garden, of course

Of course!

 

[pullrich]

Now that we have more clarity on those wierd Texas laws I might revise my recommendation to be for a small machete, golok-style with the thick blade, like the Condor Golok. Price is right, it functions very well, will clear anything from softer leafy stuff to hard wood. Plus its a lot more fun to carry than a saw ha ha

 

[kipzroll]

Yeah.....I was kinda dreading the slowness of a saw...

Machete sounds good now that I have been reminded of the "sporting activity" exception.

 

[pullrich]

Well, I'm not sure saws are slower, just made for one thing, wood. Whereas a machete with the right design, thick spine like the golok from Condor, chops wood and your leafier stuff. And its more fun than carrying a saw

 

[wnease]

William, that bearded job looks great - but it also looks like it needs an extra 1/2" - 3/4" knuckle clearance between beard & haft.

yup, you are right, it was an experiment! still works in the pinch-grip for kitchen style cutting

 

[bigtoof]

billhook ( or kosir as we said in Croatia ) Choose the size you need...

 

[Billman1949]

There really is no tool with a blade length under 5.5 inches suitable for the task, except possibly the replaceable blade bush knife, shown above, or a small axe or hatchet... Any machete or billhook needs to be at least 8" long to be of any use.... Small versions are OK for grape harvesting, garden pruning and similar tasks, but not for trail blazing

Having said that I have a couple of tools in my collection that would be good - one is an Indian/Nepalese stick or firewwod chopper - it has a 4 inch cutting edge at the end of a 6 inch shank, and is handled like a billhook - the other is a version of a Turkish billhook - this is like a small bush axe - a curved 4 inch cutting blade with an axe eye attached - it sits at the end of a 10 or 12 inch hatchet handle...

The length of the handle or shank gives one the necessary force to cut, as does an axe (or any other similarly handled tool, e.g. a hammer)

 

[kipzroll]

Well gentlemen (and possible lady...ya' never know), I felt I should update y'all on what I've decided so far. I've decided to try out a few hatchets (was going to do this anyway) as well as try out a machete, something like a Woodman's Pal, and a kukri. The problem I've encountered is that because of the drought, I've got to deal with some areas being very dry and some areas being quite wet....all in this one area I'll be in (wooded area in a flood plain with natural creeks and ponds) so it may just be best to use more than one tool.

For right now, I've picked up the Estwing Sportsman's Axe (24A) and I will probably fix up/sharpen the machete I've had in the garage for years. Essentially, my thought is that I will experiment with those and see what, if at all, I might change or buy. I got the Estwing due to the all-metal construction as well as from reading positive reviews here on BFC. I know there's going to be a bit more shock than from a wood-hafted hatchet, but I know I'm probably going to be a bit more rough with it, so the Estwing seemed like a good idea.

Anything I may need to keep in mind with all this? I've used axes before, but not in this capacity (my experience comes from wood pallets and the occasional roof with fire underneath...)

Also, thanks for y'all pointing out the "sporting activity" exemption which allows for machetes and such. I will update after I get to have some fun (hopefully Monday).