Vintage meat cleavers

T

tomsch

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I've been on a vintage cleaver kick this year. I typically only buy knives that I use so not all of the these cleavers will see a lot of use. I have slowly been cleaning them up. A few of them are going to have the wood handles removed and I'm going to take a crack at doing them in micarta. There is something very cool about these old, beastly cleavers.

This first group is the smaller ones that range from the small Ka-Bar camp cleaver up to the Foster Bros "8".
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This group both are "9"s
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The final group are the big-boys with 10" blades
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Most came from eBay but also you can find them at antique dealers. I used a 9" Foster Bros this weekend cleaning up some small trees in the back yard. One swing is all it takes to take off branches over 1" thick. Edge holds very well on the Foster Bros even when chopping.
 
One more for now. This one is a beef splitter with a 16" blade. 33" overall length and weights over 7lbs. My Spyderco Military is there for size reference.
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That beef splitter is amazing. I have absolutely no use for it, but I want one bad. Maybe home deffense or zombie killin. Then again you could hang that bad boy up as decoaration.
 
Yes, I don't have a use for it either but it is sure impressive! Everyone that sees it in person is amazed at how it looks. My kids want to use it as part of their halloween costumes but that somehow does not sound like a good idea :)
 
Here's a big old cleaver I found in bad shape, handles gone and fairly rusted. I put on new handle scales made using two layers of 15oz boot sole leather. The sheath is made of 11 oz latigo and 10oz tooling veggietan. The guy I sold it to uses it for clearing brush. The leather handle absorbs shock very well.

Regards

Robin

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Very nice! When I have the time I plan on "modernizing" at least one of the cleavers for use in the yard.
 
COOL! I have a few that i've accumulated over the years myself. Don't typically have any practical use for them, but I liked them enough to buy them at flea markets.

Peter
 
I'm up to 13 now and it all started with my son and I watching Bill the Butcher on the movie Gangs of New York. He thought they were cool so I ended up picking up a few.
Here is the latest which is another splitter. this one has a 13" blade and is 31" overall. It is on the top above the 16" splitter with a 10" Village Blacksmiith for comparison. The "13" splitter weighs the most of the group due to the thickness of the blade.
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I have one of those 36 inch cleavers. Mine was made in Buffalo, NY in 1887. I wonder, how rare are they? I felt very lucky to get mine, as I've never seen one before.Great for Zombie killing!

Dave
 
I don't see the big splitters around on eBay much. When you do find one the price shoots up pretty high. I also feel pretty lucky that I have two. I did read that the comercial meat processing plants stopped using them before WWII since that is the point where they moved to saws to reduce the bone splinters.
 
Hello, I just picked up my first two cleavers. Both are small no more then 10" overall. I'm wondering if there is a link to makers marks for cleavers?
 
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