What Traits Are Desirable for a Machete

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me2

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Oct 11, 2003
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I've been thinking of making my own for a while now, and have used one around the house for a long time, but most were $1 or so. I found they bent kinda easy too, even the $10 Cold Steel one that replaced the 20 year old model. To me, machete is Latin for sheet metal with an edge, so my plan is to just put an edge on some appropriate thickness sheet metal, 2" wide or so, 12" blade, 1/8" thick, 5-6 inch handle. They may have been made different a long time ago, but to me, when you get into primary bevels and distal tapers, it becomes more complicated than a machete, though admittedly it may work better.
 
Basically two types of machetes "slashers" long and thin
or Choppers an bit shorter, thicker or heavier.
What do you want it to do?
I hate birdbeak handles.
Carl
 
warrigal said:
Basically two types of machetes "slashers" long and thin
or Choppers an bit shorter, thicker or heavier.
What do you want it to do?
I hate birdbeak handles.
Carl
Click to expand...

Mmm, what are you using it for?
It will make a huge difference.
 
me2 said:
I've been thinking of making my own for a while now, and have used one around the house for a long time, but most were $1 or so. I found they bent kinda easy too, even the $10 Cold Steel one that replaced the 20 year old model. To me, machete is Latin for sheet metal with an edge, so my plan is to just put an edge on some appropriate thickness sheet metal, 2" wide or so, 12" blade, 1/8" thick, 5-6 inch handle. They may have been made different a long time ago, but to me, when you get into primary bevels and distal tapers, it becomes more complicated than a machete, though admittedly it may work better.
Click to expand...

Check out the Condor line and your concept of "machete" will change drastically. ;) www.condortk.com
 
42Blades, I'm not sure what you mean. Those condors are nice, but they seem to fit my definition of machete pretty well. I must say, the ones I've seen locally at least come with an edge that will cut, unlike the Cold Steel models.

warrigal, what dont you like about bird beak handles? I like the thinned middle type handles like on the Cold Steel Panga and Bolo. I personally have never used a machete with a bird beak. My intent is for it to be a shorter chopper, similar to the Cold Steel barong machete. I dont have large patches of light stuff to clear, and I'll occasionally use it to do light limbing on the back yard trees. I have a longer, thinner CS Panga and a pruning saw, so its 75% for fun and 25% for utility.

So what about traits like hardness, length, edge holding, etc.?
 
about 14'' seems good for most places other than the rainforest and such. i like my machetes to be a little on the soft side, so that they are easy to sharpen. edge holding wont be great with the soft edge, but i would prefer easy sharpening to long edge retention.

if you are going to be doing alot of choping type of chores rather than brush-clearing, i would suggest the tramontina bolo, or somthing like it if you make your own. the CS bolo probably isnt too much different, but i like tramontina's more than cold steels for various reasons (politics aside).

I dont mean to throw a turd in the punch-bowl or anything, but i wouldn't advise attempting to make a machete out of sheet metal. It probably just wont preform well, and if you are going to put time into making it, you should probably adopt a different aproach. I definatly understand wanting to make your own, and there is no problem with that. But, rather than using sheet metal, i would advise buying an appropriatly sized tramontina machete (that will cost you about $10 at the most). Once you have that, take off the scales, then you can grind it into the shape you want and you can do the edge the way you want. then you can chord wrap the handle or put some wood or micarta on it and then you'll have a first-class personalized machete. If you need a sheath for it, there is a cheap way to make a good machete sheath, and all it requires is some pvc, some heat and about 30 minutes.

hope this is helpful,
Brendan
 
me2 said:
42Blades, I'm not sure what you mean. Those condors are nice, but they seem to fit my definition of machete pretty well. I must say, the ones I've seen locally at least come with an edge that will cut, unlike the Cold Steel models.
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To my mind the Condor models are much more than sharpened sheet metal. There are some newer models that will be coming out with distal taper, and they don't get bent. The heat treatment is much better than the examples you were citing in your original post. ;)
 
Over the years, I have found the most desirable trait for a machete is that it is in the hands of a person bushwacking well in front of you.
 
go2ndAmend said:
Over the years, I have found the most desirable trait for a machete is that it is in the hands of a person bushwacking well in front of you.
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I couldn't agree more. I would much rather walk around a bad patch than try to chop through it.

The first guy in line does the chopping, second in line does the navigating, everyone else does the following. The ugliest sound in the jungle is fingers hitting the jungle floor. This happens when the guy in front reaches out to steady himself against something the second guy is swinging at. Be careful out there.

Sheet metal is not tempered to act like a machete. Machetes have a spring temper so they flex but retain their shape. A good place to start for the blade you propose is the Tramontina Bolo already mentioned.

Mac
 
I like a stiff bladed machete, something about 1/8” is thick enough to be a good chopper with out giving up much as a slashing tool.

High carbon steel is a must, with the heat treatment bringing the hardness in about 55-56 Rc or so; giving it a good balance of toughness and edge retention.

And, of course, a nice stout convex edge.

Blade length? …I like 14 to 16 inches, but I’m just over six foot tall.

Now bare in mind, I live in a hardwood environment where chopping wood is generally more important then slashing lush vegetation, if I lived in the jungle my requirement would vary.





"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike

Forest & Stream
 
I guess I should clarify some. Sheet metal to me refers to shape only, not alloy type. For instance, S7 in 1/8" thickness to me is sheet metal. 1095 and 1075/1080 in the same thickness is also sheet metal. I suppose the width useful for a machete is more properly strip, not sheet. The point is I wasnt planning to make one out of an 8" sheet metal stud, though the idea did cross my mind. I have a belt sander for sharpening it, and would like as much edge holding as is practical, but the ability to be cut with a file is a must if power equipment isnt available. I was thinking S7, at 55-57 HRc. Its readily available on line, and heat treating options for single pieces are better, since its an air hardening steel. Condor uses 420 stainless. Any particular reason that would/wouldn't be preferred over high carbon, or in the case of S7, medium carbon?

A panga shape is what I'm most familiar with, but a point of some kind would be handy for some tasks. The CS bowie or barong or just a large drop point shape is what I'm leaning toward. I've used up to 18" blades, but I think a 12"-14" would be adequate for my purposes.

How about handle shape? I've heard someone here speak against bird beaks, but I've never used one, so I cant comment. Micarta is my choice for handle material, with flared rivets or bolts. Dyamondwood is a close second.
 
me2 said:
Condor uses 420 stainless. Any particular reason that would/wouldn't be preferred over high carbon, or in the case of S7, medium carbon?
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More specifically, they use 420HC, the same stuff Buck uses as their base steel. The heat treatment they do is particularly nice, and I've had fantastic edge retention and flexibility out of mine. They're the only stainless machetes I'll trust. That being said they're releasing some carbon pieces soon, due to popular demand. :)
 
as far as handles, i would just look at some on the internet and get some ideas from those. a swell toward the butt is a handy feature, it will keep it from slipping out when swinging .
 
I've only used the Panga shaped handle, with the rounded butt and narrower middle section. I've never had it slip out of my hand that I remember. It starts at 2" wide at the blade, then narrows to 1.5" or so, then swells to a 2" radius rounded butt. There is no side to side contouring though. I like the fact that the condor panga/swamper style puts an edge inside the hook portion on the back.
 
me2 said:
I like the fact that the condor panga/swamper style puts an edge inside the hook portion on the back.
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I have the Viking, which is done the same way, and it's really amazing how handy the sharpened back edge can be. And with the length, you still have plenty of length for batoning! :D
 
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