What's a Sodbuster ?

[RH]

I'm a city kid, the only sod I know of is the pre-grown grass you roll out like a carpet to make a nice lawn without the work. What are these traditional, non-locking folders designed/used for ?

 

[pyrguy]

IIRC (getting older, harder to remember) It was just about the biggest folder for general working use. Not a small "gentleman's" knife but a pull it out and get it dirty kinda knife. Had several over the years, decent knife but I like the locking folders better.

------------------
Dwight

It's a fine line between "a hobby" and "mental illness".

 

[Elvislives]

Far as I know "Sodbuster" was a term coined by cowpokes referring to farmers. Like said above, a working knife for a working person. Haven't handled one myself.

Brandon

------------------
I've got the schizophrenic blues
No I don't
Yes I do...

 

[RDaneel]

My dad used to work in the Case factory where they made these. He gave me a Sodbuster and a Sodbuster Jr. one year. Good whittlin' knives, etc. There's a picture of a plow bustin' sod on the blade.

I've still got the Jr.
Ah, memories.

Dean

 

[Walt Welch]

The prarie had a tough interwoven growth of roots. When it was first plowed, the going was very hard, and a loud popping sound accompanied the movement of the plow. This was 'sod busting.' Walt

 

[Elvislives]

Now that makes sense, and is very interesting. Always the informative friend is Walt!

Brandon

------------------
I've got the schizophrenic blues
No I don't
Yes I do...

 

[Walt Welch]

Brandon; thanks for the kind words.

You would be making a big mistake, by the way, in the days of the big cattle drives, to call a cowboy a 'cowpoke.' In stark contrast to the difficult, challenging job of herding a large herd of cattle (especially if they were longhorns) a great distance, which was done by cowboys, a 'cowpoke' was something else entirely. He was the guy who reached through the openings in the cattle chutes and actually poked the cattle to move them along towards either the holding pens or slaughtering yards. This was a much less challenging job, often held by poorly skilled laborers (today we would say they had a substance abuse problem; then they were drunks). Should you call a cowboy a cowpoke, you were likely to wake up sometime later, in need of (then nonexistant) orthodonture.

Walt