Whats Good Steal For a Machete

B

badgerCstKnifeMaker

Joined
Dec 4, 2015
Messages
5
Hi guys, i'm new to knife making and all. I was just wondering what a good steal for a machete, but i don want to have to spend to much money. I looked into lawn mower blades and found out it wasnt a good steal for a strong durable blade. So if you guys have any suggestions i will be happy if you shared. Thanks!
 
The stickies here offer so much info being new I would check them out. Also other then the knive making ones look at the regular forum stickies.
 
5160, 15n20, or 80crv2 are all quite tough.

Aeb-l or 14c28n in stainless if you need stainless.
 
I would look at 5160, 4150, 1070 etc. simple medium carbon steels that form lath martensite hardened to the mid 50's is pretty common

I'd look at L6, S7, A8 high shock steels for something a little more fancy

I'd probably stay away from 1095, O1, A2 etc that have more carbon and form plate martensite
 
If I was looking to steal a machete, I'd find a good buddy who really wouldn't mind if I stole one from him.
If your looking for steel for a machete, I like the toughness of the simple medium carbon steels myself, toughness is the main criteria in a machete steel--IMO
 
"Let's eat Grandma." "Let's eat, Grandma." Bad grammar kills.

Good luck with the machete. Sounds like fun. And welcome to the forums.
 
I'd go with S7 or 80crv2. Aebl if you need stainless. And want to keep the cost down.
 
Back in the day I would steal machetes putting one or two down each pants leg, then walk away.
Nearly cut off my Willy, But nobody the wiser.
Ah, those were the days...

Anyway a mowerblade work work fine as a DIY machete.
It may lack some edge holding properties..
As a first timer project of shaping & straightening steel, Applying its fixtures etc. It will be great practice, functional when finished and cheap.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
I would look at 5160, 4150, 1070 etc. simple medium carbon steels that form lath martensite hardened to the mid 50's is pretty common

I'd look at L6, S7, A8 high shock steels for something a little more fancy

I'd probably stay away from 1095, O1, A2 etc that have more carbon and form plate martensite
Click to expand...

This is as good of advice as you can get!
 
im a non speller but nate had great info
1070 5160 i know a sword builer thats making them out of 4140 and they are used in demos L6
what it will really come down to is how thin stock you can get and how its heat treated
if buying stock at the needed thickness and sending out for heat treat after shaping PD1 cpm3v are hard to beat
if forging or doing your own HT 1070or 5160
 
The problem with making a machete out of CPM 3V is cost. I would like to make a "Golok" style machete and a Martendale style both with overall lengths of about 18", so relatively short as machetes go. A 3' piece, 2" wide, 0.103/0.113" thick piece from Aldo is about $64 or $85 if they grind off the decarb which I'm not sure is necessary with a machete. Not counting shipping. That's $32/42.50 in just blade steel. Then add HT and handle material, hardware and expendables and that's getting to be $100+ per machete, just in materials. That's a pretty expensive machete! Even if IT could hack through a cinder block, could you?

Another option at a mid price point but way up in the toughness level, would be S7. Aldo has some 3'x2"x0.125" in the overstock bin for about $40. That's $20ish per blade in steel. Cheap options already mentioned include 15N20 4'x2"x0.095 for about $21, 80CRV2 4'x2"x0.125" for about $26 or the not yet mentioned 52100 4'x2"x0.093" for about $20. In stainless, AEB-L is the most cost effective with a piece 4'x2"x0.110" for about $37 and the 0.125 is slightly cheaper. Prices sourced from Aldo Bruno's site for comparison of costs. I believe that all those steels with a proper HT and appropriate geometry, would make excellent machetes.

It's still cheaper and easier to buy one and modify it to your needs. There is a machete guru on the forums that goes by FortyTwoBlades. Seek out his posts concerning machete design and use. Here is a link with lots of good info about machetes and FortyTwoBlades chimes in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top