"Who's your Daddy?"

Ken Williams said:
I usually limit the use of my machete to chopping light brush in building duck blinds and defer to an ax even for small trees, mostly because keeping that soft steel sharp is too demanding and I don't yet have a quality bowie, though that will be corrected soon. But judging by what I saw in Panama, those guys were logging with theirs.

ken
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Cool. :thumbup: Please give us the full show and tell when the time is right.

Roger

Here's my bowie / camp knife / chopper / fighter / bush knife thing just to add to the pictorial content:

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If I had to cut sugar cane all day (something I have done) I'd want a machette - the extra reach mens you don't have to bend nearly as much. For most everything else, I prefer the look and feel of a bowchopter. ;)

Roger
 
Interesting thread. I grew up in the Amazon jungle and used a machete almost daily for many years. These were the cheap "tramontina" made-in-Brazil variety. They were quickly and easily sharpened with files as the steel was somewhat soft. The weight forward design of the blade was a big advantage, and we used our machetes to "mow" grass as was mentioned, butcher game, fillet fish, carve bows and paddles, open brazil nuts, and chop through hardwood trees up to six inches in diameter. They usually held an edge for a couple hours of good jungle clearing and then needed resharpening. Tai Goo's bush knife and the parang from Malaysia are both weight forward designs that do really well for chopping brush. From what I've seen most bowies are not long enough to be very effective for jungle clearing and don't have the weight forward tips. I also think the thin blades of machetes make them more versatile. Here's a shot of the cheap trade machetes I still use today.

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Here is an Indian friend of ours carving a paddle with a machete.

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And my sister cutting open brazil nuts with a machete.

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I took lessons with Tai to learn how to make the bush knife. Here is one I made that I recently gave as a gift to the chief of the tribe of Indians with whom I grew up. He was very pleased with it.

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Todd
 
Super brushete and photos, Todd. It seems I saw coconuts split with machetes, but I can't recall if that was jungle live or something on TV.

Roger, a terrific gesture on your part would be to pay half of my bowie, which seems only reasonable since your are probably most responsible for getting me addicted to them. If you paid any attention to my post during the best bowie contest you know it will be a Jason Knight. Surely this is the golden era for big blades, as there are so many great blades (including that Farr) and great bladesmiths it's simply overwhelming.

ken
 
Ah yes - I do recall now - Jason is at the top of my "I simply cannot believe that I do not own one of his knives" list. But then again, Blade is only a week away.

You've certainly made an excellent choice.

Oh - and if you're confusing the knife I posted above with a Dan Farr piece, you've put a smile on my face and sent Dan in search of a very high cliff from which to fling himself. ;)

Golden era for big blades? I could not possibly agree more.

Roger

PS - Splitting coconuts with a machete is also something I have done. The guys who are really practiced at it nicely shave down the sides, lop off the top and slice off a wedge of husk to use as a jelly scoop, all while holding the coconut in one hand and the machete in the other. :eek:
 
Wow, Roger, you swallowed the whole bait. Knew the knife was yours (3 pins), just wanted to see you puff up.

Just kidding, your skills had me fooled. But for Dan's sake, I'm legally blind.

ken
 
Todd,
Thank you for sharing your story, it is better than anything i could have ever imagined reading here. Awesome photos as well.
David
 
David,

Nobody's going to confuse it with a Farr from the other side. :o

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Cuts good though - and since I was able to shape the handle not to fit everyone's hand, but mine alone, the feel is pretty sweet. The design of the handle itself is pretty much an amalgam of some of Dan's competition cutter designs.

Roger
 
roger....does the hump at the guard serve a purpose.....it looks like it might conform slightly to the top of your hand....does it....ryan
 
Roger, I dig that knife is more, now that I've seen its good side.
 
Roger,
If i could make a Bowie like that, there would be no need for me piping up, extolling the virtues of a machete.
Nice job!

(Can i get a discount, like Ken?)
David
 
OAL 18 in. A killer chopper slightly shorter than what I think of as a traditional machete. Perfect for machete type work though and better than a hand axe. Handle is interesting in that Tai forged it in a conical shape with a drain hole - useful during those extended jungle outings with lots of river crossings. Same with the open face scabbard. Everything is easily dried off with no place for water to collect or be absorbed. The cord wrapped handle is sealed. Pictures below illustrate the Bush Buddy in use. Get one if you can!!! You will never regret it and you will never sell it. When your house burns down you will rescue this blade. :thumbup:

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Thanks guys.

Ryan - that hump forward on the handle is one of the key design features of Dan's cutting competition knives - and one you will now find on a great many of his knives.

In combination with the slight doward curve of the handle and the flared butt cap, it serves to lock your hand in place (a comfortable place) while chopping. In particular, that bump serves as a stop or check against your hand sliding forward. When Dan was teaching me about various aspects of handle design, he'd have me slather the handles of different knives in mineral oil and do the 2 by 4 chop. Not wailing away, mind you, but actually chopping the wood. You can really feel the ways in which the knife wants to get away from you, and how the design of the handle itself can counteract that - or not.

Here is a better look at the handle of one of Dan's competition cutters:

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And here is a good look at the "hump" on a mid-sized camp knife:

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Roger
 
thanks for the explanation and the pics roger.....i appreciate it....i am still regretting not buying a knife from dan...i had a chance to get a nice hunter at a steal from someone but didn't have the funds....maybe one day....ryan
 
RogerP said:
Ryan - that hump forward on the handle is one of the key design features of Dan's cutting competition knives - and one you will now find on a great many of his knives.
...it serves to lock your hand in place (a comfortable place) while chopping. In particular, that bump serves as a stop or check against your hand sliding forward.
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A double guard also keeps your hand from sliding forward, but now you see why I personally prefer a nice swelling contour leading up to the guard, (like this "hump") rather than a flat plate guard stuck in front of a straight handle. Aside from keeping your hand in place, it also allows the web of your hand to apply power and control better. Since the skin & flesh there is so squishy, it can use a little meat in the handle too, so it has more to push off of. This is hard to put into words; let me know if I'm not being clear enough.

I remember when sword maker Angus Trim discussed why he changed the handle design on his swords. They used to swell in the center and taper down thinner towards both the guard and pommel. I think it was Tinker who discussed these same things with him, and since his swords have take down handles, he quickly made a new handle for one that got fatter towards the guard. As I recall, when he compared them side by side, his reaction to the difference and new understanding was summed up by one word. "Oh." :)
 
the possum said:
A double guard also keeps your hand from sliding forward, but now you see why I personally prefer a nice swelling contour leading up to the guard, (like this "hump") rather than a flat plate guard stuck in front of a straight handle. Aside from keeping your hand in place, it also allows the web of your hand to apply power and control better. Since the skin & flesh there is so squishy, it can use a little meat in the handle too, so it has more to push off of. This is hard to put into words; let me know if I'm not being clear enough.
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I read you loud and clear, bro - and I agree. I would only add that this hump meets the web of the palm a bit further back on the handle than a flat plate guard ever would. If your hand is contacting the upper portion of a double-guard, you have already lost your grip on the handle. The hump helps in keeping your hand where it should be on the handle, as well as assisting in the application of force and directional control. If I recall correctly, Dan attributed this design feature to the handles of some superbly-crafted fly-fishing rods that he owns and uses.

Roger
 
RogerP said:
I would only add that this hump meets the web of the palm a bit further back on the handle than a flat plate guard ever would. If your hand is contacting the upper portion of a double-guard, you have already lost your grip on the handle.
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Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. :)
 
Heres two of mine that are pretty close to a machete...I dont know if i'd call them bowies. They are comp cutters. I also swell up to the guard area like Dans:
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