woodsmans pal/machete

[rocketmann]

My boss wants me to make him a machete/woodsmans pal type of thing. I'm having it cut out of 1/8" 1095 by GLWJ. My question is how high should the grind go ?? Do you just sharpen the 1/8" edge or do I need to grind in a bevel like on a knife ??

 

[Keith_H]

I would prefer one with a grind, convex would be good on it. I think that if it was zero ground it would take a long time to sharpen the entire edge to take out any edge damage.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Depending on what you are looking for, a standard bevel or a convex grind will be good for a camp chopper.Keep the edge angle a little on the heavy side. I would be more concerned at the 0.125 thickness ( unless it is a pretty small machete). I would suggest starting with at least .165 to 0.250 thick stock. Make the blade with a good flat grind taper toward the edge and a convex edge. A slight distal taper helps with balance. The ricasso should be heavy and strong.
1095 will take a good spring temper.Temper around 475-500F. Then draw the spine with a torch.
Stacy

 

[rocketmann]

http://www.woodmanspal.com/features.html. This is what I'm using for inspiration. I'm not sure about the "double convex grind" or the RC 47. It looks like they just do a convex edge with no primary grind.. I've never made a machete before... The total length will be 16'' so the 1/8" should be ok I think.. We will see.. Thanks for the help. :thumbup: