WIP - My first machete
Mar 16, 2018 19:02:12 GMT
Post by Adventurer'sBlade on Mar 16, 2018 19:02:12 GMT
Hello, all. Thought I'd share a project I've been working on for some time. I've made maybe a dozen smaller knives over the last ten years, but this is the first big blade I'll be able to complete.
With that in mind, this is a culmination of the knowledge I gained messing around with all different sorts of machetes and short swords. I wanted something that I could consider an ideal "tactical sword", a modern edged sidearm that would meet the following criteria:
-Short and light enough to be carried all day without too much hassle
-Stout enough to parry heavy blows
-Broad enough to chop and slice well
-Light enough for quick snap-cuts and good tip control
-Pointy and rigid enough to penetrate with ease through thick cloth
-Long enough to significantly outclass knives, hatchets, and short hammers as a weapon
-Usable as a tool for cutting brush and small trees
-Flexible and durable; resharpenable with relative ease
-Cheap and easy to manufacture
-More machete than sword, but better for sword work than a mere machete
I settled on a sort of D-Guard Bowie design for this first draft of my ideal machete. I will probably try recurve and flared clip-point designs next (along with forward curves like a ginunting), but I think the straight, broad blade with a sharpened clip point is highly effective despite its simplicity.
I decided to make a detachable D-Guard out of 1/8" thick mild steel plate. It has two points that flare towards the blade's tip; the top point would ostensibly help to trap an opposing blade during a bind, while the lower protrusion is a striking point when performing Filipino-style punyo strikes or handguard punches. The points being swept towards the blade tip also prevents them from snagging when the blade is drawn from its scabbard. The D-Guard consists of two slabs which can be bolted on to the tang with common 1/4" bolts or left off to save weight. When the guard is left off, the overall weight drops, making the blade a little snappier and lighter, but also moving the POB out further. This is ideal when the machete is used for brush clearing. When installed, the D-Guard brings the POB back a little and improves tip control. Recovery from cuts also improves a little.
The grip slabs will be black walnut. The listed weights are not including the scales, so the finished blade will be up an ounce or two.
The edge is a convex grind that extends about 2/3"-3/4" from the edge. It should serve well for chopping into green wood without binding too much. It will be easy to maintain with files and sandpaper. I will finish it off with my worksharp tool after the heat treat.
I made this blade and the handguard pieces with an angle grinder, files, and a small drill press.
I'll be using a machete sheath I picked up during a trip to Brazil to house it (perfect fit). For future pieces I'll do kydex; I've made small knife sheaths out of kydex but I'll have to make a big press for machetes.
The stats are:
Steel: 1084 High Carbon from the New Jersey Steel Baron
Blade length: 18"
Blade width: 2"
Blade thickness: 1/8"
Overall: Just under 24"
Weight without handguard: 1 lb 6 oz
Weight with handguard: 1 lb 13 oz
POB: about 7-8" without guard, about 4.5-5" with guard
It isn't heat-treated yet. I just obtained a like-new Evenheat vertical KF1136 kiln at a steep discount, so I'm finally able to complete this project. I'm waiting for an adapter to arrive from Amazon so that I can hook the kiln up and get to work. I'll be quenching in a 30" steel mortar can full of canola oil. I've been advised that I should get some professional quenchant for good hardening results out of the 1084; I will do that in the future but will try the canola oil now and see what happens. It takes a lot of quenchant to fill the can and do a blade this long.
I've dry-handled the unfinished blank both with and without the guard. It feels awesome. It's swift, but generates a ton of momentum in cuts. It can do snap cuts targeted at an enemy's hand or arm, but I just know this one's a limb-lopper by the feel of it. Thrusts are very controllable and swift. Back-cuts with the false edge will be wicked. I know this one won't be a pretty blade, but I'm confident it'll be a performer. Let's hope the heat-treat goes well.
I'm planning to either just leave the scale on after the heat treat or strip it off with a paint stripping head on the angle grinder and then force a patina with ferric chloride. To be determined. It'll have a very rustic post-apocalyptic look. For future projects I'm thinking about more subtle hardware for the guard (like bicycle chainring bolts) and duracoat or similar on the blade.
With that in mind, this is a culmination of the knowledge I gained messing around with all different sorts of machetes and short swords. I wanted something that I could consider an ideal "tactical sword", a modern edged sidearm that would meet the following criteria:
-Short and light enough to be carried all day without too much hassle
-Stout enough to parry heavy blows
-Broad enough to chop and slice well
-Light enough for quick snap-cuts and good tip control
-Pointy and rigid enough to penetrate with ease through thick cloth
-Long enough to significantly outclass knives, hatchets, and short hammers as a weapon
-Usable as a tool for cutting brush and small trees
-Flexible and durable; resharpenable with relative ease
-Cheap and easy to manufacture
-More machete than sword, but better for sword work than a mere machete
I settled on a sort of D-Guard Bowie design for this first draft of my ideal machete. I will probably try recurve and flared clip-point designs next (along with forward curves like a ginunting), but I think the straight, broad blade with a sharpened clip point is highly effective despite its simplicity.
I decided to make a detachable D-Guard out of 1/8" thick mild steel plate. It has two points that flare towards the blade's tip; the top point would ostensibly help to trap an opposing blade during a bind, while the lower protrusion is a striking point when performing Filipino-style punyo strikes or handguard punches. The points being swept towards the blade tip also prevents them from snagging when the blade is drawn from its scabbard. The D-Guard consists of two slabs which can be bolted on to the tang with common 1/4" bolts or left off to save weight. When the guard is left off, the overall weight drops, making the blade a little snappier and lighter, but also moving the POB out further. This is ideal when the machete is used for brush clearing. When installed, the D-Guard brings the POB back a little and improves tip control. Recovery from cuts also improves a little.
The grip slabs will be black walnut. The listed weights are not including the scales, so the finished blade will be up an ounce or two.
The edge is a convex grind that extends about 2/3"-3/4" from the edge. It should serve well for chopping into green wood without binding too much. It will be easy to maintain with files and sandpaper. I will finish it off with my worksharp tool after the heat treat.
I made this blade and the handguard pieces with an angle grinder, files, and a small drill press.
I'll be using a machete sheath I picked up during a trip to Brazil to house it (perfect fit). For future pieces I'll do kydex; I've made small knife sheaths out of kydex but I'll have to make a big press for machetes.
The stats are:
Steel: 1084 High Carbon from the New Jersey Steel Baron
Blade length: 18"
Blade width: 2"
Blade thickness: 1/8"
Overall: Just under 24"
Weight without handguard: 1 lb 6 oz
Weight with handguard: 1 lb 13 oz
POB: about 7-8" without guard, about 4.5-5" with guard
It isn't heat-treated yet. I just obtained a like-new Evenheat vertical KF1136 kiln at a steep discount, so I'm finally able to complete this project. I'm waiting for an adapter to arrive from Amazon so that I can hook the kiln up and get to work. I'll be quenching in a 30" steel mortar can full of canola oil. I've been advised that I should get some professional quenchant for good hardening results out of the 1084; I will do that in the future but will try the canola oil now and see what happens. It takes a lot of quenchant to fill the can and do a blade this long.
I've dry-handled the unfinished blank both with and without the guard. It feels awesome. It's swift, but generates a ton of momentum in cuts. It can do snap cuts targeted at an enemy's hand or arm, but I just know this one's a limb-lopper by the feel of it. Thrusts are very controllable and swift. Back-cuts with the false edge will be wicked. I know this one won't be a pretty blade, but I'm confident it'll be a performer. Let's hope the heat-treat goes well.
I'm planning to either just leave the scale on after the heat treat or strip it off with a paint stripping head on the angle grinder and then force a patina with ferric chloride. To be determined. It'll have a very rustic post-apocalyptic look. For future projects I'm thinking about more subtle hardware for the guard (like bicycle chainring bolts) and duracoat or similar on the blade.