# EDGED TOOLS, Let See 'Em!



## JeepHammer

A 'GUN' is a very limited tool, and when it's out of ammo, 
Or one of the small, delicate internal parts breaks it becomes a club with bad balance.

On the other hand,
A properly selected edged tool will Feed you, Cloth you, Shelter you and keep you Warm...
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Some people say that 'Opposable Thumbs' are the hall mark of the human race.
(They have never seen a raccoon pick a lock or barn door latch! Or a Squirrel pick the latch on a bird feeder!)

Some people say that using 'Tools' is the hall mark of the human race.
(They have never seen something as simple as an otter balance on rock on it's chest, while cracking a muscle shell with a second rock, all while swimming on it's back!
They have never seen a squirrel pry the lid off a bird feeder with a stick, or watched a money use a stick to collect fruit with, or seen a monkey fish for termites and ants with a prepared grass stem...)

Personally, I believe that using fine edged tools is the mark of humans.
Until fine edges, we were ripping animals apart bare handed, and pulling up plants by the roots.

There wouldn't have been any Pyramids, Roman Buildings, Inca or Aztec buildings if it weren't for fine edged tools, be they wood, rock or metal,
And there certainly wouldn't have been any 'Industrial Revolution' that brings us to where we are today.
*--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

So, with that though put to print,
Now, the all time grand daddy of edged tools is this,










This is a 'Double Bit' axe, and this is the one I use when camping.
With even cutting blades on both sides, it's nearly perfectly balanced, 
AND, with two blades, you always have a sharp blade no farther than flipping the axe over!

As I mentioned, this is the camp axe, It's a cheap axe (about $40) with a fairly heavy edge and an 'Unbreakable' handle.
Since about every knuckle head that walks by it has to pick it up and dink with it, I though the fiberglass/plastic handle was a good idea on this one!
(Keeps them from messing with my good ash handle double bit axe!)

As mentioned before, this is the KING of manual cutting tools!
With this axe, you can fall, section, split, notch and trim an entire tree in short order...
With nothing more than just this axe and a hammer, You can build an entire cabin, from floor sills to shingles.
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*ANYONE INTERESTED IN HOMESTEADING OR WOODS LIVING SHOULD GET FAMILIAR WITH ONE OF THESE!*

These things go by a lot of names, Hook blades, Sling blades, but around here we call them 'Bush Axes'.
Simply put, this is the most efficient way to remove all the really stubborn things,
Multi-Floral Rose, Heavy Briers, Vines of all sorts, and it will clear saplings up to 3" in diameter with a single swing!

Next to a Chain Saw and Bush Hog, this is the way to do it!










This thing is PERFECT for walking the fence line with, clearing the branches that want to hang over or through the fence, briers and saplings that want to grow up through the fence, ect.
It will clear everything but larger trees, and NOTHING argues with it!

This is a thick blade version, about 1/4" thick, good for getting down in the dirt to hook and rip out roots for plants like multi-floral roses.

A thinner blade version, 1/8" or 3/16" is good for general maintinance, and is MUCH lighter to handle and walk with.
A little thinner blade version of this, and one can strip the limbs off a felled tree faster than a man with a chain saw!


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## JeepHammer

Other chopping tools from large to small...

Recently, I have been clearing land for a river cabin, and I do a lot of camping, especially 'Trail' camping when we are out with the Jeeps.

This is a rundown of tools we regularly use,

On the top is a new machete I just got in!
My old military machete is about 30 years old now, and it's REALLY seen better days, so I tried a new one.

This one is a 'Gerber' brand, was very reasonably priced, and even looks like the saw back might actually be functional (SLOW, but functional).

The grip on this machete is interesting, and I can't wait to get it out in the brush and see if it's as comfortable as it looks!










On the bottom is the Gerber brand brush hook I've been using a couple of years now, and I REALLY LIKE IT!

Vines, small twigs, limbs and briers don't get away from the hook, and it cuts clean. It's light, holds an edge VERY well, and is by far my favorite camp tool!
Light enough to go with me on hiking trips where every ounce counts!

If you use it correctly, it will take down a 3" sapling in just two or three swings, but it's too light to tackle dried hard wood other than shaving kindling.

It was VERY reasonably priced too!


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## JeepHammer

For light duty camp work, campfires, ect.
I usually use the hook from above, but I finally gave in and purchased a Gerber camping hatchet...

It's got a 'Saw' (if you can call it that...) built into the handle.
I haven't got to try it out, but traditionally, a hatchet has been one of the most used tools in camping or woods craft.

I can only assume the 'Saw' is there for making small notches I would normally use a pocket knife for, like for slotting triggers for traps or cutting small items.

One thing I didn't like about the hatchet, It doesn't have a flat back so driving nails, ect. will be difficult.
I'm sure I'll find different things about it when I start using it regularly.










Now, the bottom tool is a 'Ontario Knife Company SP8' tool, it's designed after a tool used by the Canadian special forces for a 'Survival Tool'.
It has about 1/4" thick blade, and it's VERY handy for chopping, prying and hammering on things.

I've had this thing for YEARS, and it's never given me one minute worth of grief! The only issue I have is it's as heavy as it looks, but when you are chopping or hammering on something stubborn, that's a GOOD Thing!


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## JeepHammer

Now, if you plan on going someplace you might get stranded or have to spend the night in the 'Rough', I STRONGLY URGE you to look into a good, solid sheth knife like the ones pictured...










From the left,
This is a little Becker (out of business, but there are some still available.) and it's about 1/4" thick at the back of the blade, and it's full 'Tang' meaning the handle goes FULL SIZE all the way to the back of the knife.

During a recent vacation trip to Alaska, this was the most used knife until my girlfriend dropped it in a swiftly moving river!
It's not really a 'Chopper', but it was the perfect size for the 'Do All' around the camp, everything from using a rock or stick on the back of the blade to split fire wood kindling to prying open shell to hacking away at food cans!

In the middle is my 'Usual' field knife.
It's also a Becker, Thick blade with full length tang. you can use it for hammering, prying, light chopping, ect.

On the right is a Smith & Wesson 'Hostage Rescue' knife.
It's not really what I'd call a 'Field Knife', but it fits the general parameters.
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Now, if you get down to the smaller knives, like skinners, then you want to look for something a little different.
I would have to be in a bad way to use my favorite skinners as 'Chopping' tools, but I do like having a blade thick enough I can pry out stubborn ribs or chop at the occasional stubborn joint when I'm field dressing something large...










My girlfriend dropped my skinner in the crack between some rocks where it wasn't retrievable for us before she dropped the Becker in the river...

SO!
Since we were RAPIDLY running out of small knives, I made this sitting around one night trying to figure out which way to go the next day...










Now, believe this or not, 
After dropping $150 worth of very good knives into irretrievable places, she managed to keep and use this for another 7 days!
She not only kept this the entire trip, but packed it to come home with us!
(I keep it as a souvenir!)

This is nothing more than a 'Hobo' Ulu style knife made from a can lid.

I rolled the sides twice so they weren't sharp, then I rolled the top over on it's self around my knife sharpener.
Worked fine, cuts through jerky, rabbit, squirrel just like a store bought knife... Just needs sharpened a little more often!
--------------------------------

Down through the years, I've made Ulu style knives out of washers, scrap angle iron, and about a half dozen other things, 
AND,
If I had to pick just one fine edged cutting tool,
I'd pick an Ulu style tomahawk head that came off the shaft.
(most traditional style tomahawk heads do come right off the handle shafts)

I made one like that a few years ago, and it was SUPER handy!
But, like a lot of things, it's got away from me... I think I may pound another one out this winter while it's too cold to work outside!


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## kevbo

*egded tools*

Hello to everyone, I am new to the site but not the subject of edged tools. I've read the post and would like to include a wonderful tool that i have for a couple of years and that would be the woodsman's pal. Although i don't have any pics it's worth checking out. "woodsman pal .com" ya'll have a good'un talk to ya soon.


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## Strelnikov

Great post JeepHammer!

I would like to add 2, the first being a scythe. If you learn how to use one of these they can take down tall weeds that most mowers can't handle. Most of the technique is getting the back and forth swinging motion right and learning how much of a swath to take with each stroke.

The second is a pickaxe (don't know if that is the correct term). It has a long hoe-like blade on one end and a long spike on the other. I use it to break up ground and remove buried rocks from my property. It gets down there, loosens up the soil, and dislodges rocks that are almost impossible to get at even with a good sharp spade. I got mine from Home Depot, it has a yellow fiberglass handle like the double-bit axe in the picture posted above. Indispensable for gardening.


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## GPER

Nice JH, you are getting your own section going here


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## JeepHammer

It's the difference between the guys that actually get out and bang around in the woods,
And those that _'Think'_ about it, but don't actually do it...

I have rubbed up against some pretty 'Grizzly' charters down through the years.
Most people would dismiss them as 'Bums' or 'Vagrants' (usually they were neither of which)

And just like everyone else, every one of them knew something I DIDN'T!

The guy sitting in the 'McMansion' house, with the big screen TV, Giant SUV, and Lawn Care service so he doesn't get any 'Nature' on him...
He's not learning anything!

The guy with a few acres, a 'Bone Yard' or old vehicles to keep his vehicle running, a large garden, and having the tools to keep the vehicles, garden and older home up and running, that is the guy that knows how to live for HIMSELF!

Old farmers or Homesteaders don't 'Retire' and then wonder what they are going to do with themselves...
Old farmers or Homesteaders still 'Tinker', they impart wisdom and self reliance on to the next generations!
They have ALWAYS got a job, and most of them are darn good at it!

They are usually happier, healthier, and a damn sight more fun to be around!
Seeing what other people have done to 'Fix' a problem or take care of an 'Issue' is the fun part for me!

The more 'Rube Goldberg' the contraption is, the better I like it! Gives me ideas for stuff I can do!


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## TechAdmin

No digicam right now but I have all the standard bases covered; hatchet, double sided axe, machete, ulu, pocket knife, multi-tool.

I've found in my short life so far though that having the right tool can make the job so much easier. Even small variations in tools can be so helpful.


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## xj35s

How's this for homegrown. Ford 8.8 with limited slip, 35" muds, and an old bush hog. Towed behind my ZJ for keeping the 17 acres down. 373:1 ratio it works well except for saplings. Tires are water filled with chains.

I carry an old K-BAR and an old very old 14" bowie knife. Pocket knife is a cheap smith and wesson lock blade made in china. I need to get a buck!


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## Smithy

I've mentioned in other threads, my preference for a Finnish Leuku blade for most camp-chores. I also carry Gerber axes, both the hatchet and a 3/4 with built-in wedge, and usually have an assortment of other knives around, some of my own manufacture, some factory stuff. Several folders, when someone else needs to borrow a knife... and usually a bow saw, are also stashed in the van.

And today, I was working on a gladius for a customer.
Current Project


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## OFG

For me this is a must. I've had one of these get be out of some bad situations on more than one occasion. Always a good thing to put in your trunk or cargo box.

One side is serrated and good for chopping down small trees the other side can be sharpened up quite nicely. You can change the configuration to become a mattock of sorts.

It can help you get your vehicle unstuck, and its great to use in making a shelter. (or a foxhole) They are fairly light weight, and can be folded up to be quite compact.

Not your typical edged tool, but a very useful one.


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## JeepHammer

xj35s said:


> How's this for homegrown. Ford 8.8 with limited slip, 35" muds, and an old bush hog. Towed behind my ZJ for keeping the 17 acres down. 373:1 ratio it works well except for saplings. Tires are water filled with chains.


That is a solution for something that has been rattling around in my head for a while!
Thanks for the idea!
(I know a good idea when I steal it!)


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## JeepHammer

OFG said:


> For me this is a must. I've had one of these get be out of some bad situations on more than one occasion. Always a good thing to put in your trunk or cargo box.
> 
> One side is serrated and good for chopping down small trees the other side can be sharpened up quite nicely. You can change the configuration to become a mattock of sorts.
> 
> It can help you get your vehicle unstuck, and its great to use in making a shelter. (or a foxhole) They are fairly light weight, and can be folded up to be quite compact.
> 
> Not your typical edged tool, but a very useful one.


I have one of those about all the time, threw one in each jeep and one in the camping gear...
You never know when you are going to have to dig a 'Latrine Hole'!

The Soviet special forces (Spetsnaz) shovel that has a hatchet surface on one side of the blade, and a serrated edge on the other side, and is capable of being thrown as a VERY effective weapon is the top choice for shovels!








Although this is the FOLDING version issued to regular toops, you can see the cutting edge on one side, the serrated edge on the other.

The Spetsnaz version was much lighter since it didn't have the folding mechanism and with a fixed blade, they were ALWAYS ready to use.
You could identify the Spetsnaz even though they wore the same uniform as every one else by the shovel! 
Believe that or not!
Regular troops carried a folding shovel attached to the back of the packs,
Spetsnaz carried a fixed blade spade, attached to the belt on the front left, or to the web gear on the upper part of the left shoulder strap!

We used to watch the Spetsnaz practicing with the shovels the way a US Operations troop would practice with Tomahawk or Knife.
The (thrusted, thrown, swung) shovel was VERY effective!

Russian Special Forces - Spetsnaz GRU - Combat Training. Spetsnaz Training Association, Moscow.

Russian Special Forces - Spetsnaz GRU - Entrenching Shovel in Close Combat - Basic Technique.
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I never saw the pictures, but I remember the article about the guy in Wyoming that killed a female bear attacking him with two swings of the Russian shovel.
The article said the guy virtually severed the head off the bear with two swings...
(he would up with around 700 stitches, and the bear wasn't using a shovel!)

Anyway, I think a shovel, especially a very light weight one like the Russian spade is, is a WONDERFUL tool, and you can defiantly classify it as an "Fine Edged Tool" and maybe even an 'Edged Weapon'!


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## xj35s

Where do you guy's buy the high quality goods? There used to be some nice shops around but walmart seems to have devoured them. need links. Are Cabales and Pro Bass the only options left?

I've been looking for a good pocket knife, Buck or better.

Jeephammer. That is an old bush hog I picked up for $500. It has a four blade option but has only two. I think with two more blades it would mulch the sapplings. Right now each blade is taking about 6" swath. Two more blades would each take 3". I need to measure revolutions per ten feet of forward motion to perfect it. But it works. I welded it up in about 3 hrs. I'm a welder/fabricator if you need anything let me know.


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## JeepHammer

xj35s said:


> Where do you guy's buy the high quality goods? There used to be some nice shops around but walmart seems to have devoured them. need links. Are Cabales and Pro Bass the only options left?
> 
> I've been looking for a good pocket knife, Buck or better.
> 
> Jeephammer. That is an old bush hog I picked up for $500. It has a four blade option but has only two. I think with two more blades it would mulch the sapplings. Right now each blade is taking about 6" swath. Two more blades would each take 3". I need to measure revolutions per ten feet of forward motion to perfect it. But it works. I welded it up in about 3 hrs. I'm a welder/fabricator if you need anything let me know.


2.73:1 is a pretty pitiful gear ratio for what you are trying to do, I'd think you would want to spin that drive shaft faster,
BUT,
I also see the chains on the tires, 
So I have to assume there was some tire slippage problems even with 2.73:1

Anyway, that looks like a solution to a problem I've been having with the river house, 1.3 miles of 'Hairy' right-of-ways and no tractor large enough that it isn't an all day job (or two day job) to get it beat down...
----------------------------

I found a little local hardware store that carries and cuts black pipe and has a pretty good selection of general stuff,

I do 'Trade' with every small time dealer in the area to avoid Wal-Mart.

If you order from the Internet, try these,
Made in USA, America, US, American-Made
Made in the USA Products Directory

For me, Kershaw (Ken Onion series) has the best deal in pocket knives right now.


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## xj35s

Thanks for the lnks. 

It's 373:1 ratio ford explorer axle with limited slip diff. The 35's spin it a tad faster than 235x75-15's would. It's close to 4:1 I think with the large tires. Yes there was allot of slippage. I filled the tires with water to help the chains bite.

Shoot me an e-mail. I have a smaller idea, works similar and cheaper.


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## RedRocker

Here's some of my stuff.


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## xj35s

Does that paracord handle knife throw well? I like the handle on the Bowie. Scary sword there, that'l keep the witnesses from knocking!!


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## Smithy

Wow, Red, nice collection.

May I ask where you got the Kard and the Kukri from?


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## JeepHammer

Looks like you have two or three that will get the job done! 

I try and draw the line between knife and machete...
I see the 'Bowie' style knives that start to carry too much blade in the front that move between knife and machete, and I try not to cross it...

No real reason, just personal preference.

A larger, thick back 'Bowie' style knife is my 'General Purpose' tool.
If I need to chop something really tough, I get a rock or stick to hit the back of the blade with,

(Those $1,000+ hand made knife guys just cringed! )

But it also has to be small enough and enough curve in the blade to hide out game, and in some cases, small game!

I buy 'Off The Shelf' because they are cheap, and I don't feel bad about beating the crap out of them when I need to use them 'Hard'!
(or have the girlfriend loose them!)


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## Magus

I just make most of my everyday knives,worn out files and junk leaf spring are free.


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## JeepHammer

Smithy made a good point about using a proper steel,
Free of defects and it comes with heat treating specifications.

I make all kinds of crap out of leaf springs.
I just purchased a book on firearms folded springs, and I'm trying to teach myself how to make them so they don't break on me so easily.
I really LIKE messing with the antiques, and flat/folded springs are EVERYWHERE in them...

I have all kinds of tools made from files & rasps.
My family has had horses for as long as I can remember, so there are rasps everywhere...
They make pretty good knives.


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## JeepHammer

Wonder why the 'Moderator' hasn't locked this thread and refereed you all to a knife/edged weapons site?

Any ideas?


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## Smithy

Same reason there's a zillion gun threads, even though it was said early on that this wasn't a gun site. 

Posting all day on a form is one thing. Moderating everything posted on a forum, is quite another, and if the boss has a full time job, then it just ain't happening.

I offered to mod, and pointed out a thread talking about illegal stuff (which disappeared shortly after) but haven't heard anything since. I only check back here once a week now.


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## JeepHammer

Yup, it's a shame, I've gotten some 'Good bye' letters from regular posters, they are tired of the "Keyboard Commandos" running wild...

Can't blame them, between the 'Moderators' forcing religion down people's throats and being censored at every turn, I can't blame them too much...


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## Smithy

I finished my big project of the year today, delivered and paid for.

I give you an authentic reproduction Roman Gladius, Hispaniens Mainz style, constructed of carburized wrought iron, olivewood, hand-cast bronze, leather, elk bone, and cutlers resin (boiled pitch and charcoal powder).

Modelled after the Sword of Tiberius, found in the British Museum, London, for size and shape.

The customer loved it, weld flaws and all.



















A couple pictures of historic pieces for reference:
Sword of Tiberius









A typical, but well preserved wood and bone grip


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## JeepHammer

That's just great!

Excellent example of the Roman sword that almost conquered the know world at the time!

I just learned something! 
I always though they had bronze handles! 
Olive wood & bone makes sense.


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## Smithy

The greek Xiphos, which is similar in size and shape, was generally a bronze weapon. Good for stabbing, less good for cutting, though a work-hardened bronze edge of correct geometry will cut pretty well for a while.

The Romans were all about iron and steel, and using local materials for handle bits meant that the blades could be made anywhere without regard to ore deposits or over-standardization, as long as you had iron to work with. A basic recipie, a basic design, that any competent smith could follow, and you could arm an empire.

There are examples of handle material of bone, horn, wood, but rarely metal. Style changes a bit from place to place, and across time, and my personal opinion is that much was left to the creativity of the smith, and the customer's specifications... or the possibility that the customer was expected to provide some of the materials as well. Certainly some handles were re-used from broken blades.

What I found with this exercise, was that very minor variation in the hilt (the pommel especially) made a huge difference in handling characteristics. An ounce on one end can really tweak the balance of a big piece like this. Even identical sized bits, made of different materials, will alter the performace. I did a prototype pommel from some random wood I had in the shop, a nice South American hardwood, but the olive was so much more dense, that I had to go smaller than the original design.



Thanks for looking.


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## Canadian

Nice sword!


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## JeepHammer

Obviously, you are WAY out ahead of me when it comes to making these things, but I'm glad to see you have done the history research and are duplicating it historically.

Glad to see someone that is 'Professional' about their hobby!


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## Magus

Whoa!EXCELLENT WORK!I need to get back to making blades,trouble is,leaf springs are getting harder to come by. what did you use to forge it with?I never could master layered welds myself so I only do the simple stuff.


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## JeepHammer

Magus said:


> Whoa!EXCELLENT WORK!I need to get back to making blades,trouble is,leaf springs are getting harder to come by. what did you use to forge it with?I never could master layered welds myself so I only do the simple stuff.


Coil springs make better blades anyway...


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## Magus

Same steel,different heat treatment.the ultimate in a home brewed knife is a planer blade though,draw the spine back to about 55RC and the damn thing will never go dull!


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## JeepHammer

I think I have to go with Smithy on this one...

If you are doing a 'Refined' piece, better to get a piece of new steel with heating instructions so you know EXACTLY what to do and what it will produce.

If I spent as much time on my 'Home Made' blades and tools as he does, I'd want some guarantees too!

Mostly I just pound out crap because I'm bored and want to beat on something!


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## Smithy

This is not recycled modern steel.

This is authentic "Shear Steel", made from carburizing wrought iron in a cementation process, then welded together into a single billet. It is a process that dates to the time of Christ, which the sword of Tiberius is also dated to.

The piece was meant to represent, in every way, an authentic Roman Gladius, down to the material used. So that's what I made.


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## Smithy

You can go to Albion and get one that's machined on a CNC mill from new stock for $700 bucks. Or, you can get a custom designed, well researched reproduction, that appears like a well-preserved original, for more than twice that... but in the hand, it just feels right. My attention to detail, particularly in the grip in the use of bone and wood, and leather spacer, and cutler's resin to hold it all together and seal away moisture... makes for a very sastifying ownership experience.


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## Magus

I'm greatful for the info,but my skills and finances preclude such things,as beautiful as they are.

Oh well,at least I don't wince when I beat on mine with a hammer to split a deer breastbone,but then use and abuse is all I can make,I just don't have the skill for such beauty.










Oh man,I love the lines of this beauty!you're a true artist!have you ever been in Blade magazine?


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## Smithy

Thank you for the compliment. I went through a couple years where I was just fascinated with that shape, the persian recurve, and made quite a few. This one was done for a friend, olivewood scales, and wicked sharp. He was visiting with his family, and had a couple teenage sons, so it was a demonstration piece, showing them the process of knifemaking... what else to do, but gift it to them when I was done?

I've appeared in one Blade, but not as a featured maker, and I don't advertise. It was at Larry Harley's in 2007, when we were making steel japanese-style in a tatara furnace. I was with Ric Furrer and Don Fogg, and Steven Fowler, all working together. I think Steve Schwartzer wrote the article.


One thing I don't get, Magus, is the opinion that good looking work is not durable, or that using good steel means you can't "beat on it" all day. Everything I make is perfectly functional, and you can pound on it all day with a hammer to split deer if you want, it isn't going to hurt the knife at all.


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## skip

All I can say is *WOW!!!!!!* All of them look great.

My problem is that I lose knives like it's goin out of style. So I buy several of the cheaper knives, and if I lose em, it ain't no big loss.


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## The_Blob

I would think that a metal handle would tend to be unwieldy in colder weather if the wrappings were worn & the metal exposed; but a wood &/or bone handle could also slowly conform to the grip of the wielder... correct?


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## 73CJMan

Where are the pictures? I keep getting little red 'x' instead of the pictures...


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## bassman

I believe the tool your referring to is called a "Gurbhoe" at least that's what we used to call them back on the farm! It's an excellent tool to have on hand!


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## bassman

Correction , that's "Grubhoe" (type error)


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## Grape Ape

Bringing this one back from the dead, I want to add my favorite land clearing tool. The Woodman's Pal










I have cleared a lot of land with an axe, machete and chainsaw. I have one area that gets overgrown and always took a day to clean out with a machete and a chainsaw. I learned about the Woodman's Pal. It took a bit of thinking before I dropped the money to buy it. The 100% unconditional, money back guarantee helped a lot. I got it and took it out to my nemesis spot to try it out. I was out there for 40-50 minutes and had cleared all of the undergrowth and all I had left was the 6-7 trees which I would need the chainsaw for. I got back inside and the wife asked if it was worth the money. She was concerned when I told her I had spent $130 on a machete and a sheath. I told her to go look at what I had done. She has helped me before and laughed and said "You weren't out long will I see any difference or did you just go outside and play with your new toy." I told her again "Go Look I need a drink of water." She returned speechless, took the woodman's pal outside to see how I could do all that work in that time. She quickly ran out of stuff to cut and chop on and when I came outside she put me to work chopping a tree down with it. I put a 5-6" tree down rather quick. It chops with little effort you can let it do the work. The hook is amazing for cutting vines and briars. Stick it in there hook and pull back and it is cut. I carry it in the tool box on my pickup and it gets transferred to my jeep when we go offroading and camping. It has replaced my axe, machete, chainsaw and hatchet for most camp jobs and a lot of the around the property cleaning jobs not done with a bushhog.

Well worth having around.


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## Practical Madman

I don't have any pics, but my favorite tool is an 18" machete that I customized. Take the original handle off, plastic, wood or whatever. You usually have to cut the rivets. Get a hickory axe handle from Lowes or Home Depot. Cut off the last 18" of the handle, cut it down the middle the depth of the machete handle. Drill some holes and install the machete blade into the axe handle. Use some stainless steel nuts and screws, countersunk into the hickory handle. Now you have a 36" machete that has a hooked "handle" at the end and it now is an extension of your arm. You don't even need to move your wrist to make a very powerful hit with it. Sharpen it good and you have a very efficient and dangerous tool/weapon.


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## xj35s

*$1 knife*

Best Garage sale find ever. Best dollar I've ever spent too. Ontario knives 1-86 with not a scratch on the sharpening stone and no chips or dull spots on the cutting edge. Aside from some light rust stains, it's brand new.







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## sailaway

Lots of nice tools being talked about and shown here, I'm wondering if everyone has stones and files to keep them sharpened? I keep both a file and a stone in one of my boxes.


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## Smithy

As a knifemaker I'm all about keeping my tools shaving-sharp. Even the hatchet.

Normally, I just do it on my belt grinder with 800 grit, and then buff to polish, but that's no good when the power's out or I'm out camping. So, recently I discovered EDM stones, and carry a selection from 120 to 900 grit. It won't quite get a blade up to shaving, but it will hone any blade I've come across to a nice smooth well-cutting edge in very little time.


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## UncleJoe

sailaway said:


> I'm wondering if everyone has stones and files to keep them sharpened?


I DO!! I DO!!  
I also have 2 diamond coated steels. Once you become accustomed to a good sharp knife, it's miserable trying to use anything else.


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