Machetes, Kukris & Hybrids

I've decided not to keep my Schrade hatchet. Their 11".
This new chopper will do it for me (along with the Fiskars) until I get an ESEE hatchet.

If any of you in CONUS or Canada want it, pay shipping, it's yours. LMK.

 

Ha! Laugh all you want, I found it. . Here is our fearless leader perfectly demonstrating the unlocked "whip" technique!
In the approx 30 years I've been swinging ( Holy Mother has it been that long?!!) a recurve, I have snicked myself 1 time. I have a faint inverted "V" scar on the first finger of my left hand. I was splitting wood with the set the edge & pound the butt end of the stick on a block method and got stuck on a small knot. In trying to unseat the blade it broke out and dropped onto my hand holding the stick. Bled like a stuck pig too...made my oldest girl wrap it in paper towel and electrical tape. She almost puked.

 

Hey @Stone look up Joe Flowers YouTube videos on machetes/large knife techniques.

 

Another guy that can whip it, Big Robert (with the bad eye) who works for Cold Steel. Watch the promo vids of him rope cutting, especially the older ones. The man can defiantly do a lethal swipe with a Kukri.

 

@anrkst6973 , just to be clear, my laughter last night was laughter of joy, not ridicule. It just struck me as cool that we could get Jeffe involved in this discussion.

Interesting that you mention him. I found one of his vids last night. Started watching it, but ran out of steam and hit the sack before I finished it. But I'll find it/them again -- he seems informative. He's got a very interesting style of video production, too. I always learn new tricks to use in my own vids from watching other producers.

 

@Stone another resource for you to look at Machetespecialist.com

 

I wasn't aware of the change of ownership, but still a good place to look at the different types of machetes and what style is best for different uses.

 

^This^ is useful info. I was just on their site, and watched the video on this page. (I saw STPWLF's post about them earlier, then got to them independently while searching machete sharpening.) I'm guessing the man in the orange shirt is the original owner? He seems to know his stuff, and is an effective instructor. I found that video really useful for helping me understand sharpening a machete. I've spent the hours since (late) lunch reviewing files (single vs double cut, etc), stones, etc. I can see that I'll be adding one or two tools to my sharpening kit. (Ben, an order will be forthcoming. I want an Arctic Fox, but will likely start with Lansky to keep my budget happy.)

Then, the dude in the video on this page is a good instructor, also, and definitely seems to know his stuff. I haven't finished watching -- will do this evening (?) -- but right now, this amazing weather (fall finally!!) on autumnal equinox is calling me outdoors to Flat Top Camp, where my hammock and tarp are set up. I'm carrying my insulation out this afternoon (top and under quilts) to get set up. I think I won't spend the night out there tonight -- though I'm tempted (bumping into the high 30'sF tonight; that's good sleeping weather) but will probably wait until Monday night -- full moon in a predicted clear sky. Time to pull the tarp back and get some moon zoom photos in. That spot -- Flat Top -- is so great because it's on the lip of the esker overlooking a ravine to the south. Fine open sky views.

Oh, and my makuk is going out for more practice today, too.

 

Looking south from Flat Top -- the glacial erratic -- across the ravine. There's swamp down there.

Its stuff like that undergrowth on the sides of the ravine
that dictates need for a makuk or something similar.

 

As expected, I came back just at dark. Dinner is heating.

Makuk and my hammock had an argument. Makuk said, "He's going to practice a lot this afternoon, cutting up some of those poles for tarp supports and stakes, practice cutting a larger log, splitting, batoning, and cutting some undergrowth down toward the ravine."

Hammock responded, "Hell no, he's not! He's going to lie right here in me, adjusting the quilts, making sure everything is adjusted and comfortable for sleep tomorrow night."

Hammock won the argument.

I did get some pics, though. I'll sort through them later and upload a couple, including one of the makuk.

 

OK, here's a minor tangent. I'll probably start a thread in another subforum about this once I get all the images and video edited. But at least there's one pic of my makuk, and this camp out back -- about 300 m from my apartment ("base camp studio") -- is where I'll be practicing with makuk before going to a more serious camp in October up near Katahdin.

Captions above images. Temps were in the mid 50's F.

Flat Top (glacial erratic) in foreground, hammock behind. I use the rake to the right to maintain the 1500 m of trail.



Current view south across the ravine. There's a tree missing, a large birch that I called Bent Birch, taken by a feller buncher during thinning last winter. The 42" bent part is in my studio as a biology and video project. I cut it off of the tree on a skidder pile before they got the rest of the tree.



Closeup of Hammock (Go Outfitters), UQ (Go Outfitters) and tarp (Warbonnet Mamajamba). This tarp is one of two I use. This one is ultralight for packing. My favorite is heavier for basecamp, Go Outfitters Apex. Exceptional.



Tarp pulled back on the south side in good weather. I built the table out of scrap wood and some small trees.



Eberlestock Halftrack with spear/walking stick (StickR). Note makuk sheath in ski channel on right side. And of course, a familiar patch on the pack's barn door.



Makuk, RB3 and Xancudo.



Yours truly.

 

Who's the Santa Claus imposter in the last pic? For some reason I pictured you much younger probably due to the burning man thing

 

Ha! Way too skinny for Mr. Claus.

I'm 68 going on 53, but my taste in music (and women) run in the 30's.

 

Hmm that explains some of it
Rock on,no such thing as being to old
It's not the age but the mileage

 

My friends know that people only get warned once to NEVER call me old, which in this western culture is a pejorative.

After that, I get really nasty.

I'll be old two weeks after my death. Until then, I'm only older.