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Amras

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mechete
Aug 4^th, 2006 at 8:50am

I have a cheap wal-mart mechete and it is good for clearing small and soft pitty bushes but it cannot even cut very small saplings(finger thickness or even smaller).
I have tried sharpening it with a wet stone and was thinkinhg of fileing it because the way it is filed makes it almost blunt.
But I was thinking of getting a better one.
Do any of you have this military mechete and is it good? Is it good enought to cut through wood?
http://www.uscav.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=6692&ovchn=CJN&ovcpn=ProductCata...

I use the mechete mostly to get through the fields around my place. Those darn jager bushes. There is so many of then and most are taller than me and I am 5' 8 1/2'' I want a mechete that is very durble and sharp. Will that one work?

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« Last Edit: Aug 4^th, 2006 at 3:44pm by Amras »

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slingbadger Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Don't Badger a Badger Posts: 3220 Akron NY Gender:	Re: mechete Reply #1 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 10:18am Ontario Knives are a reputable company with a good product line. Don't take offence at this, but are you sure you sharpened it correctly?? There is also an excellent all around tool called the Woodsman's friend that is great for just about anything.
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Amras Descens Offline I love Slinging.org! Posts: 118	Re: mechete Reply #2 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 11:25am I know how to sharpen knives. Would you do the same thing for the machete? It never could cut to great even when I first got it. I saw that woodsman's friend it seems to be a usefull tool.
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Hellfire Ex Member	Re: mechete Reply #3 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 11:51am The "woodsmans' friend" is a good tool. They come sharp enough to make bows with. You should invest in a good diamond hone and a rough file to sharpen stuff. Walmarts' machetes' are crap, don't buy another one. They are five bucks for a reason.
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winkleried

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Re: mechete
Reply #4 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 3:33pm

I Like the Tramotina myself or just order a Kukri from Atlanta Cutlery.
I actually have three or four Tramotinas of various models and I happen to swear by them.

Also own one of the AC Kukris and have just ordered another.

The Cold steel Machettes look good too.

Marc Adkins

Quote:

I have a cheap wal-mart mechete and it is good for clearing small and soft pitty bushes but it cannot even cut very small saplings(finger thickness or even smaller).
I have tried sharpening it with a wet stone and was thinkinhg of fileing it because the way it is filed makes it almost blunt.
But I was thinking of getting a better one.
Do any of you have this military mechete and is it good? Is it good enought to cut through wood?
http://www.uscav.com/productinfo.aspx?productid=6692&ovchn=CJN&ovcpn=ProductCata...

I use the mechete mostly to get through the fields around my place. Those darn jager bushes. There is so many of then and most are taller than me and I am 5' 11'' I want a mechete that is very durble and sharp. Will that one work?

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winkleried Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Posts: 1535 Norman Oklahoma Gender:	Re: mechete Reply #5 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 3:34pm Sort of. I just use a regular bastard file on the edges of my "Chetes when they need touching up Marc Adkins Quote: I know how to sharpen knives. Would you do the same thing for the machete? It never could cut to great even when I first got it. I saw that woodsman's friend it seems to be a usefull tool.
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siguy

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Re: mechete
Reply #6 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 3:36pm

you could try to grind a new, steeper angle edge on it (as it sounds like a shallow edge bevel is the problem) and maybe try to harden the edge a little bit with a torch (maybe you should do some research before you try to do this)

if you want a new tool to do the work though some of the cold steel items look good, or you could try that weirdo machete thing that the other fellows metioned

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Amras Descens Offline I love Slinging.org! Posts: 118	Re: mechete Reply #7 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 3:48pm I mentioned about fileing the edge in my first post. That is the problem . I have a hachet with the same problem. I tried fileing a piece(on the mechete) near the handle just to test what I was doing. Maybe I will try that. Thanks,
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winkleried

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Re: mechete
Reply #8 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 6:32pm

Actually I have a $2.00 chinese machete I picked up at a bargain store. I bought it to basicly destroy it.
Still going strong about a year later.

Main thing about machetes is technique and edge geometry. Most people don't have enough experience using a hand tool to appericiate that there is a technique involved. at an SCA event i embarassed a whole group of guys. They were trying to cut firewood with axes. Using my Chete I cutt through the sapling they were trying to "Buck" ( cut to length) faster than three guys were doing with three diffrent axes.

Now as I mentioned in my first post to this thread i always touch up my edge with a large bastard file before i start to use it and touch it up as I go. I stop only when the edge feels like that on some of my knives. It makes a huge diffrence.

Machetes are cheap, they are designed to be used and abused cutting light vegatation. A little elbow grease and even the cheapest machetes will give years of good service.

Marc Adkins

Quote:

The "woodsmans' friend" is a good tool. They come sharp enough to make bows with. You should invest in a good diamond hone and a rough file to sharpen stuff. Walmarts' machetes' are crap, don't buy another one. They are five bucks for a reason.

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winkleried

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Re: mechete
Reply #9 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 6:37pm

I would just file the edges. Wouldn't worry too much about heat treating the blade. It will take years of filing before the blade is worn down. I'm still using my original machete I bought back when I was a undergraduate having to do field plant collections.
I just oil the blade when it gets too bleeping rusty and touch the edge up with a file when I feel it a little dull.

Marc Adkins

Quote:

you could try to grind a new, steeper angle edge on it (as it sounds like a shallow edge bevel is the problem) and maybe try to harden the edge a little bit with a torch (maybe you should do some research before you try to do this)

if you want a new tool to do the work though some of the cold steel items look good, or you could try that weirdo machete thing that the other fellows metioned

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The Few...The Proud.....The Slingers&&Sling to live, Live to sling&&I Ain't right

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bigkahuna past-moderator Offline Posts: 3894 Delaware, USA Gender:	Re: mechete Reply #10 - Aug 4^th, 2006 at 9:44pm Any war surplus store should be able to supply you with a good, cheap military machete. Just as a side note, on a trip to Mexico I saw fellows using machetes to trim the grass. I did not ask to see how sharp they were.
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Slinger_Man_Dan

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Re: mechete
Reply #11 - Aug 5^th, 2006 at 1:29am

   Amras,
   I followed that link to U.S.Cavalry and it says that machete is made out of 1095. This is a good "spring steel" and should hold an edge very well if it was heat-treated properly during manufacture. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of the cheap machetes may be MILD STEEL ( low carbon, ) or, if high carbon steel, may have been left soft. This would make them easy to sharpen, but they will not hold an edge for long and will not cut any tough materials.
   Although I have not purchased any of their machetes ( yet ) I have bought several other Cold Steel products and I have always been very pleased with them. The Cold Steel machetes are not really expensive, but try doing a google search, something like, "Cold Steel machete discount" and you may get them for less. Once I got the same item for HALF PRICE! It pays to shop around!
   Last but not least, consider that a machete blade is long enough that it will act just like a sword blade; it will have a center-of-percussion or "sweet spot." Try hitting a stump, not too hard, with different parts of the blade. The machete blade will tend to "ring" or vibrate in an unpleasant manner. When you hit the stump with the "sweet spot" of the blade you should get a satisfying "Chunk" sound and the blade will "bite" in to the wood.    .......Dan

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SilverFoxKnows

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Re: mechete
Reply #12 - Aug 7^th, 2006 at 4:27pm

I've heard good things about the Ontario. I've had good luck with the Tramontina, cheap as it was. Martindale was more expensive, and has a thicker blade, but came with a worse edge. I picked up a bolo knife that makes a pretty good machete.

http://www.eknifeworks.com/webapp/eCommerce/product.jsp?Mode=Brand&Brand=112&A=&...

http://www.cutsforthknives.com/item-detail.cfm?id=205L-460-0&storeid=1

http://www.reflectionsofasia.com/bolo.htm

Frank

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Mike Descens Offline I am really Brainkrieg Posts: 164 ??? Gender:	Re: mechete Reply #13 - Aug 7^th, 2006 at 10:37pm You can get a good machete at Fleetfarm for 30 dollars, I think, and a minimachete for twenty. Very nice knives, I like the minimachete because it has a kukri-shaped blade so it has a lot of cutting power near the handle. I should post it in the "What blades do you own?" thread.
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bigkahuna past-moderator Offline Posts: 3894 Delaware, USA Gender:	Re: mechete Reply #14 - Aug 7^th, 2006 at 10:52pm $30 bucks for a machete is robbery!!!!!! You should be able to pick one up at a flea market or garage sale for $10 or less. Even war surplus stores don't have the nerve to charge $30 for a machete.
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