The machete survival knife has gained great popularity in Russia over the past two decades. This tool came to us from Latin America. Its ability to easily cut through impenetrable vegetation has made it an excellent assistant in hiking trips. A large machete knife is available at all major sporting and outdoor stores. It is easy to make and easy to DIY.
History of the knife
As an independent type of agricultural tool, the machete was first used in sugarcane harvesting. With his help, the jungle was cleared for new plantations. A heavy, wide blade easily cut through thickets of bushes and helped pave the way. The length of the blade from 35 to 60 cm and a thickness of 3-4 mm turned it into a formidable weapon, which later began to be used by the rebels and the armed forces of different countries.
Such weapons were used not only in the countries of South America. In NepalWarriors of the Gurkha people, starting from the 15th century, use the kukri, an analogue of the machete knife. Depending on its purpose, it has several varieties:
- Badhum - a combat knife with a very thick blade - 0.8 cm.
- Khanshi is an agricultural tool that replaces the Gurkha sickle.
- British army service is a military weapon used by the British Army.
Modern machete knife has significantly expanded its functionality in comparison with the prototype. The blades of some models additionally acquired a saw. Knives made for tourism have received hollow handles in which you can store survival kit: fishing line, fishing hooks, flint and steel. For the armament of US special forces, a folding machete knife is being produced for safe landing.
What is design like?
Machete knives have many varieties. Before you make such a tool yourself, you need to decide for what tasks it will be used. If the goal is to create a universal tool, then you can make a machete knife with a wide massive blade, which is convenient to use as an ax and a sapper shovel.
The classic version did not have any protection for the hand. Because it was used only for cutting bushes. The military varieties have already received a guard so that the palm is protected during the blow. When making a homemade knife, you can make a small emphasis on the hand. This will give the necessary protection, but it will not allow the knife to be classified as cold.weapons.
Do-it-yourself machete knife: what to make?
If a person himself decided to make a machete, then for sure he does not want to invest a lot of money in manufacturing. Therefore, as a material, you can pick up parts or tools that have served their age:
- Band saw blade. It uses high carbon steel. It is applied on power-saw benches for a longitudinal cut of wood. In addition, there are band saws for cutting metal ingots. The material used in them is much stronger. When making a machete knife, it may be difficult to process this material.
- Automotive springs. They have different sizes both in width and thickness. Therefore, under your model, you can choose any option. This is a solid, high-quality material that has one drawback - bending. To eliminate it, you have to work hard. You can align the spring using a press or using thermal heating. The second option is more preferable, since in this case you can additionally harden.
- Circular saw blades. They fit perfectly, with the exception of one drawback - it is difficult to find a disk of the desired diameter. As a way out, you can make the handle separately from the body of the blade.
A homemade machete knife will cost much less than a factory one, but will not be inferior in quality. Custom made, it can be much more comfortable.
Make a blank
After you have decided on the model and selected the material, you need to make a pattern from thick cardboard. It is better to experiment on paper, and not on a blank. After the final edits, the workpiece is outlined on the metal. We need to take a small stock, leaving an allowance for processing.
You can cut the workpiece in 3 ways. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages:
- Laser cutting. high precision method. It is used in enterprises for the manufacture of new parts. This method is good in that further processing after it is minimal. It is also suitable for cutting neat holes in hard material, which is much more difficult to do with a drill. The disadvantage of this method is that it is not available to everyone. In addition, the laser overheats when cutting metal, so the cutting edge may not hold an edge well.
- Waterjet cutting. This is a method of cutting with a jet of water with the addition of abrasive particles to it. This method is ideal except for the fact that it is difficult to access.
- Cutting with a grinder. This is the most affordable and labor-intensive option. To work with a grinder, you need to stock up on used circles that have the smallest diameter. This is necessary in order to make curved cuts. It is dangerous to work with circles of large diameters. Moreover, the cuts will be sloppy. Need to leave a large margin for processing.
Handle
Custom production is good because you can fit the handle to your hand. It needs to be made a little larger than the width of the palm, and an emphasis should also be provided. At the bottom you need to drill a fewholes. One for attaching the lanyard, the rest for the rivets that will fix the handle lining.
Material for overlays can be taken different, as far as fantasy is enough: wood, plastic for shoe heels, textolite. Wood is better to use hardwood: oak, beech. The wooden handle can be treated with wax or hot linseed oil. In this case, the oil will polymerize in the wooden pores and will reliably protect the handle from water. In addition, such processing will show the texture of the tree and give an aesthetic look.
Blade sharpening
Because the thickness of the blade is 3 mm, it is difficult to sharpen immediately. First you need to make gentle slopes that will give the shape of a wedge to the lower cutting part of the blade. For this work, you can use a grinder with a petal nozzle. The rotation speed of the grinder is very high. It can easily overheat the workpiece and thereby overheat it. To prevent this from happening, you need to work with minimal pressure, without holding the petal circle in one place.
After giving a wedge shape, the blade is further sharpened on an emery machine. In order for the sharpening to be accurate, the abrasive wheel should not have a runout. The blade is sharpened at low speed with constant water cooling. The handle of the machete must be made after giving the workpiece descents, but before sharpening.
Knife case
To protect yourself and others, the machete knife must be in a case. For its manufacture, a piece of thick leather or plastic and fabric is suitable. You will also need strong threads or rivets. To make a sheath, you need to wrap the blade with a piece of leather. Then outline it with a large margin. This stock is needed so that you can later put rivets. After that, the skin is trimmed along the contour.
Before you connect the edges of the workpiece, cuts should be made to carry the case on the belt. You can sew leather loops instead of slots. After the hinges are made, the workpiece is folded in half and fixed with rivets.
Final revision
Sometimes you can't make a tool that completely satisfies you the first time. The problem may be in sharpening, the shape of the handle. After working for a while, the owner may feel the weight of the knife as a disadvantage. Then you have to eliminate the shortcomings by finalizing the design. For example, a 1.5 kg cleaver can quickly cause fatigue when working, then you will need to cut off the excess part of the blade, making the tool lighter.
If the cutting of wood is inefficient, then you can regrind the slopes, thereby reducing the angle of sharpening. After that, the blade will better enter the hard material. If you do not like the wooden or plastic handle, you can remove the lining and wrap the handle with a cord. Such a handle will definitely not slip in your hand. In this way, the machete can be perfected.
Machete knife reviews
In Russia, a large knife like a machete has existed for a long time. They call him a cleaver. As a utility knife, it is used everywhere. Those whouses such a tool, they say that it is very convenient for some purposes. For example, a machete is better for cutting bushes than an ax or a chainsaw. The long blade cuts through thin, flexible rods more effectively. In some cases, a machete easily replaces an ax when chopping wood. After all, his blade has a weight of 700 to 1300 g. In addition to thin rods, he can cut branches and small trees. For example, he can cut a solid birch with a diameter of 10 cm in 3 hits.
