Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => At the Forge => Topic started by: Handforged on March 30, 2020, 12:36:05 pm
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For me, I work on and design tools and knives every day it seems. I'm always working on the tool that will save me time and energy in doing the tasks that need to be done. I've been working staves down recently with a hatchet and while it works just fine I felt like it was a good bit of wasted energy. Then going to a draw knife to remove wood with a finer touch and less splitting. So what if you had something that was heavy enough to chop through with a fine enough edge to do some cutting to shape? Well, I started playing with that idea. Not so sure this is a knife, more a cleaver to my mind. I forged in some recurve with a deep convex edge. Being a tool I wasn't really concerned with a fine finish. It is a full 1/4" thickness of 5160 spring steel. Just a heavy comfortable grip that could be swung to dig big chunks off with a positive grip. The recurve in the blade makes working effortless. Here is the first iteration of it, so far I have worked two staves down and really dig it!
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That looks like a serious piece of steel. You aren't far off this design with yours, so it would seem to be a sound concept.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuAzkUU0J7E
Mark
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Hmmm, never seen that one. I just forge to the shape I thought would be most effective. Added some weight and heft to it so that it would work through the hard knots and split wood.
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I like your design it's simple and easy the guy in the video looks like he did things the hard way by forge welding and he didn't save time , energy or material.
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I guess I could make one elaborate and pretty but I just needed to prove a concept. I did put ironwood scales on it...
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I've often wondered if something like that would work. Like a Kbar(sp?) on steroids.
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Hmmm, never seen that one. I just forge to the shape I thought would be most effective. Added some weight and heft to it so that it would work through the hard knots and split wood.
I expect that thing does a great job for what you wanted.
and he didn't save time , energy or material.
I doubt that was his goal. I was just showing OP that others have had similar ideas and thoughts about how to make a knife style hatchet tool.
Mark
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I recall there was a time period, late 90s early 2000s that a old meat cleaver was considered 'THE' tool for working down or rough carving out a bow blank. Some used it for some pretty close to tiller ready bows. Can't say as I've seen them being used like that for a while now.
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I recall there was a time period, late 90s early 2000s that a old meat cleaver was considered 'THE' tool for working down or rough carving out a bow blank. Some used it for some pretty close to tiller ready bows. Can't say as I've seen them being used like that for a while now.
I have a heavy cleaver that I forged some time ago. That was the inspiration for the tool I made. I liked it so much I made a heavy cleaver with a chisel edge for splitting tinder for the wood stove. It is much better than a hatchet for the task.
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Maybe that old cleaver gets new handles and stays in the shop!
Hawkdancer
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Maybe that old cleaver gets new handles and stays in the shop!
Hawkdancer
That's funny as I never put handle scales on it! Wife keeps saying, this needs some kind of handle on it. HA!