Finding A Good Machete

[canopy]

Is it possible to find a decent quality machete in Thailand?I know machetes are sold everywhere so let me explain why I am asking. The type I have run across seem to be made with only cheapness in mind and are not designed to be practical. I bought a brand new machete. Began using it on bamboo and the blade came flying out of the handle in a short period of time. At the time I figured I must have just had bad luck as there would be no way someone would design it that way. So to make do I borrowed one from the pyb. To my astonishment exactly two strokes later the blade flew out of his handle. The quality of steel is also poor. It would be nice to find a machete that stays together and holds a decent edge rather than always wedging and sharpening and otherwise fiddling around with junk. Can anyone confirm whether this is just an impossible dream or are decent ones offered anywhere?

[lannarebirth]

Go to the auto wrecking yard and pick up a broken leaf spring off a truck. Take it to a blacksmith and he'll beat you out a nice machete. Don't put a wooden or bamboo handle on it. Use steel tubing welded to the blade instead.

[Crossy]

Yup, all Wifeys lethal weapons have welded steel tube handles, no way they're coming off even when she decapitates me*

* Due to her total absence of spacial-awareness I avoid being anywhere near her when she's using one of these or the brush cutter which is equally sharp and would cut me off at the knee

[VocalNeal]

The ones with the welded steel handles are lethal. (figure of speech)

I have a scar on my leg to prove it.

Sweat and steel don't mix. I suggest a motcy grip at minimum or a ray skin covering.

Edited December 13, 2011 by VocalNeal

[andrew55]

Go to the auto wrecking yard and pick up a broken leaf spring off a truck. Take it to a blacksmith and he'll beat you out a nice machete. Don't put a wooden or bamboo handle on it. Use steel tubing welded to the blade instead.

The leaf spring is an option. You will need to see that the blacksmith doesn't get the steel too hot in the forge as the goodies init will burn out at about a bright yellow colour. The temparature range of actually 'beating' the steel needs to be no hotter than a dull yellow and no cooler than bright cherry. This colour to temperature assessment needs to be in a typical shady blacksmith's workshop - different in the sun of course.

If you go ahead PM me and I'll give you the hardening and tempering info. Not difficult but I don't want to bore others here (too late??). Use oil and not water for quenching during this process.

Welding the handle has pros and cons. I would forge the butt of the tool flat but to the profile of your desired handle to take a nice piece of timber rivetted to either side - does that make sense? Make it something to be proud of.

If you do weld it I'd suggest you buy a couple of stainless steel electrodes as the blade and handle will be of dissimilar metals..

[canopy]

I would forge the butt of the tool flat but to the profile of your desired handle to take a nice piece of timber rivetted to either side - does that make sense? Make it something to be proud of.

Don't know of any blacksmiths in these parts, but that is something I wonder if it might work would be to take an existing machete and rivet it to the handle to make it stay put. Usually there is a tongue of tapered steel that goes fairly far back into the handle. I just don't know how to go about it or if it would be practical. I favor wood handles given a choice.

[WatersEdge]

If there was sufficient market demand,

I can take your orders for properly manufactured field knives from US spring steel.

Does anyone aspire to be the machete tycoon.

I'm now in the US, with a very good fabrication shop standing by.

I bought some good straight edge machetes in Thailand,

which had a rolled steel handle, of the same material as the blade,

not a piece of pipe welded later

Here in the US I can buy a sheet of spring steel,

CNC cut it to precisely uniform shape,

roll the handle, forge the blade, then heat treat for full hardness,

as mentioned by andrew55 above

[fezzy]

the one i have i got if off ebay and it does the job real good ( type in book of eli machete ) or wait till the local market comes to town and look for the stall that sells the farming tools and buy one and modify it suit your liking

[Bung]

I fixed the wooden handle on mine with 2 part epoxy once it came off. Never had a problem since.

[ozzydom]

The machetes sold in every market are normally made from disused automobile leaf springs and rice sickles from old plough discs.

For the handles ,just get a suitable piece of limb wood ,drill it out roughly to fit the tang and put it on so that the tang goes through to the end using epoxy filler and weld a suitable washer on the butt to retain it.

[RedBullHorn]

Arrived yesterday~

All the way from Kathmandu, Nepal to Chiang Rai, Thailand in 25 days...

Gurkhas Khukuri knife - KHHI Max Xtreme.

5160 carbon spring steel, 3/8'' spine, full flat tang, rosewood handle w/ rivets

and razor sharp edge...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jswOvSLv018&list=UUHF6ViBaVgHcfS0QIx5O48g&index=1&feature=plcp

Edited January 10, 2012 by RedBullHorn

[Damrongsak]

Old thread, but ...

 

Get a blacksmith to hot-glue the handle using sticklac.  It's called krang ครั่ง.  See video at about 10:55.  Most of the hundred or so machetes I've bought over the last 40 years  were not glued.  It's left up to the purchaser.  The farm store may have it in small button cakes.  In the US, I use construction adhesive or epoxy. 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 22, 2019 by Damrongsak

[cooked]

On 12/18/2011 at 7:05 AM, ozzydom said:

The machetes sold in every market are normally made from disused automobile leaf springs and rice sickles from old plough discs.

For the handles ,just get a suitable piece of limb wood ,drill it out roughly to fit the tang and put it on so that the tang goes through to the end using epoxy filler and weld a suitable washer on the butt to retain it.

Did that, then 'whipped' nylon string around the handle and applied glue. 

[Vacuum]

On 12/18/2011 at 12:05 AM, ozzydom said:

The machetes sold in every market are normally made from disused automobile leaf springs and rice sickles from old plough discs.

For the handles ,just get a suitable piece of limb wood ,drill it out roughly to fit the tang and put it on so that the tang goes through to the end using epoxy filler and weld a suitable washer on the butt to retain it.

Those are the ones we buy, wooden handles already attached and I've never experienced a blade comming off.

[VocalNeal]

On 12/13/2011 at 9:57 AM, lannarebirth said:

Go to the auto wrecking yard and pick up a broken leaf spring off a truck. Take it to a blacksmith and he'll beat you out a nice machete. Don't put a wooden or bamboo handle on it. Use steel tubing welded to the blade instead.

Wrap the metal handle with tennis racket tape otherwise when one sweats...............

 

Have picture but not on this machine.

[kickstart]

A lot of knifes are made from ordinary  steel ,they are just heated and hammered to temper the steel ,they are some Thai  videos about making a knife. 

We use sugar cane knifes to cut Napper grass and some small branches ,they are thin steel very light well tempered steel , and take a very good edge.

Most have just a socket on ,I just use bamboo handles ,started drilling a hole though the knife socket and the handle ,and use a piece  of 4  inch nail as a rivet,handle  never comes lose and they have a lot of use .

The sugar cane cutters rap thin strips of motorcycle inner tube around the handle ,helps with grip when it gets hot .

[Damrongsak]

22 minutes ago, kickstart said:

A lot of knifes are made from ordinary  steel ...

"Ordinary" high carbon steel, such as old leaf springs, files and the like.  Plain structural steel will not harden.  I worked with a very old Thai blacksmith and used to scrounge steel and tools in the scrapyards in Loei.  I would work the air pumps, just like the picture below.  He made two of the in-curved sickle shaped ones for me as a gift.

 

I've accumulated quite a number of different Thai and hill tribe knives over the last 40 years.  I imported a couple hundred to the US one time.

The two in the top pic are that old.  The pointy one is a hill tribe knife, maybe Yao. Very nicely made.