Machete Question

a Shredder...it works here!!

I purchased on of these Ontario Knives last summer after they were recommended here. A good beefy blade and not real expensive.

A good pair of leather gloves will improve your outlook when cutting brush also.

+1 on the Ontario machete. I like them because they're pretty inexpensive and you can put a razor edge on them. But, in my opinion they're really not the right tool in briers, wild roses, etc. A basic brush blade is best for that.

Stihl weed eater with solid tri cutting blade is good for all thorny vines and saplings.

The Ontario Steel 22in machete is my choice knife, started out with the 18in blade in the mid 70s.

Old Hickory 14in butcher knife is good for close work.

B-)

This may sound odd but I've had better luck going through briers and wild roses using a tree trunk or branch and "beating" the briers down than trying to cut them. When cut they just hang up with the surrounding foliage and have to be cut again and again. A 1-1/2 to 2 inch trunk or limb about 10 feet long (adjust as necessary) can beat a path through and then clean up with a bush axe.

Andy

We use something called a Slasher or Hedge Knife, to get a similar effect to that Andy describes. It has a blade like a small machete, but with a long handle so you can really swing it hard at arms length and stay clear of any thorns. The handle is shaped to be wider at the end (some have an almost hook like end) so that it doesn't fly off out of your hand when being swung.

At full swing it will go through any rose or bramble and most branches up to a couple of inches thick.

My preference for green briar & multiflora rose has always been:

http://www.counciltool.com/DisplayCategories.asp?pg=displaycategories&category=36

The old simple beating stick is what I have always used! and a limb or a bush hook turned sideways and I think slow and steady gets them out of the way faster than a young Tasmanian Devil on a line cutting mission. no matter what you use, the strategy you use comes in to play here.

> My preference for green briar & multiflora rose has always been:
>
>> http://www.counciltool.com/DisplayCategories.asp?pg=displaycategories&category=36br >
Ditto what he said, but we call it a brush hook.

For Machetes, Collins was the industry standard, but they suck fish pee now. Martindale makes an excellent machete. It's what we run. I like the 24" while others like the 22" version.

When we get into the saw grass and head high Cherokee Rose, we pull out the Ditch-Bank Blade (sometimes called a brush axe). This is a VERY dangerous tool and I've seen both my shin bones from it; however, it lets you get out there a good bit and IF you ever get it REALLY sharp and headed in the right direction, it will take nearly 6" trees out in one shot (soft woods).

If you choose to go this route, please get some instruction on using one and have a safety class. We only have one for the entire company, and typically, I don't let it go out except with one person. It can be worse than a chainsaw.

Agreed on the stick for briars, but some crap just needs a sharp edge on it.

> IF you ever get it REALLY sharp and headed in the right direction, it will take nearly 6" trees out in one shot (soft woods).

By necessity, not choice, (party chief was too dumb to know how to go around it) I once took out a 8" white oak with one. It was 25 years ago and my hands are still sore

> We use something called a Slasher or Hedge Knife...
"..... some folks calls it a sling blade, I call it a kaiser blade. It's just a long handle like a axe handle with a long blade on it that's shaped kind of like a banana. Sharp on one edge and dull on the other. It's what the highway boys use to cut down weeds and whatnot...."

Thankfully,my days of cutting line are mostly over.I used to like the workout.
I would use my Collin's machete,40 years old now and looks more like a steak knife.
I also would wear gloves,unless raining,and also wear a sweat shirt,even in the summer.

John

I like the blade on the Martindale, but I hate their handles. Even with leather gloves on I can still feel the cap, between the blade and handle, and I have tried both the wood handle, and plastic handle.

I like the Ontario machete for the thicker stuff, and the Collins for the thinner stuff. Even hand pruners just to cut the vines work well.

Brush hook answer

They come in many different configurations. Mine is like the one in the middle.
Brush hooks

I bought the longest one of these. It's nice and heavy due to the size. I think that tends to give it some extra cutting power, plus you don't have to have your hands in the briars when swinging it. The other comments about the gap in the handle are right though. I folded a fingernail back when my hand slipped a little on the wooden handle. I would suggest buying roll of hockey tape if you get one. Just wrap the handle a couple times and it wont be a problem anymore.

martindale - varying sizes

I use a 22" Ontario D-handle machete for most work; and a bank blade for briars, blackberry and wild rose bushes. Finding a quality leather sheath for my, machete has been a big problem. I found a Mennonite leather worker who special made two sheaths for me patterned after an old and good one I had. Works great.

I would much rather survey around briar thickets than go through them! B-)

We take the wooden handled Martindale machete out to the concrete porch in front of the office and drag the handle across the concrete until we have smoothed off all the rough corners and edges of the wood. With a little practice, you can make a perfectly comfortable handle. And if you don't quite get it right the first time, do it until you perfect it.