Never made any knives and unfamilar with required steels. Question would be could a machete be made from a old school hand saw. Youtube has some machete forging projects with leaf springs. Have no forge or leaf srpings but do have some hand saws. What do you think?
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Machete made from hand saw?
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5lima30
Well-known member
I would think that most handsaws would be too flexible. I've got a machete (Ontario Knife Co) that I was issued by Uncle Sam about 29 years ago and it is much stiffer than my Nicholson handsaws. Check on I Forge Iron.com my nephew has a small forge and there are alot of Blacksmiths that make knives on that forum. A large file or leaf spring would probably work great.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
I would think that most handsaws would be too flexible. I've got a machete (Ontario Knife Co) that I was issued by Uncle Sam about 29 years ago and it is much stiffer than my Nicholson handsaws. Check on I Forge Iron.com my nephew has a small forge and there are alot of Blacksmiths that make knives on that forum. A large file or leaf spring would probably work great.
Files are far too brittle for something that will get the shocks a machete would need to deal with.
Bruce Lancaster
Well-known member
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Yes, machetes are made to survive heavy chopping (Trees, Zombies, crocodiles) and are probably at least twice as thick as a typical handsaw. Go to a junkyard and get an old leaf spring, probably a car one rather than heavy truck. Cost should be pretty low as a part, much lower if there's an odd one of unknown application in the scrap pile. A typical leaf spring should have enough in it for maybe 4 machetes and a whole stack of Bowie knives.
The leaves can be straightened, too...lay leaf on two chunks of steel maybe a couple inches apart, move back and forth repeatedly whacking the part between the two anvil blocks until straight.
The leaves can be straightened, too...lay leaf on two chunks of steel maybe a couple inches apart, move back and forth repeatedly whacking the part between the two anvil blocks until straight.
robarosa
Well-known member
Yes, saw is to flexible. Have a standard Lowe's one that 2 or 3 times as thick and only good for light stuff. I also have an Ontario machete that can whack away all day.
Rust
Banned
My buddy hand forges knives from old railroad spikes and leaf springs.
The railroad spike knives are cool because he uses the head of the spike as the hilt, twists the handle 780 degrees then works out the metal and beats the blade flat. some of them are supisingly well ballanced...good enough to throw around.
Unless you have a backyard forge, it will take alot of effort and grinding to shape a machete from a leaf spring.
Personally... I'd just go buy one ...probably cheaper than all those grinding wheels..lol
The railroad spike knives are cool because he uses the head of the spike as the hilt, twists the handle 780 degrees then works out the metal and beats the blade flat. some of them are supisingly well ballanced...good enough to throw around.
Unless you have a backyard forge, it will take alot of effort and grinding to shape a machete from a leaf spring.
Personally... I'd just go buy one ...probably cheaper than all those grinding wheels..lol