What would u rather for bushcraft in a temperate,northern or just generally woodsy area, no jungle or anything, along with your favorite knife, a axe or machete? why?
axe or machete?
- Thread starter mattw4466
- Start date
Depends on location. If I was travelling through thick jungle and needed to clear a lot of stuff in front of me, then the machete would probably be preferable.
If its in mixed woodland or pine forest, the axe.
If its in mixed woodland or pine forest, the axe.
matt,
The general consensus seems to be axe and knife and I really, really like my axes. However for shelter building there is a lot to be said for a large knife (machete, parang, golok, bill hook take your pick). For mostly fire wood and heavy timber, axe and folding saw every time. For shelter building (articularly cutting thatch and bedding) large knife and floding saw and always, always, always a belt knife
Just my view
Red
The general consensus seems to be axe and knife and I really, really like my axes. However for shelter building there is a lot to be said for a large knife (machete, parang, golok, bill hook take your pick). For mostly fire wood and heavy timber, axe and folding saw every time. For shelter building (articularly cutting thatch and bedding) large knife and floding saw and always, always, always a belt knife
Just my view
Red
In a temperate wooded area e.g.thetford forest/ epping forest/your local woods I'd rather carry an axe over a machete but having said that I would probably carry neither as you don't really need an axe for a british climate unless your making something like blanking out a spoon which is more easily achieved with an axe( I still have one though which I use reguarly at home for splitting firewood, making stuff,splitting more firewood)
i think that a lot of the time the question is over simplified. there are the long thin whippy machetes, great for grasses, clearing bramble type growth, and not really much else. then there're the short stout machetes, like the martindale golok, (the infamous british army tree beater) leukos, some parangs, and even, the bushcrafters trusty billhook. the second type has many applications that make it more useful than even an axe. so from now on, when i say machete, i mean the short thick ones. 
generally speaking, as the wood gets bigger the axe gets to be a better choice. but few of us woodlot bushcrafters truly benefit from it. for cutting and limbing saplings for shelter building, camp gadgets and so on, the short machete is king. when it comes to rough shaping for carving projects the hatchet, mini hatchet and machete are all but inseparable, depending on the project.
every knife or tool is derived from a series of compromises. so ultimately it depends entirely on what a persons priorities are. (that's a whole discussion in itself). if we were truly honest with ourselves, we would admit that many of our choices are based less on practicalities than they're based on esthetics or self image, that applies to allsorts.
cheers, and.
generally speaking, as the wood gets bigger the axe gets to be a better choice. but few of us woodlot bushcrafters truly benefit from it. for cutting and limbing saplings for shelter building, camp gadgets and so on, the short machete is king. when it comes to rough shaping for carving projects the hatchet, mini hatchet and machete are all but inseparable, depending on the project.
every knife or tool is derived from a series of compromises. so ultimately it depends entirely on what a persons priorities are. (that's a whole discussion in itself). if we were truly honest with ourselves, we would admit that many of our choices are based less on practicalities than they're based on esthetics or self image, that applies to allsorts.
cheers, and.
BOD
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
mrostov said:
Could you explain more? I would have though a small axe would be better suited to the dry hard woods there or are you thinking of the dry grasses and bushes?
mattw4466 said:
axe easy. with the axe i can cut trees, pare them out, shape them, use it as a hammer/mallet.
a machette can do all that cutting but try to drive a peg or stake and dont even mention driving wedges to split really big logs. dean
This is northern forest, though it is coastal rainforest. As we can see the tiny hatchet isn't exactly suited to clearing a decent trail:
Now a person can just push through that skunk cabage,
This stuff you don't push through: even the leaves on devil's club have wicked spines:
In the end, I believe it pays to master all tools. Sometimes I'm sawing up big logs or chopping them, other times clearing the trails which would be overgrown in a couple of years. For most of my time here, I left clearing of trails to others and avoided areas of thick growth, devil's club - but I missed seeing a lot in those years.
So for sure it's best to start with something optimized for what you want to mainly do, but it's good to be open minded about other tools and possiblities.
Now a person can just push through that skunk cabage,
This stuff you don't push through: even the leaves on devil's club have wicked spines:
In the end, I believe it pays to master all tools. Sometimes I'm sawing up big logs or chopping them, other times clearing the trails which would be overgrown in a couple of years. For most of my time here, I left clearing of trails to others and avoided areas of thick growth, devil's club - but I missed seeing a lot in those years.
So for sure it's best to start with something optimized for what you want to mainly do, but it's good to be open minded about other tools and possiblities.
For round here? Ax every time, unless there are going to be trails to carve thru bramble thickets!
wasn't there a topic on this a long time ago. Couldn't find it, but i remember someone tested a machete and 1 or 2 axes on several jobs...
can anyone remember that? I think it was around the beginning of last summer...
can anyone remember that? I think it was around the beginning of last summer...
I regularly use the army type tree beater machete, It can be used for most tasks, however splitting is not one of its forte's!
I also use several different axes again good for some jobs not so good for others!
If you can try all tools and make a choice based on what you do whilst out and about!
If you carve alot a a small axe may be good, if you are out in the thick of things and need to clear a path but have little time for carving use a machete
If you are out in the woods for a couple of days with a tarp you probably just need a knife! after all both axes and Machete arer hefty things to carry
So on and so on
I also use several different axes again good for some jobs not so good for others!
If you can try all tools and make a choice based on what you do whilst out and about!
If you carve alot a a small axe may be good, if you are out in the thick of things and need to clear a path but have little time for carving use a machete
If you are out in the woods for a couple of days with a tarp you probably just need a knife! after all both axes and Machete arer hefty things to carry
So on and so on
That'll be me I'll try to find it
Red
Here we are then - a link to a thread containing some simple comparative tests between an axe (actually two axes with different profiles) and a large knife (Wiseman survival knife)
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=12300
Red
I'll try to find itRed
Here we are then - a link to a thread containing some simple comparative tests between an axe (actually two axes with different profiles) and a large knife (Wiseman survival knife)
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=12300
Red
Old Jimbo, is some leprechaun missing his hatchet? It probably just looks smaller in the photo than it is. From the photo, the bit looks a bit over 2 fingers wide. Which I'm guessing it's bit to be 2" to 2-1/2".
The deserts of the US is one place where the kukri really shines. A very good combo is a machete and a small hatchet combined with a multi-tool, a 6" Rapala filet knife, a small knife like a Mora or a Buck 110, and - extremely important - a pair of barbecue tongs. You can get by in the desert probably without the hatchet, but it does come in handy. However, a good 18" US military machete can do most or all of what need doing for chopping. A kukri is a nice balance between the two. A folding saw is also nice to have. If you get caught without your barbecue tongs, you can can make a pair out of the local wood like the Indians used to, but steel tongs make life a LOT easier.
The Sonora desert, the most vegatative of the deserts in the US, is also one of the most edible ecosystems in the world. There's an estimated 485 edible plant species in the Sonora, plus a wide range of animals from deer and javelina to small rodents.
True, some trees in the desert are extremely hard, the most common of which is the mesquite. But, the mesquite is often only thick and really hard at it's trunk and thicker branches. In order to get to those you often need to get through an almost impassable tangle of thorn covered, flexible, thin willow-like branches.
The thorns on the mesquite range from small to the size of carpenter's nails, depending upon the particular species. So, when you cut on it, you need to maintain your distance. I've cut apart mequite trees before with an 18" US military machete and it is one of my preferred tools for the job.
Most of the plants are not as hard as the mesquite, and a great deal of the edible and useful bushcraft plants are things like cactus, yucca, etc. You'll find that the Sonora desert of Arizona has cutting needs very similar to the jungle, except everything is covered in sharp spines.
BOD said:
The deserts of the US is one place where the kukri really shines. A very good combo is a machete and a small hatchet combined with a multi-tool, a 6" Rapala filet knife, a small knife like a Mora or a Buck 110, and - extremely important - a pair of barbecue tongs. You can get by in the desert probably without the hatchet, but it does come in handy. However, a good 18" US military machete can do most or all of what need doing for chopping. A kukri is a nice balance between the two. A folding saw is also nice to have. If you get caught without your barbecue tongs, you can can make a pair out of the local wood like the Indians used to, but steel tongs make life a LOT easier.
The Sonora desert, the most vegatative of the deserts in the US, is also one of the most edible ecosystems in the world. There's an estimated 485 edible plant species in the Sonora, plus a wide range of animals from deer and javelina to small rodents.
True, some trees in the desert are extremely hard, the most common of which is the mesquite. But, the mesquite is often only thick and really hard at it's trunk and thicker branches. In order to get to those you often need to get through an almost impassable tangle of thorn covered, flexible, thin willow-like branches.
The thorns on the mesquite range from small to the size of carpenter's nails, depending upon the particular species. So, when you cut on it, you need to maintain your distance. I've cut apart mequite trees before with an 18" US military machete and it is one of my preferred tools for the job.
Most of the plants are not as hard as the mesquite, and a great deal of the edible and useful bushcraft plants are things like cactus, yucca, etc. You'll find that the Sonora desert of Arizona has cutting needs very similar to the jungle, except everything is covered in sharp spines.
I grew up in the Amazon jungle and we used the long, somewhat whippy tramontina machetes for 90% of our work. We cleared acres of jungle with those things, including small trees up to 3 or 4 inches in diameter. Other than the blisters we got from the lousy handles, they worked very well. We didn't have hatchets, so for the really big trees we used a big axe. I'll post a pic of an Indian man carving out a paddle with a tramontina machete. The Indians used these machetes for just about everything.
Mrostov, I noticed you're from AZ. Whereabouts? I'm in Tucson.
Todd
Mrostov, I noticed you're from AZ. Whereabouts? I'm in Tucson.
Todd
That picture is great!
As with the tiny Vaughan hatchet which really does look like something left behind by a leprechaun, always explore what the tool can do. A machete only costs a few dollars and is easily reprofiled to work really well. A machete won't chop seasoned wood like an axe, but used two handed on a big branch it will produce lots of fuzzies in very short order.
As with the tiny Vaughan hatchet which really does look like something left behind by a leprechaun, always explore what the tool can do. A machete only costs a few dollars and is easily reprofiled to work really well. A machete won't chop seasoned wood like an axe, but used two handed on a big branch it will produce lots of fuzzies in very short order.
The Mountain Saami use little else than their big Saami knives. They use them for all purposes, included cutting frozen birch for firewood. The pieces are usually so small that you can chop them off with one or two cuts.
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