Need To Make a Machete Sheath

[durulz]

I want to make a new sheath for a machete.
It's a very traditionally styled machete.
But I can't decide what form the sheath should take. I'm not coming up with much inspiration. I was going to make it like a normal knife sheath. But...well...
Was thinking I may make it out of wood. Perhaps.
So I wondered if any of you have sheaths/thingys for your machetes, and what form they take. Pictures would be really good and useful.
Need something to give me ideas.
Cheers for any help.

 

[Black Sheep]

I want to make a new sheath for a machete.
It's a very traditionally styled machete.
But I can't decide what form the sheath should take. I'm not coming up with much inspiration. I was going to make it like a normal knife sheath. But...well...
Was thinking I may make it out of wood. Perhaps.
So I wondered if any of you have sheaths/thingys for your machetes, and what form they take. Pictures would be really good and useful.
Need something to give me ideas.
Cheers for any help.

Hi Durulz,

Like wise I have a Tramontina machete the black leatherette sheath has seen better days so I'm also looking for some ideas of what to replace it with?

Cheers Richard

 

[Sniper]

I know some have made wooden sheaths for their machetes but most were pretty heavy and a bit cumbersome in the end.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Wood doesn' thave to be cumbersome. I don't find this one a problem.

Belt loop made of braided packing strap, although ratan or roots would also work.

I think that having it so that you can take it apart for cleaning isn't a bad idea.

Or you could make one from plastic. Use ABS sheet or drain pipe and a heat gun to soften it. Wear cotton gloves to avoid burning your hands. This lis not as good as Kydex, but easier to find for most folk. If you have pipe of the right size you can just squash it flat and the job is done, all but working out a belt carry system.

 

[durulz]

Mmm...was thinking wood would look better.
To be honest, I wasn't too bother about a method of 'carrying' the machete, since it spend most time in the bag. Just wanted a way of protecting it (and protecting things in the bag from its edge).
But the above picture has made me think that suspending it from a leather baldrick may be a good idea. I like that. I like that a lot. So that part is a goer - whatever the machete case will be made of, it will have a baldrick.
Now...just need to decide whether wood or leather...

 

[Sniper]

That looks a nice sheath CC, but it does not look like a classical design machete as suggested by the guys, what is it you have there mate? I am assuming theirs are the Martindale or Whitby style design.

 

[ForgeCorvus]

I'd go with wood if it was mine.....but then I like wooden box sheaths, more so with heavy blades like machetes, billhooks and such (basically anything heavy enough to cut its way out just under its own weight)

If you want me to tell you how I make them, just ask

 

[durulz]

I'd go with wood if it was mine.....but then I like wooden box sheaths, more so with heavy blades like machetes, billhooks and such (basically anything heavy enough to cut its way out just under its own weight)

If you want me to tell you how I make them, just ask

Yup - I'd appreciate that.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Sniper,
Ok, its a parang, not a machete, I talk a little about it in this thread.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35554

I didn't use leather not only because the original on which my blade was based used a very fine wood sheath, but also I reckonned that leather would hold moisture and dirt more, drain less well and generally be harder to maintain while being harder on the steel inside. I want a sheath as a permanent home for the blade and a leather sheath would probably end up causing rust due to it not getting dried fully at some point. Just me.

 

[Sniper]

Reason for asking CC is cos I have a similar shaped blade that the original handle and wood sheath has disappeared and that looks like just the ticket for breathing life into this old blade. So yes please do a write up on how you made it and maybe I can get an idea how to go about it.

 

[ol smokey]

I found that the best way to overcome making a sheath for a broad blade like a machete or
other knife with a blade broader at the bottom, was to sew or thong down one side and
fasten the other side with heavy duty press studs. These can be obtained from a haberdashery shop at 6 in a pack for £6. After all the sheath is only for carying the blade,
does it really matter if you can not draw it out. The function is the same. It protects you from the blade when not in use. Has a nice Mexican look to it too. Sorry I cant post pics
but I am very pleased with my first attempt.

 

[ForgeCorvus]

Yup - I'd appreciate that.

Here, or PM?

 

[durulz]

Here, or PM?

Here would be best - I'm sure others would love to see it as well.

 

[ForgeCorvus]

Heres my 'How To...'
Sorry theres no pics, my version of XP has decided that my camera is un-acceptable :borgsmile

I'm going to assume that your blade is more or less straight (ie not a Kukri)
First of all find yourself some boards, hard-woods are best, riven rather then sawn if you can get it
What you're looking for are boards over an inch (to two inches) wider then the widest part of the blade and one and a half to two inches longer.
Thickness is the next thing, you can either have two or three boards.
If you're using two boards you'll need one 1/8 inch thick for every nine inches (or part thereof) of the blade(calling this A) and the second this thickness plus the maximum thickness of the blade plus a bit, I use 1/16 of an inch (calling this B)
If you're going with three boards you'll need A, another A and C (which is a board equal to the maximum thickness of the blade plus 1/16)

Marking up
Decide which side of each board is going to end up as show-wood (A and B only )
Decide which end the 'mouth' is going to be (if your bolster is not at right angles to the blade this is when you need to cut the boards to match)
Mark a line half an inch in from one edge of A (show side only) and B (both sides, but the same edge), or both A's show side and C any side
Lay the blade on the wrong side of B (or one side of C) with the back edge laying along the line, push the bolster hard against the mouth edge (the blade should remain on the line, if not pare the mouth edge away untill it does)
Take a pencil (the carpenter's type is best, but any will do) and holding the blade as flat as you can and the pencil as upright as possible draw around the cutting edge (there should be an 1/8 of an inch gap between the edge and the line, this is important)
Hold the blade flat on the board and slide the back edge along the line (as if you're drawing the blade), mark any place the cutting edge crosses the line you just drew (this is important with blades that have a wider point ), keep checking the draw untill the blade will clear the sheath without crossing the outline
Repeat this on A (or both A's.

Cutting the housing
Time to use your carving skills, you need to cut a flat slot the depth of which equals slightly more then your blades maximum thickness into board B, you've just marked the outline. I use a small carving burr in a dremel clone to trace the outline and then a carving gouge and a chisel (I have done this using an angle grinder....but I was young and stupid at the time). Make sure the corners are sharp
If you're using three boards, cut the outlined piece out of C with a fret saw or jig saw, or whatever you do have

Fixing
Line up the edges where you put the first line and glue the boards together making sure that the mouth matches on your boards
Personally I use Araldite (the standard cure not Rapid), I've found that you must be fairly mean with the glue or else you get a bit inside your box and you then can't get your blade in.....Do not let the glue cure with the blade in the sheath, it can get stuck

Shaping up
You now have a hollow bit of wood with the outline of the slot marked on both outsides.
Draw the outer edge of your sheath now, leave at least 1/2 an inch from the slot profile on the cutting edge and 3/4 at the point
If you want to have a retaining thong, mark a bump out on the cutting edge side and drill a hole now
Cut your outer edge and shape (please note on a two board pattern the glueline is not down the middle)
Finish in a pleasing way


Hows that?

 

[akabu]

Go to the Machete FAQ lots of stuff and links to members mods and sheaths.
http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showforum.php?fid/86/

 

[Cobweb]

Wow Forge, that's really well described, I understood it even without pics, and normally I need images to be able to see what is being talked about

I have a parang that needs a new sheath and I'm bad at leather work and the wooden one sounds safer to me. I'll definitely have a go as soon as I can get outside for longer periods of time!

 

[ForgeCorvus]

I'm dyslexic (although my reading is fine my spelling is really bad ) so you're looking at 1 1/2 hours work there.

Because of this every word and sentence has to be planned and then proof-read twice (a bit like "Measure twice, cut once") to insure it makes sense (sometimes I'll have to re-write something because I can't spell the word I want)

Thanks for your kind words

 

[durulz]

In that case, double-thanks for taking the time to type it all up and sharing it with us!