I grabbed a small Poplar log the last time I was up on the mountain as I intended to experiment with it. Then I waited on a new tool I had coming to start the experiment. The Fiddleback machete came today so this evening I took a break and went outside to start the experiments.
Ok...I first want to say somethings. This is not an actual review of the machete because I've only had it for a few hours, but there are some things I want to say about it. Now, historically I have not really been a machete person...at least not since I moved north of the semi-tropics of southern Florida. I tend to have little need for a traditional machete here outside of yard work. I find the longer models cumbersome and annoying in the field, and I had...until today...not found a shorter one I liked. I have never liked the "blocky", uncomfortable plastic handles, didn't like the deep sweeps with no usable point nor the up-swept blades of ones with points for my particular uses, and I have never really liked the blade/handle relationships.
I love this machete. I love the size, I love the blade shape and weight distribution, and I love the handle ergonomics and the angle of the handle/blade relationship. So far I think it is just awesome.
I guess it only stands to reason the machete I would really like would come from a custom maker whose blade shapes I find very appealing. What is funny is that this machete I love so much isn't even up to Andy's standards and is one he considers a screw-up as he got off a bit on the grind. Which is completely understandable as it is a new endeavor for him and so naturally there must be a learning curve to working with blades this long.
This is the most comfortable machete I have ever held, and the ergos are also perfect for a rearward grip for more power, which got used a bit today chopping some seasoned Poplar.
This is the limb I chopped and split to make the hearth-board. I first chopped it into three sections, the third section just because I was enjoying using the knife.
In this shot you can see the old notches where I checked the disposition of the wood the day I picked it up, the fresh cuts are much lighter.
Then I split one using a baton to get the plank I wanted.
You can see the blade flexing in this shot.
But no ill effects on the blade, and i got the plank I wanted
I liked this picture...I just made a new bearing block and firesteel handle out of deer antler yesterday while I was hanging out over at a friends house...actually since it was his shop and his tools it was sort of a team effort as John did most of the work.
I burned in the spindle using an older Cedar spindle and then laid out the notch. I used the tip of the machete to bore a small dent for the spindle to start in, then I used the saw of my SAK to cut the notch and the machete to clean it up. Then whittled a little more on the spindle tip before going for a coal.
While I got good smoke, and some nice black dust...it soon became apparent that getting a coal using the Cedar spindle was going to be more work than I had time for, had light enough for photos of, and more than I had the desire to do this evening.
The antler divot worked very well though, it is now black and more glossy inside. Tomorrow I'll either whittle a Poplar spindle or go get a couple of smaller poplar limbs and try again. It was still a fun experiment
Ok...I first want to say somethings. This is not an actual review of the machete because I've only had it for a few hours, but there are some things I want to say about it. Now, historically I have not really been a machete person...at least not since I moved north of the semi-tropics of southern Florida. I tend to have little need for a traditional machete here outside of yard work. I find the longer models cumbersome and annoying in the field, and I had...until today...not found a shorter one I liked. I have never liked the "blocky", uncomfortable plastic handles, didn't like the deep sweeps with no usable point nor the up-swept blades of ones with points for my particular uses, and I have never really liked the blade/handle relationships.
I love this machete. I love the size, I love the blade shape and weight distribution, and I love the handle ergonomics and the angle of the handle/blade relationship. So far I think it is just awesome.
I guess it only stands to reason the machete I would really like would come from a custom maker whose blade shapes I find very appealing. What is funny is that this machete I love so much isn't even up to Andy's standards and is one he considers a screw-up as he got off a bit on the grind. Which is completely understandable as it is a new endeavor for him and so naturally there must be a learning curve to working with blades this long.
This is the most comfortable machete I have ever held, and the ergos are also perfect for a rearward grip for more power, which got used a bit today chopping some seasoned Poplar.
This is the limb I chopped and split to make the hearth-board. I first chopped it into three sections, the third section just because I was enjoying using the knife.
In this shot you can see the old notches where I checked the disposition of the wood the day I picked it up, the fresh cuts are much lighter.
Then I split one using a baton to get the plank I wanted.
You can see the blade flexing in this shot.
But no ill effects on the blade, and i got the plank I wanted
I liked this picture...I just made a new bearing block and firesteel handle out of deer antler yesterday while I was hanging out over at a friends house...actually since it was his shop and his tools it was sort of a team effort as John did most of the work.
I burned in the spindle using an older Cedar spindle and then laid out the notch. I used the tip of the machete to bore a small dent for the spindle to start in, then I used the saw of my SAK to cut the notch and the machete to clean it up. Then whittled a little more on the spindle tip before going for a coal.
While I got good smoke, and some nice black dust...it soon became apparent that getting a coal using the Cedar spindle was going to be more work than I had time for, had light enough for photos of, and more than I had the desire to do this evening.
The antler divot worked very well though, it is now black and more glossy inside. Tomorrow I'll either whittle a Poplar spindle or go get a couple of smaller poplar limbs and try again. It was still a fun experiment
