H1Spyderco Machete?

[zhyla]

It is very very hard to design anything with a committee. People have to keep an open mind while brainstorming.

It really is, especially with so much variation in what different people are trying to fix/improve about machetes (compounded by variation in what people think a machete is).

Curiosity for those testing the addition of SE on a PE blade. The SE I have seen from Spyderco so far have been with the PE and the SE on only one side of the blade. It makes me wonder how the SE effectiveness would vary if the blade starts with PE on both sides before SE is added to one side. Just makes me go hmmm.

I hadn't thought about that. I wonder if @JoviAl's DIY serrations were cut symmetrically or just one side. I think in a chopping (push cut) motion the asymmetry will be unpleasant. The blade may want to twist in the hand on impact.

[Jeb]

My SE started with a PE blade, I think it hurts its cutting ability. I also saw today while just messing around with mine, I think the teeth need to be .625" from center to center for this kind of use. Maybe even more...

Chopping and hacking at stuff is way different than a SE blade just cutting. The teeth close together have more surface to drag through whatever your Chopping at, if that makes any sense. Least that is what I have seen today.

I want to try this with the bevel and teeth all cut from one side, leaving the otherside of the blade flat or at least close to that. I want teeth that are rounded at a .625" centerline or even bigger.

Totally different from my first attempt at this. Heck I make these teeth 1" centerline, I think it will actually really go at this better and will be more easy to maintain and keep it sharp.

What I have now actually cuts really well, but it doesn't hack through soft vegetation near as well, as the PE. So change is needed.

[Naperville]

It is very very hard to design anything with a committee. People have to keep an open mind while brainstorming.

It really is, especially with so much variation in what different people are trying to fix/improve about machetes (compounded by variation in what people think a machete is).

Curiosity for those testing the addition of SE on a PE blade. The SE I have seen from Spyderco so far have been with the PE and the SE on only one side of the blade. It makes me wonder how the SE effectiveness would vary if the blade starts with PE on both sides before SE is added to one side. Just makes me go hmmm.

I hadn't thought about that. I wonder if @JoviAl's DIY serrations were cut symmetrically or just one side. I think in a chopping (push cut) motion the asymmetry will be unpleasant. The blade may want to twist in the hand on impact.

We all remember those "fantastic) US designed automobiles from 1975 to 1985 that were designed by committee, hahahaha. Pacers and lots of egg shaped cars. Then design studios and sought after master designers became a thing.

But it is as you have said, we could be talking about 2 to 3 different knives here. I am sure that Spyderco has a handle on what to make though. This isn't their first large blade.

Machete designs come in many different styles because the type of work they are pressed into. Are we cutting tall grass? Are we cutting soft banana trees, or hardwood weed trees?

I'll leave the decisions up to Sal and his team.

[JoviAl]

I hadn't thought about that. I wonder if @JoviAl's DIY serrations were cut symmetrically or just one side. I think in a chopping (push cut) motion the asymmetry will be unpleasant. The blade may want to twist in the hand on impact.

Hi Zhyla,
I cut my serrations into just one side in an attempt to emulate Spyderco’s chisel grind SE. The Machete in question is just flat bar stock with a sharpened edge though, so it’s ended up being a proper chisel grind almost by accident (I took the teeth way up into the blade to get nice scallops). The two duplicate 18inch machetes I’ve ordered to do a like for like PE to SE are a similar design but in the more Latin/Parang style. I’ll update with pics and whatnot once they arrive and I’ve SE ground one of them. I’ll also provide SE tooth to tooth, scallop depth and sharpening angle measurements.

On a side note I decided to try out a Skrama 240 at work against the Silky Nata (similar sort of designs but with a few pro’s and cons each way). I’ll do a group test at some point in the near future with the whole lot - SE, PE, choppers and machetes for a broader frame of reference.

[JoviAl]

Oh, and the Chisel cut SE thus far has not caused any directional bias in the cuts, but it is fully flat 2mm blade stock so that may vary on other machetes with different grinds.

[JoviAl]

A few pics of the current flat stock SE and its chisel ground teeth, and a few for comparison with the Nata and Skrama choppers.

The choppers hit much harder, but the machete hits faster (as one might expect). For soft stuff I prefer the machete, but for harder wood I prefer a chopper or a saw. I generally have immediate access to knives, machetes, choppers, axes, saws and chainsaws, so I just pick my preferred tool for the job - a far cry from the ‘one tool for all things’ approach that many people choose a machete for, so I appreciate as an end user even though I use them a lot I’m an outlier for use cases.

[JoviAl]

As for handles the neutral Silky 2 part one at the bottom is by far and away the most comfortable in use. The micarta and full tang on the middle one transfers a tremendous amount of shock into the hand even in softer materials like thick banana palms, and the lack of hook makes a wrist lanyard essential. The Skrama at the top is nice and the rubber compound feels extremely durable, but the contouring doesn’t match how I want to grip it choked up and the straight transition into the blade (unlike the silky’s negative angle) feels less natural in use.

[JoviAl]

For those that were wondering if the removable Silky handle would stay put on a machete - they most definitely do (I have the Silky Yoki billhook machete with the same handle design). The jigsaw shaped protrusions firmly lock into the rubber handle part. It is a wonderfully simply yet highly effective design.

[JoviAl]

These two test…erm…donkeys… have just arrived. I’d call them mules but seeing as how they’ve arrived impressively blunt and with minor edge damage I’m loath to put them in the same category as a Spyderco mule

Whimsy aside, their vital statistics are -
- 18 inch blade
- 16 inches of sharpened edge
- 50Mn steel with some sort of heat treatment
- 2mm flat blade stock
- 24 degrees inclusive primary edge grind (12 per side)

They are tip heavy but overall very light for their size at ~500gms each.

Serrations inbound on one of them.

[Fireman]

Condensed the length about 25% but you can see that this shape leaves little waste in cutting out blanks when alternated orientation. From this one shape you could make a few variations of blade design that could be modded if this was a “mule” from a straight edge to a kukri style and it could be a chopper with all that forward weight or be made into a light and nimble machete. You could leave the other side 90 degrees or sharpen it. Heck, you could cut in speed holes or make it a filet knife! This would be the most versatile mule shape imho. YMMV

[Naperville]

Condensed the length about 25% but you can see that this shape leaves little waste in cutting out blanks when alternated orientation. From this one shape you could make a few variations of blade design that could be modded if this was a “mule” from a straight edge to a kukri style and it could be a chopper with all that forward weight or be made into a light and nimble machete. You could leave the other side 90 degrees or sharpen it. Heck, you could cut in speed holes or make it a filet knife! This would be the most versatile mule shape imho. YMMV

Looks good! Might be a bit longer, but yea, why not! I'll get to try out my sharpening tools, and I might have to buy a cheap belt sander.

[Fireman]

I would use a cut off wheel on an angle grinder to get the desired rough shape. Just need to take breaks and cool the blade in water. In an hour you could rough shape and belt sand it to a desired balance and shape.

[Naperville]

I would use a cut off wheel on an angle grinder to get the desired rough shape. Just need to take breaks and cool the blade in water. In an hour you could rough shape and belt sand it to a desired balance and shape.

Maybe I just need a work sharp with coarse belts? I need a belt grinder.

RIGHT HERE! @RustyIron started the thread on belt sharpeners.
viewtopic.php?t=98698

[JoviAl]

I would use a cut off wheel on an angle grinder to get the desired rough shape. Just need to take breaks and cool the blade in water. In an hour you could rough shape and belt sand it to a desired balance and shape.

Maybe I just need a work sharp with coarse belts? I need a belt grinder.

RIGHT HERE! @RustyIron started the thread on belt sharpeners.
viewtopic.php?t=98698

That’s what I’m using to make serrations. The ‘pro’ model with the shaping equipment as well as the sharpening rig. It’s passable but not at the same level as a proper commercial bench belt grinder - we’ve got some of those on site but the wheels at the corners are too big a diameter to do reasonable sized serrations.

[Naperville]

I would use a cut off wheel on an angle grinder to get the desired rough shape. Just need to take breaks and cool the blade in water. In an hour you could rough shape and belt sand it to a desired balance and shape.

Maybe I just need a work sharp with coarse belts? I need a belt grinder.

RIGHT HERE! @RustyIron started the thread on belt sharpeners.
viewtopic.php?t=98698

That’s what I’m using to make serrations. The ‘pro’ model with the shaping equipment as well as the sharpening rig. It’s passable but not at the same level as a proper commercial bench belt grinder - we’ve got some of those on site but the wheels at the corners are too big a diameter to do reasonable sized serrations.

You are doing a lot of delicate and accurate work! Thank you for the effort!

[JoviAl]

I would use a cut off wheel on an angle grinder to get the desired rough shape. Just need to take breaks and cool the blade in water. In an hour you could rough shape and belt sand it to a desired balance and shape.

Maybe I just need a work sharp with coarse belts? I need a belt grinder.

RIGHT HERE! @RustyIron started the thread on belt sharpeners.
viewtopic.php?t=98698

That’s what I’m using to make serrations. The ‘pro’ model with the shaping equipment as well as the sharpening rig. It’s passable but not at the same level as a proper commercial bench belt grinder - we’ve got some of those on site but the wheels at the corners are too big a diameter to do reasonable sized serrations.

You are doing a lot of delicate and accurate work! Thank you for the effort!

I may have accidentally set a table smouldering yesterday with the detritus of my SE grinding antics turns out that ground metal fluff stuff can really hold some heat.

[Naperville]

Maybe I just need a work sharp with coarse belts? I need a belt grinder.

RIGHT HERE! @RustyIron started the thread on belt sharpeners.
viewtopic.php?t=98698

That’s what I’m using to make serrations. The ‘pro’ model with the shaping equipment as well as the sharpening rig. It’s passable but not at the same level as a proper commercial bench belt grinder - we’ve got some of those on site but the wheels at the corners are too big a diameter to do reasonable sized serrations.

You are doing a lot of delicate and accurate work! Thank you for the effort!

I may have accidentally set a table smouldering yesterday with the detritus of my SE grinding antics turns out that ground metal fluff stuff can really hold some heat.

Thanks for the tip! Keep water and fire extinguisher handy.

[vivi]

IMG_5568.jpegIMG_5569.jpeg

These two test…erm…donkeys… have just arrived. I’d call them mules but seeing as how they’ve arrived impressively blunt and with minor edge damage I’m loath to put them in the same category as a Spyderco mule

Whimsy aside, their vital statistics are -
- 18 inch blade
- 16 inches of sharpened edge
- 50Mn steel with some sort of heat treatment
- 2mm flat blade stock
- 24 degrees inclusive primary edge grind (12 per side)

They are tip heavy but overall very light for their size at ~500gms each.

Serrations inbound on one of them.

Looks like a fun experiment.

If we get a Spyderco machete out of this thread I hope the design is closer to something like this than some of the other suggestions.

10" blades, doubled edged blades, fully serrated blades, overly thick blades......I just want a high end stainless / rust proof machete with good ergonomics.

[Fireman]

I am in the camp of 2.5mm and LC200N no matter the shape or length. I think the toughness without being chippy, ease of sharpening and above average edge retention along with stellar corrosion resistance make this a Salt Machete worthy of use and abuse or apocalypse larping or massacring a plethora of piñata

[Fireman]

IMG_5568.jpegIMG_5569.jpeg

These two test…erm…donkeys… have just arrived. I’d call them mules but seeing as how they’ve arrived impressively blunt and with minor edge damage I’m loath to put them in the same category as a Spyderco mule

Whimsy aside, their vital statistics are -
- 18 inch blade
- 16 inches of sharpened edge
- 50Mn steel with some sort of heat treatment
- 2mm flat blade stock
- 24 degrees inclusive primary edge grind (12 per side)

They are tip heavy but overall very light for their size at ~500gms each.

Serrations inbound on one of them.

Looks like a fun experiment.

If we get a Spyderco machete out of this thread I hope the design is closer to something like this than some of the other suggestions.

10" blades, doubled edged blades, fully serrated blades, overly thick blades......I just want a high end stainless / rust proof machete with good ergonomics.

Even if the only option is a stainless serrated machete one could easily mod it to a plain edge without much difficulty but it would be a crime not to dull it first