A Machete i made. Tired of those crappy chinese junkers.

[Complete_Loser]

I have several feet of old saw blade from a friends saw mill. So i been cutting these out of that stuff. High carbon 11ga i think it is.
Anyways, the handle has flutes in it designed to be wrapped with paracord. I am still waiting for mine to arrive, so i wrapped it with twine for now.
I think i will be able to get about 15ft of paracord on this sucker.

I just sprayed some paint on this so it would show up on camera better.

after some grinding.

I hope someone gets some use out of this. I did alot of machete research and designed this one specifically for how i would use it.

Machete.dxf

[Loyd]

CL, Thanks for the file. I have made a couple of machetes from large bandsaw blades but not that nice. That thing looks wicked! I used to rebuild old woodworking machinery from the late 1800's and early 1900's. There were wear parts you could no longer obtain. I would make them out of bandsaw blades from sawmills. They worked great!
Loyd

[Complete_Loser]

Thanks.
Yup, band saw blades.
I also have some thicker round blades from the same mill. But their dia is just a bit too small to fit one of these on there.

For those back teeth on the machete, grind both sides of only every other tooth, then flip the blade over, and grind the opposite teeth (the ones you didnt grind).
It will murder a small tree in no time.

Dont forget that paracord! Feels much better with it. lol

[blkbob]

So what else could these be cut out of if one couldn't obtain an old saw blade?

Gord

[Complete_Loser]

Anything really. Hot rolled, cold rolled, stainless, oak, old Studebakers, etc.

If you dont have thick enough steel, cut out one full size. Then cut out another slightly undersized with extra holes in it. And clamp them together and weld in those holes. Leave the blade edge from the larger part open or make it a weld also.

[AnotherDano]

old Studebakers..

I don't care who you are, that's funny.

You crack me up CL.

[blkbob]

So if I were to use flar stock steel what thickness would you recommend?

Gord

[Loyd]

Gord, Seriously, use an old leaf spring from a vehicle. They work great! (especially from a studebaker or hudson)
Loyd

[plain ol Bill]

Remember if you are going to sharpen one and expect it to hold an edge it has to be high carbon steel. The large bandsaw blades are generally made from 15N20 material and when heat treated properly makes excellent knives. I make a lot of custom knives and use this material often.

[elkriverfab]

Where can you find these band saw blades?

Are you using new or used?

I have drawn up so many knife files but have not cut them because of the blade material.

Just wondering.

Thanks.

[Complete_Loser]

Where can you find these band saw blades?

Are you using new or used?

I have drawn up so many knife files but have not cut them because of the blade material.

Just wondering.

Thanks.

These are used blades. The band saw blades eventually develop tiny hairline cracks right in the pit of the cut teeth. So the blades are trashed. This can actually be a small pain when you cut out a part, and that crack is right there in your part. lol But nothing a weld wont fix.

If i was u, i would just drop by your local saw mill and see what you can drum up. Im lucky that my local area is pretty primitive economically and mentally. So no one was doing much with the blades.

[Loyd]

So....what part of the country do you live in??? LOL
We still have some pretty primitive parts in AR. Little Rock for example!
Loyd

[Russ K]

I might also suggest that you check with your local concrete cutting and coring company. All the companys around here toss the old blades when the diamond cutting portion is worn away. You can usually get blades around 24in. dia. from them for free. These make excellent knives but I am not sure what alloy the steel is. Also try old chain saw bars. Good high carbon steel there also..................Russ K.

[plain ol Bill]

For heat treating blades made out of old band saw blades.
Heat to 1525 degrees F. (you can check this w/ a magnet - the metal will be non-magnetic at this temperature. Also know as "critical or conversion" temperature.
Quench in oil (vet grade mineral oil is a great quench)
Put in oven at 400 degrees F. for one hour. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Put back in oven for one hour.
Sharpen and enjoy!

[Complete_Loser]

Thank you Russ and Bill

[Scratch]

Hey Bill, thanks for the instructions on how to heat treat high carbon steel. I've heard alot of very complicated details on how to do it, but always got bored reading them after the third or fourth paragraph. Thanks for dumbing it up for me.

Maybe now I'll give it a shot.

[plain ol Bill]

It ain't rocket science and that recipe works well for simple carbon steels. When you start to get into the stainless and more alloyed carbon steels then it gets more complicatedl

[JJ13]

I have several hundred feet of bandsaw material if anyone near me needs a few feet to make a machete.

[Loyd]

So.....where you be?
Loyd

[JJ13]

lol...so many forumns, used to having my personal stuff in the sig. I am in Longview Washington...60 miles north of Portland Or.

[Loyd]

That is nice! How did you engrave/mark the blade? That looks really good too!
Loyd

[Complete_Loser]

I have a vinyl plotter. I spit the design (called AMAGI) out with the plotter. Stuck the positive decal to the blade. Put the blade in a long bag. Poured about 3/4oz of Vans instant gun blue in the bag and shake and bake (well, no bake really). 1min later, peel off decal, and thats it.

I just got done burning oil into. Heated the blade up with my map gas (all i got) and wiped oil on it to protect those unblued areas. They turned slightly golden, so i think they will be ok.

Thanks for likin it Loyd!

[Complete_Loser]

http://www.knivesby.com/bandsawsteel.html

This guy appears to sell bandsaw blade sections. Figured i would post this.



And another source for 15n20 here http://www.texasknife.com/vcom/product_ ... ts_id=2536

[RobertJohnson]

I have to personally thank you for this file! I love it. I cut 2 out today. Modified the tip, just cause. Here's my cut-outs. Thank you again.

They cut out nicely, great file! Mine are just mild steel. 14 ga, for now . Just wanted to check the file out.

IMAG3020.jpg

[Complete_Loser]

Thanks. Looks great!