1960's "Cane Knife"

[kBob]

Along about the later half of the 1960's I messed up. Paid more attention to non school stuff than to school and found myself making up a math credit over the summer. As an ignorant teen I was thrilled that I would not be available for the sort of misory inducing agricultural summer jobs I had up to that point in my life.

First day and we were the first kids to get to use the new Air-conditioned school!!!!!!

Dad picked me up at lunch, we had a nice lunch together and he drove from the restaurant AWAY from the house. We stopped in a partially filled neighborhood on the edge of town at a wooded ...and I mean North Florida wooded with everything from wait a bit vines to mature yellow pine and everything in between so you couldn't really see more than five yards into it.....two acre lot and we got out of the car. Dad opened the trunk and the first thing he handed me was this pictured "tool"

I also got a pick Maddox (OK so I spell it like Lester), a felling axe, a file, a shovel and a pair of gloves.

Each day after my half day of school Dad would tie a ribbon around a tree a bit further from the road and expected me to clear away anything I could reach around and dig up the stump.I am not sure how he managed it but I seemed to be dragging the last load of 36 inch long sections of tree and brush out to the edge of the road every evening when he showed up.

I found my old friend and its mate in Dad's Garage recently and thought some of those THR guys might like to see it.

What? You think it is not a weapon? No doubt one or more of the Florida ( or any Gulf Coast state) retired LEOs can tell you one or more stories involving alcohol, money, women and "honor" on a Friday or "Sat-day nite" where these were more than agricultural implements.

The hole in the blade is so you could hang it over a headless nail on the wall or the Boss could run a wire through six or ten to bundle them up in the back of the truck to discourage their missuse

Both angles of the bottom edge were Very Sharp, but the nose, the hook and the back were usually not sharp. I did know some folks that sharpend the edge of the hook toward the handle so that when small vines were hooked a quick jerk might cut them, but most just used the hook as a means of gathering cane or whatever into a convenient bundle to cut.

The mate to this jewel is in much worse shape and I may just let it rust away out in the pump house on a nail, but the current plan for the pictured blade is cleaning, cold bluing and feeding the wood some Howard's. I might polish up the rivets just for giggles.

Oh, and Mom and Dad sold the neatly cleaned lot that fall at a nice profit without building.

-kBob

 

[lemaymiami]

That's one heavy chopper.... and it got its current looks through sheer bloody work...

by the way - your Dad rates an attaboy from this corner.... Hard physical labor is something every young man needs (but don't ask them what they think about it....).

 

[JShirley]

Cane knives are the real deal. Available at very reasonable cost from several machete makers.

 

[Double_J]

I don't have experience with that exact style of brush chopper, but i have run a few latin american machetes in my life and they can cut like no ones business. the one i used to own came from a friend who did a mission trip to Honduras in the mid 90's.

We cleared several acres of brush with the ones he brought back. HOT, HARD WORK, and it taught lots of self disipline and work ethic. the trees and large stuff was dealt with by the tractor thankfully. Seeing what you worked with brought some memories back, not exactly pleasant memories but still good.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I need to get one soon to add to my working collection of hard work tools.

 

[kBob]

Should have been doing something else, but......

Found my bottle of Howards Feed and Wax atop a chest and leaning in the cornor formed by the chest and room was the cane knife this thread is about. After feeding the wood I rather liked the look of the wood, but in an effort to get back to constructive chores decided to walk the Howards and the Machette out to the shop. Not my fault there was sand paper laying on the counter next to the peg board wall I planned to hang the knife from! OK so technically it is my fault, but not a planned event.

Anyhow a sheet of 220 garnet demanded I make use of it and so I spent a bit of time sanding the blade by hand.

Turns out there was a makers mark on it under the Ferrous Oxide

COLLINS
MADE IN
COLUMBIA

Who would have thought it?

Actually the metal is not looking half bad under the rust. Might use a rattle can to paint it rather than cold blue.

Although I remembered digging with the thing I only just noticed the front flat surface does have a single bevel like a shovel or hoe though not very sharp as it is cut at a much greater angle than the cutting edge and as noted only on one side.


Given the condition of the steel under the rust I may have a go at the other one as well just to see how it turns out. No doubt it would be cheaper to just buy a new el cheap'o (currently doing yard work, well avoiding it at the moment) with a Chinese "Chop-saw" from tractor supply......and yes one handle rivet has taken off for parts unknown.

I am thinking this might get a new home in the family van. I have an idea for a holder rather than a sheath that may work to prevent unwanted cutting when in the van.

-kBob