Functional swords

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Antihero

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So, i live out in the woods and im often off in the woods and my land is nearly impassable as it is very heavily forested so when i walk in the woods i carry a sword.I know this sounds sorta crazy but they work better than machete's or axes.

Anyway thru the years ive used a couple cheap swords for trail clearing, one was a super cheap shortish full tang katana that worked ok, but the grip sucked so i retired it.

Right now im using one of these: http://www.trueswords.com/deluxe-king-leonidas-spartan-sword-replica-p-3066.html its probably the best 50 bucks ive spent, although the steel is so friggin hard and they didnt sharpen it well from the factory so i had to get a friend with a big angle grinder just to get an edge on it. It does have a definate downside though, the blade is around 3/4 of an inch thick :what: and it weighs about as much as my car. Sure i can cut thru forearm thick trees, and most cars with one mighty blow, but it can get tiring lugging it around.

So what im looking for is a lighter sword that can still do a good job of trail clearing but doesnt weigh several tons. Any ideas?
 
Yeah, quit goofing around with those things and get yourself a Cold steel Kopis.

I have one and I LOVE it.


Also, ditch the angle grinder and pick up a decent belt sander. I bought a Delta at Big Lots (whoda thunkit?)
 
Use what works for you, Me a 22 inch carbon steal Machete is Ok. YMMV


ditch the angle grinder and pick up a decent belt sander. I bought a Delta at Big Lots (whoda thunkit?)
Click to expand...

Yes, got mine at a yard sale, So many uses, it makes life so much simpler!
 
+1

There is no way a sword will work as well as a thin sharp machete for chopping brush.
The blade is too thick to give a clean slicing cut on saplings, etc.

Look at what the people who live & work the land in South America use.
If swords were better tools, they would all use swords.
But they don't.

rc
 
Bleah!

$10 right here. A little duck tape on the grip and you're good to go. I've owned 2 because my brother stole the first one he liked it so much. Got the original in a Pawn shop for $5.95 but that was 15 years ago.
 
Depends on what you're cutting.
When I was back in Southern Oregon and clearing the dreaded 3 M's (madrona, manzanita, and myrtle) I used something pretty similar to what you're packing.

Then I moved to Alabama and got a machete for the kudzu, yellow pine, and snakes.

Now I'm in South Texas, dealing with mesquite, hackberry, and prickly pear cactus. (Can you say FLAMETHROWER?)

I alternate between machete, bolo, and axe.

Mostly axe.
 
Antihero,

What part of the country do you live in and what sort of terrain and vegetation are you using it on?

There's hardly any doubt that there are better tools for brush and trail clearing than what you have been using, but it would help to know what sort of brush you're dealing with so the better options can be narrowed down.
 
Depends on what you're cutting.
When I was back in Southern Oregon and clearing the dreaded 3 M's (madrona, manzanita, and myrtle) I used something pretty similar to what you're packing.

Then I moved to Alabama and got a machete for the kudzu, yellow pine, and snakes.

Now I'm in South Texas, dealing with mesquite, hackberry, and prickly pear cactus. (Can you say FLAMETHROWER?)

I alternate between machete, bolo, and axe.

Mostly axe.
Click to expand...
Antihero,

What part of the country do you live in and what sort of terrain and vegetation are you using it on?

There's hardly any doubt that there are better tools for brush and trail clearing than what you have been using, but it would help to know what sort of brush you're dealing with so the better options can be narrowed down.
Click to expand...
Excellent posts:); sometimes you need a thin, light cutting tool sometimes a heavier, thicker one is the superior choice.

Speaking of heavier (as in heavier than a machete; the,"can be" much heavier, Kukuri having already been mentioned); the OP might want to check out a parang, golok or similar cutting tool.

While it might grate on some aficionados, I don't see a problem with the OP whacking vegetation on his property with a modern, factory made, (it would be shame to use a heirloom or something historically significant/modern master craftsman made) sword if he so desires. Personally, my choice would be a khukuri or machete, but I would not mind taking a few cuts with that Thai style sword on an aggressive mesquite:D

Regards,
Greg
 
Thanks for all the responses! Ill try to answer all the questions.

That thing holds an edge?
Click to expand...

Yes, very well actually, its made of almost absurdly hard steel.

Also, ditch the angle grinder and pick up a decent belt sander. I bought a Delta at Big Lots (whoda thunkit?)
Click to expand...

It was sorta a last ditch thing to remove as much steel as was needed. The factory "edge" was something like 5 degrees and i wanted it to be more axe-like. This required a lot of removal.

The Paul Chen Banshee Cutting Sword might be worth a look. There's a video on youtube of a guy splitting his firewood and slicing up some plastic bottles with one; it is definitely lighter side viewing, but I liked it.
Regards,
Greg
Click to expand...

Very interesting, im looking into this more.

There is no way a sword will work as well as a thin sharp machete for chopping brush.
The blade is too thick to give a clean slicing cut on saplings, etc.

Look at what the people who live & work the land in South America use.
If swords were better tools, they would all use swords.
But they don't.

rc
Click to expand...

The problem with machete's is they either bend from stress or stick into whatever im cutting. Also sometimes 2 hands are needed.

Lookie, Lookie!

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...ighlight=sword

http://www.sword-buyers-guide.com/au...se-swords.html

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...ighlight=sword

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...ighlight=sword

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...ighlight=sword
Click to expand...

Cool, ill take a look. Thanks

Antihero,

What part of the country do you live in and what sort of terrain and vegetation are you using it on?

There's hardly any doubt that there are better tools for brush and trail clearing than what you have been using, but it would help to know what sort of brush you're dealing with so the better options can be narrowed down.
Click to expand...

North Idaho, where the trees are so plentiful(at least on my land) they are more like weeds than "Majestic Wonders".

While it might grate on some aficionados, I don't see a problem with the OP whacking vegetation on his property with a modern, factory made, (it would be shame to use a heirloom or something historically significant/modern master craftsman made) sword if he so desires. Personally, my choice would be a khukuri or machete, but I would not mind taking a few cuts with that Thai style sword on an aggressive mesquite
Click to expand...

I actually posted something similiar awhile back on another forum and got a bunch of responses for thousand dollar handmade katanas and the like. There is no way im gonna expose a nice hand crafter expensive katana to what im doing to this. I dont really care for historical value or the like, heck i dont even like 300, i basically want a 2 handed machete or something similiar.

Chainsaws suck for smaller jobs because they are heavy to lug about. Axes suck because they're cutting edge is small and the are unwieldy and horrid for light brush. Machete's suck because they cant handle thicker stuff. All these observations are for my uses so its really IMO.
 
The problem with removing as much steel as possible is that you're going to get the edge hot enough to ruin the heat treat.

"absurdly hard" suddenly becomes "black, blue and ruined"
 
The problem with removing as much steel as possible is that you're going to get the edge hot enough to ruin the heat treat.

"absurdly hard" suddenly becomes "black, blue and ruined"
Click to expand...

He did a good job making sure he didnt overheat the steel, its not ruined in any way.
 
Since you're dealing with everything from brush to sapling size material and you live in an area similar to mine for vegetation you may want to try something like this -

598-0500-sml.jpg


It is referred to as a "German pattern machete", but I have something similar from Scandinavia that deals with 4" saplings/limbs and down as well as grasses and vines better than anything I've ever seen. It is light and very well balanced and isn't fatiguing to use. Their price on their "machete" is $50. At that price I'm probably going to purchase one and see if it matches my old Finnish brush hook.
 
This is what I use. I'm a forester and clear brush as part of my job. They do make a two-hand version for tough stuff. They are great because they will do everything a machete will do, but have a stiff enough blade to almost reach axe-type jobs. There is no flex to the blade at all (it is at least twice as thick as most machetes). And, when backpacking, the blunt end is useful for clearing out a fire pit. Were I to really consider using a sword for brush clearing, it would be a cutlass hands down.

Ash
 

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From the sounds of it, the two-handed Woodsman's Pal that Ash listed above should be perfect. If that's not a heavy enough blade, follow RyanM's suggestion and go with a Himalayan Imports kukri, I'd suggest something from the Ang Khola line. The cutting ability of a kukri is unbelievable.
 
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