I wonder if the wife asked Matt to clear something out in the garden? Then instead of just doing it he decided to make a video.

@Tumasch

5 жыл бұрын

Haven't we all been there?

@CAP198462

5 жыл бұрын

Could have used a modern garden tool too, but where’s the fun in that?

@conorfoster2337

5 жыл бұрын

Pretty sure if his wife really wanted it done she would use it as an excuse to get a few backsword swings in lol

@ajaxtelamonian5134

4 жыл бұрын

A modern one if you want to hand in your penis licence.

@nosajimiki5885

3 жыл бұрын

Or the opposite... she's been nagging hum for the last 6 moths to do this, and he's been using this "planned video" as an excuse to put it off.

A piece of coarse sandpaper wrapped around a piece of wood is the best axe sharpening tool when you're out camping. Lightweight, takes no space in the backpack and does the job.

@killerkraut9179

5 жыл бұрын

a Accu sharp is good and not over Expansive

@jtarkov1398

5 жыл бұрын

Alternatively, a puck and strop...? Sandpaper can lack a great deal in longevity and you still need a flat, hard surface to mount it on. It also lacks the cutting speed of other mediums, such as cbn or diamond.

Cool machete! I love spring steel. Thanks for the tutorial pal.

@holyknightthatpwns

5 жыл бұрын

Yo metatron, where'd you get the design for your profile picture? I love the look.

@metatronyt

5 жыл бұрын

@@holyknightthatpwns It's sacred geometry, it's called the Metatron's cube. The version I use is a stylised original version made for me by Shad from Shadiversity channel, which uses the Metatron's cube as a basis.

@killerkraut9179

5 жыл бұрын

Based the Symbol not of the star of David ?

@holyknightthatpwns

5 жыл бұрын

@@metatronyt nice! I love the color scheme as well. I was an early fan of your channel, I think I may get back into watching your work :)

@arimo3644

3 жыл бұрын

@@holyknightthatpwns do or do not,there is no try.

Here in Colombia, we use a stick shaped like a check mark symbol to pull the grass or bush an set it before the blow. Also, we use short continuous soft cuts with the wrist. That way you can do it for a longer time.

@Wetcorps

5 жыл бұрын

You know I'm currently looking at motorized brush cutters and despering at the overwhelmingly bad reviews modern power tools of all brands and price ranges tend to get, so I might end up doing just that :b

@conorfoster2337

5 жыл бұрын

I learned to do that the hard way lol

@Master...deBater

3 жыл бұрын

Come on...what could Colombians possibly know about machete bush craft???

@strydyrhellzrydyr1345

2 жыл бұрын

What do u mean by.. to pull the grass or bush.. an set it before ... What do u mean by that???

@hector_2999

2 жыл бұрын

@@strydyrhellzrydyr1345 You pull it to a side and hold it.

A toothy edge bites better than a smooth one. That's why you sharpen scythes with a coarse grindstone. I remember being yelled at by my father when I was young for sharpening the scythes with a fine oilstone afterwards. I just wanted them to be really sharp but he told me that the edge need to be toothy to better catch and cut the blades of grass. :)

@SonsOfLorgar

5 жыл бұрын

Good to know when my scythe needs sharpening next time

@Xmara01

5 жыл бұрын

smooth one good to hack bone.

@bakters

5 жыл бұрын

Just to avoid confusion, I guess you speak about the laminated steel British/American scythes, don't you? With Euro-style monosteel blades you reprofile the edge with peening, then use a fairly smooth sharpening stone just to keep it right there. I've been told that people used to use an oaken hone initially, all to keep the most edge for as long as possible. But obviously, when it gets dull you use a coarse stone.

@Immopimmo

5 жыл бұрын

@@bakters These were swedish forged scythes, not sure if they were laminated or not. But where I live we've always used local grindstones made from a fairly coarse sandstone, and sharpening stones made from the same stone to touch up the edge. For knives and the like, a harder finer stone is used to put the final edge on the tool but with scythes, axes and the like it seems they preferred a rougher, more toothy edge.

@bakters

5 жыл бұрын

@@Immopimmo I did a search and it seems that Swedes tend to use laminated blades. By that I mean that a layer of high carbon steel is sandwiched between two layers of mild steel, so you sharpen the blade by grinding off the soft layers to uncover the hard core. Those scythes can't be peened. You'd mash the soft with the hard together, and the hard core would crack. Most of Europe uses monosteel blades, which you harden by peening the edge. The advantage is simpler construction, lighter weight and (I think) ultimately better sharpness you tend to get. The disadvantage is that peeining is a skilled job. Anyway, using a smooth or even wooden "stones" at time does not mean that toothy blades don't bite better. They do. It's simply that peening by itself provides enough irregularities for good purchase, so using a coarse stone is initially not necessary.

The thumbnail made me chuckle thinking, _I gotta get me one of these "machete knife swords"_ !

@Maedelrosen

5 жыл бұрын

now i know how to sharpen my machete knife sword

@gregoryford5230

5 жыл бұрын

I think you just described a messer.

When I used to work in a butcher shop I learned the trick of using the unfinished bottom of a ceramic coffee cup to sharpen knives from some of the older butchers. I do it at home a lot and it works great.

@odoakerx5260

Жыл бұрын

I've heard of this trick too, but what does "works great" really mean? Because I tried this trick and... I didn't see any special effect, I couldn't cut the hair on my arm with a knife or do other "miracles".

@ryanwood6006

11 ай бұрын

That's really clever. Thanks for the tip

@cavalieroutdoors6036

5 ай бұрын

@@odoakerx5260 It's a quick 'n dirty way to make something sharp enough to cut meat in a pinch. But not something you'd use to get a blade sharp enough to pop hair.

Bring me a SHRUBBERY!

6:03 "A toothy edge is actually very good at getting through certain materials including…" … tomatoes! … … Oh, clothing, yeah, right, that's probably more useful in battle.

“Surrey Police, can I help you”.... “Yes..there’s a bald man in a pink t shirt attacking the bushes with a big sword” “Okay madam, well send some officers over straight away...do you think he might have any other weapons in the house.....?” 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@tohopes

5 жыл бұрын

Oi, he's got unloicensed gardening tools in there!

@tstodgell

5 жыл бұрын

* C O N T E X T *

@badlaamaurukehu

5 жыл бұрын

What did he say on Twitter?

@Likexner

3 жыл бұрын

Not funny, not realistic. Who calls the cops on someone waving a blade in their own back yard?

@pilgrim33

3 жыл бұрын

@@Likexner My neighbours.

Matt, try a scythe stone. I was introduced to them in Belize. I've sharpened with every tool imaginable and the scythe stone is nearly ideal for post filing/grinding, edge correction. It's handy to carry with you too. Because it has rounded corners it won't adversely blunt the angle of concave blades which is handy for recurve or that machete you have.

An Englishman with a billhook. Has anyone warned the French?

5 жыл бұрын

Toadies be like, "Sacrebleu!!"

@kyomademon453

5 жыл бұрын

The french cannons are unimpressed

@MrBigCookieCrumble

5 жыл бұрын

I burst my pimples at you and call your 'door opening request' a SILLY THING!

@althesmith

4 жыл бұрын

Never mind the frenchies, what about the Scottish knights? ( Reference to Flodden)

@theyoodoo

4 жыл бұрын

I thought they were called "Frogs".

I would definitely agree that hand sharpening is superior. As mentioned you dont mess up the heat treat but its also easier to get less secondary bevel. I working on sharpening my favorite side sword as we speak. Already sharpened my rapier, which i hate sharpening b/c narrow flattened diamonds are not the easiest to sharpen imo. Lol

I kept a old file as part of my kit when in the field.. This is exactly what I sharpened my bayonet,my pocket knife ,and my Etool with .. Razor sharp ..

I use sandpaper almost exclusively for sharpening. I have a little quick-change sanding block that holds 1/8 of a sheet. I step up through grits from 60 to 1500 then two stages of buffing compound for a beautiful hair-popping edge.

@MrBottlecapBill

5 жыл бұрын

I do the same at work to touch up the industrial paper cutter blades. They never get really DULL......but you can make they insane sharp with sandpaper a block and a bit of love.

@JackSilver1410

5 жыл бұрын

Same. I use a scandi edge on all the knives I make so they're pretty much getting polished and sharpened during the final step.

I always thought Matt used a super dry stone to sharpen his blades.

@-Zevin-

3 жыл бұрын

Old comment but it's pretty great because the stone he does use is a dry stone. The fallkniven dc4 is a combination diamond / synthetic sapphire stone that needs no lubrication, no water no oil, It is a super dry stone.

@bo_392

3 жыл бұрын

@@-Zevin- yo appreciate the comment. that's cool.

Been handsharpening small blades by hand since i was 6 years old and this is the best how to hand sharpening video i have seen and i even learned something new. keep up the good work Mr Easton.

I cut down bamboo a lot for firewood, and I sharpen my machete with... a big rock. Any nearby rock. I just look for a flat part and grind against that. I was half-expecting this video to chastise me for that lol.

@forlornfoe352

4 жыл бұрын

A simple rock is an excellent choice, especially when the goal is not to make an everlasting razor edge... Glad to hear the basics are not completely forgotten.

@robertvondarth1730

Жыл бұрын

You can grind two flat rocks together to make them even smoother

As someone who sharpens professionally, I commend you Matt for a magnificently well informed and experienced video with a great deal of appreciation. I'm amazed by all the bases you covered for folks that might be new to the sharpening community- foil edges/burrs, overheated factory edges, etc. Just something else, toothy edge are not usually inferior in edge holding to a fine edge! That almost always comes down to chemistry of the blade, heat treat, carbide formation, cutting, etc. Then cutting medium. New alloys allow for 'toothy' edges to cut for extreme performance. Also, hand sharpened edges almost always have a natural convex to them- this can be very good!

@PatchCornAdams723

5 ай бұрын

I know this is an old comment, but where do you begin when it comes to sharpening a factory unsharpened sword? It seems daunting and I can't find any info on it

Thanks for your video. I was applying those methods already with some small addings (personal preferences). I have been trying to sharpen decently knives and axes for several years and as you said in your video it can take some time to get a result. I remember 2 years ago I persevered spending 30 minutes to sharpen an axe and I got it for the first time hair shaving sharp. This encouraged me to have more perseverance and learn the skill better. Thanks for sharing your experience.

"...and also if you're having a cutting party". You've got some weird parties mate.

@falconJB

4 жыл бұрын

I knew some 'goth' kids in high school that had cutting parties but not the kind Matt is talking about.

25 mins without saying context once, I'm impressed.

Interesting! I have a Cold Steel Cutlass Machete that's likely nowhere near cutlass quality (though I do manage the 6 cut drill with it surprisingly well), but was dirt cheap and I do have a fair amount of brush that grows around the yard, so figured why not. One thing I have heard about it is that it lose its edge quickly, so it's nice to know that I could sharpen it with a file.

Theres just something about sharpening manually by hand that always seems to produce feelings of greater satisfaction, compared to when relying on a machine. Crazy looking back and thinking about how many times ive just sat around hand sharpening my tools/blades that didnt need to be sharpened, or how many edges that ive dulled from being overly aggressive with my tools, giving me another opportunity to practice and improve my sharpening. Time well spent in my book haha.

You begin the fit the role of sensei more and more - you have a garden. When your students are endlessly carrying buckets of water to your plants, doing digging and weeding, etc - you'll be there. It's physical conditioning! "How can you swing a sword when you cannot dig a hole?"-SwordMaster, Afro Samurai. I think the shovel is the foundation of the spear. With a machete that size I can beat a chainsaw at chopping down spruce and cottonwood trees for a few trees. I've done it against people who know how to use a chainsaw, it wasn't a large one but not a mini-chainsaw either. Eventually I get tired and fall behind, but for most things most of the time man > machine. Especially if taking time to fuel, oil, prime, start, and perhaps fix the machine is taken into account. I can cut a lot before most people get their saw started. Since I was 8 or 9 I've been chopping down trees adults can't wrap their arms around with a machete, which I think works better than a hatchet or wood-cutting axe. The bite is deeper because of the thin blade, so you can surgically remove the pieces needed to reach the middle by cutting diagonal 45s up and down, which is actually how I learned to throw those attacks. A claw hammer is best tho, rip with the part for removing nails and large chunks come out from deep parts of the tree and are removed as the hammer is withdrawn. When I would put false edges on machetes or sharpen them on a grinding wheel at the shop I quickly saw what I called "poisoning the blade" with heat. So I would "quench" them in the snow outside (which can be 20+ feet deep in my town), and eventually just kept a 5 gallon bucket of snow water by the wheel. I like blades to be ice cold before I grind on them, and I move them quickly on the worksharp and use a finer grade than I should by throwing more time at it. I had no idea the entire heat treatment could be ruined tho! I'll be careful, thanks.

Turning chores into wonderful and informative lessons. A man after my own heart.

Brilliant presenter with real experience, so many great videos but this one stands out to me as a very useful intro for blade fans who don't enjoy or feel comfortable trying to sharpen their blades. Lots of solid advice here. I was a terrible sharpener before I tried experimenting with inexpensive wet/dry sand paper glued to solid blocks. I started with some bushcraft advice on stropping wood carving knives but soon progressed to axes and chisels. With a little practice and patience wicked edges are easy with so many tools. Smooth, sharpen, enjoy, they are your tools...

Finally someone agrees with me about the toothy edge! When using a knife to cut thread or rope the tooth is extremely valuable as it allows effective sawing. Smooth polished edges tend to just slide off harder fibers like polyester or mercerized cotton.

A file is my go to for tools like axes and machetes. Very easy to touch up and minimal tools to cary around. The lansky puck stones are pretty decent too.

Perfect I need to sharpen my gardening machete.

@myparceltape1169

3 жыл бұрын

I remember using a strong blade about 6 inches long fixed to a stout wooden handle above 30 inches long. Not especially sharp to the hand, but good for cutting Briar and other bushes. Also made it possible to defoliate an old Rhododendron bush and then cut into the place where the 4 inch branches came from. Sound changed from "Pang" to "Whach".

My wife grew up in East Africa cutting brush with a panga a lot like the first one with the outside edge was sharpened. They were sharpened with a cheap Chinese file, usually to a chisel edge. The toothy edge was pretty much universal, and they get used on everything from rough butchering to cutting down African ebony.

You know, i made a video showing how to sharpen a katana using sandpaper, but for most katana lovers it was a sacrilege. For me what matters is to keep the blade cutting.

@Divine_Serpent_Geh

4 жыл бұрын

Luciano Silva I’ve seen your video Luciano. Very good and guess what? It works. It works very well. If the sword cuts, it cuts.

Thanks very much for this - this was just what I needed.

I have used files for many years to sharpen axes and machetes. A very good tool.

Thanks Mat, have been sharpening with a basic lansky sharpener for years (bought in 1992), but avoiding doing my swords as it seemed insurmountable with my small kit. you've given me ideas on how to fix my collection. Thanks!

Outstanding TUTORIAL !!! Thx Matt !!

In my experience a thin bevel of about 15° per side works best for machetes, including those used for chopping woody targets. Even very inexpensive machetes--providing they're of good base quality--will hold up just fine for that purpose. When sitting with a machete one may put one end under the thigh and the other end atop your remaining one for a vise-like grip on the tool while filing/grinding it. Coarse scythe stones do well for maintaining edges or ironing out minor damage, as well as raising a slightly more refined (but still toothy) edge after the use of a file. Draw filing works well as a method of establishing the initial bevel.

I used to carry my sharpening kit in my rucksack when I was in the army. It consisted of 2 files (coarse and fine mill bastards), a stone with 2 kinds of grit, wrapped up by a piece of old denim that was used enough to provide more grit. No need for oil, the Canadian Army always had plenty to keep our antique MGs operating. I added the coarse mill bastard after I had to repair something, and the fine bastard took too long in the middle of nowhere. I never regretted carrying the weight, and it save my ass a number of times.

Watched tons of Machete sharpening videos before this with a lot of not very competent people which also where not very likeable. Now I watched yours and everything is exactly the opposite to all the other videos I watched. Thanks a lot!

while using a Machate, your opposing leg must back in you pivot using the leg of your working hand. That avoids accidents.

brazilian machetes are really good i myself would recommend you the tramontina brand they make really good machetes and knives

@13bravoredleg18

5 жыл бұрын

A 14" Tramontina Bolo is my favorite. Great little chopper!

@GabrielfoBR

5 жыл бұрын

I'm Brazilian and I had no idea our machetes were liked abroad. Good to know.

@victorwaddell6530

5 жыл бұрын

@@GabrielfoBR I own two 18" Tramontinas and they're my favorite machetes . I'm American , but Trammys beat American machetes hands down in my opinion . I gave one to a friend as a wedding gift as she wanted me to teach her bushcraft and survival skills . I also gave her a Mora Knife .

@najroe

5 жыл бұрын

Condor and tramontina are ok blades, have four, two machete (one of each) and two condor knives, all decent edges and hold them about same as mora knife, that is ok workblade but not superior, and for 95% it is just what you need.

@velazquezarmouries

5 жыл бұрын

@@najroe yep

This is a killer video. I have been sharping my blades from the age of 14 I'm 50 now I make knives swords and Tomahawks on a hobby becoming a second income basis . If done by hand? Once YOU have ground an edge profile on your blade and have it sharp . Never let anyone else say. "Lemme sharpen your knife". Unless they can repeat the angle of attack you use. They will end up dicking your edge up.. Even if they sharpen it it'll take them a while . Then what will happen is. Once it needs sharping again. And you put the edge to what ever medium you use. You will have to start from zero and reprofile your blade again. I have done it so long. I can take any of my blades from dull to shave sharp in less than five minutes. There used to be What we called Tinkers here in the US in the larger cities. That's all they did was push a cart around. Yelling out Sharpen your knives scissors axes. Ladies would stop them and they would sharpen their knives. They came by regular and did this. Here in the South and smaller towns The blacksmith often did this. Or the man of the house did all the edge work. I have 4 or 5 folks who bring me their hunting knives skinning and gutting blades I also do their carry knives I profiled them from new and keep them sharp for a buck or two. Five to ten for a reprofile after they either let someone else ruin the edge or if they dent or bend the edge and I need to do file work. Here is something that not alot know. When you want to use a ceramic stone. To finish up after your stone work on your carry blade?. The bottom of a Ceramic Coffee or Tea cup. When they fire the cups in the kiln to glaze them. The glaze never makes it to where the very bottom touches the kiln surface . This leaves a very smooth raw ceramic ring. That will take your knife from sharp to cut your eye if you look at it to hard sharp. Just a few pulls the same angle you used on your last stone. That's if your last stone was fine and got the blade sharp but not shave or cut paper sharp. This is one of the best finishing stones I have ever found. Best of all everyone has several already. Make sure to wipe it down once you see the black or grey color.That's actual microns thick of blade on it. That fine tinfoil thick edge that formed from the stone work. It takes the blade to scalpel sharp if done right at the same angle you used.

@kleinjahr

4 жыл бұрын

A terra cotta flower pot works too.

You should give as a tour of your new garden, seems quite lovely!

I have one of those downward-curved machetes. Mine was made in Ghana, probably in the 70s, and it was given to my by a Ghanaian man who had been living in Minnesota for 25 years or something. He sold his house to a friend of mine, because he was going to move back to Ghana, and he was cleaning out his garage, and here was this rusty old blade, one of the handle scales missing. I cleaned it up a bit and made new handle scales out of African mahogany, which seemed an appropriate choice. It's a good springy blade and keeps an edge pretty well.

He kept talking for so long, that I was starting to worry the bush was going to get away...

I've used the back of another blade as a steel when working in a volunteer kitchen. Astonished the owner of the blades, as i did them all over a morning's work, as he'd never sharpened them himself. Taught him how to use a steel and told him to go buy one.

It should be noted that depending on the steel and heat treatment even a proper file may be dulled because the material hardness may be in the same range as the file. However chainsaw files are made harder than standard mill files to work on the hardened teeth of chainsaws.

@SuperOtter13

5 жыл бұрын

A fairly fine toothed chainsaw file is what I use to keep my machetes sharp in the field. Very handy

@netyr4554

5 жыл бұрын

Isn't that more to do with modern files being shoddy quality, about the only mill files worth bothering with now are Bahco. The chainsaw files are a good call, especially for a hooked blade.

@victorwaddell6530

5 жыл бұрын

My uncle used to work on looms in a cotton mill and kept Nicholson files in his tool boxes . Modern files are trash for the most part . My uncle taught me to never draw a file backwards , that ruins the teeth in no time flat . He also taught me to use a file card and oil to keep the files clean and rust free .

It is so great to finally hear someone say all of this.

*To easily sharpen a Machete* You must soak it first with the blood of your enemies

@nirfz

4 жыл бұрын

and i thought that would be inbetween to cool the blade down...

@romanstaniszewski1030

4 жыл бұрын

DON'T TEMPT MEXICANS LOL

@jscarpa2002

4 жыл бұрын

Don't tell that to MS 13.

Talked to much about about sharpening stuff, completely missed the sneaking enemy at 9:01 in the trees behind! :D

@johnhanley9946

4 жыл бұрын

I didn't see anything...

@pietaushamburch6128

4 жыл бұрын

@@johnhanley9946 There is a mouse or squirrel or something in a tree.

As far as I'm aware, axes, despite common internet heresay, are not any less dull than a knife if they're meant to be used for heavy chopping tasks with the exception being swamping axes used near the ground. A reference for this can be seen in Dudley Cook's "The Axe Book". The angle most commonly found in his experience at the edge is 30 degrees, a similar angle to many machetes, but that is typically for only a 16th of an inch behind the edge less than most primary bevels on machetes. After that, it rounds over to 15 degrees, then 5 degrees. These are average figures mind you, not specifics or needed qualifications. On page 80 of Dudley Cook's "The Axe Book" he states that a sharp axe is sharp enough to shave with, criticizing dull axes as being unsafe. Similarly in a 1999 manual released by the US department of agriculture it states that a sharpened axe should be able to shave. This is not a statement on grit or toothy edges, to be clear. Files were and for many people still are the primary way to sharpen an axe, and the 'grit' or 'tooth' of an edge is independent of its ability to shave. People have been able to reach shaving sharp on a 60 grit cinderblock before. This is more a statement on edge angles and the supposed "wedge" like nature of axe edges. From personal experience in cutting a moderate amount of wood (two cords, as of now, from standing tree to bucked and split wood with just an axe, no saw.) I am able to push the angle of the edge extremely low, ie 20 degrees with no ill consequences even in the toughest of woods such as osage orange, hickory, and black locust. Anything beyond 15 degrees and below tends to roll on the first hit. Two others who, to my knowledge, have similar opinions are Steven Edholm and Ben Scott -- both of which are far more skilled and experienced with an axe than me. Anyway that was a long post about something you briefly mentioned as an aside.

@VK-sz4it

5 жыл бұрын

I feel like it is really complicated topic. At least more complicated then Matt presented it. Also important point is that nowdays steel used for axes is supposed to be much tougher and/or harder. On other side, I doubt you can do shaving sharp on a 60 grit cinderblock if steel is hard enough, and even with soft steel it is, probably, those teeth that are biting in that give false feeling of sharpness.

@victorwaddell6530

5 жыл бұрын

I sharpen my Cold Steel Trail Hawk and Estwing hatchet to shaving sharp . I don't do axe work much , so my axe stays moderately sharp with a carborundum stone .

@robertvondarth1730

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the informational post

double sided diamond hones are amazing, expensive but worth every penny.

Just one thing missing from this rather nice and practical presentation: the good old natural stone. Whenever you're hiking or working in some remote area with a tool knife or a machete you can sharpen it on virtually any stone or boulder you can find at the site that has one reasonably flat side on it. Flat river stones work best, as running water polishes them to a fine regular surface, that's what our ancestors used before the advent of purpose made sharpening stones. Regarding steel quality in modern machetes you're generally right, but there are exceptions, one being what I'm currently using: Tramontina blades. This Brazilian company uses 1045 tool steel which has quite good edge retention and is strong enough for the job, they keep the price down by using very basic wooden handles which is a great idea i.m.o. as it doesn't take much to refine or even replace it at home if you want to.

@victorwaddell6530

5 жыл бұрын

I reccomend Tramontinas .

Hi Matt. I've cut and fitted a file like yours to the same size than my honing stones. It fits perfectly on my edge pro apex. Ideal for grinding a blade to the edge geometry without wasting my precious stones.

Every time I watch a Schola video, I always wonder: what kind of existence must one lead to dislike this?

I normally use a butcher steel or a ceramic rod for what I use outside. Throw in a strop for stuff I use inside. Of course if you lack all skill at this you can get one of the little v shaped sharpeners and use it. You'll still get a decent working edge.

I usually use a butcher steel or a ceramic rod on large blades. May use them on smaller blades. You can use what ever you want. I do have a couple of hockey pucks.

Now I'm thinking about building a sharpening system like the "edge pro apex" but scaled for swords. Having a constant angle really helps to achieve high quality sharpening and allows you to put more pressure on the stones, thus gaining time.

Well done. Thank you!

Safety Tip. When swinging at low foliage don’t stand with opposite side leg forward. Good chance of the blade swinging through and burying itself in your shin bone. I seen some horrible leg injuries from this. Or you can hold a wooden pole /staff in your off hand and position in front of the offside leg.

I think that the instructions for maintenance of a sabre were taken from De Brack who went on to say that if the edge angle was wrong, essentially you're better off swinging a club. He made a point npi mentioning how troopers carried a stone or fine file and mentioned specifically sharpening in a direction that the sword would bite better in a draw cut.

The idea that an axe does not need to be very sharp is only correct for splitting. For cutting across the grain you will really benefit from a good polished edge.

Helpful and informative. Thank you.

That was really helpful, thanks 😉

Another DC4 fan! I love mine, I'm glad that they finally released the DC52, a full bench sized version. Makes my life easier lol

I have a few really cheap, stainless 'steel' cooking knives, which lose their edque rather quickly. After I run the blade over the back of another knife 20x in either direction, it's good enough for cutting onions and tomatos

I found for saplings my WW2 Collins bush knife worked very well- fairly short but very sturdy- read heavy-blade. It was decent with a relatively dull edge- by my standards, anyway- but once I took it to the belt grinder it was superb, much less effort.

For sharpening ice axes and crampons, a file is perfect and what I always carry on trips.

Very interesting approach to gardening indeed! :D

I prefer a low carbon steel machete, although they do dull kind of quickly they are much easier to sharpen than stainless. I have a stainless machete out in my garage and several stainless knife blades that have convinced me that stainless steel is a pain in the rear end to sharpen. So I keep my kiw carbon knives nice with a good CLP and I sharpen them regularly and they remain nicely sharpened with a just a little bit of maintenance.

Thanks for Sharing!👍

Glad you posted this. I have a machete that needs sharpening.

One of my favorite things for sharpening is sandpaper. It's critical that you have a smooth, flat surface to lay it on however. I use either a 12"x12" 'quarry tile', a floor tile cut from stone that is very hard, smooth, and flat. Or, a thick piece of glass of a similar size. (big enough to hold a full sheet of sand paper. I like a piece that is 3/8" thick so it is not easily broken) If the blade is really dull, I can use very coarse grit to get a quick edge that I can then refine with finer grits. Typically though I start with 600-880 grit for knife sharpening and then move up through1200, 1600, and 2000. When you get to 2000 grit you are basically 'honing', polishing the edge for durability and a razor finish. For a machete or similar implement, you are absolutely correct, a bastard file is perfect. keep it in your back pocket for quick touch ups. For blades that I don't care about, but need to keep quickly sharp, sometimes I'll even stoop to using one of those carbide sharpeners, the ones with two pieces of carbide set in an angle. You drag it along the blade and in just a couple of passes you have a usable 'toothy' edge.

I actually used sandpaper to sharpen some kitchen knives. Worked a treat! However dont do it in the kitchen...

With the Goloks we use to be issued with a mill file. Use that and when we needed a better edge we just used a rock pointing out the ground and wet it.

I still use a whitestone at times, but have found the convenience of a file and wet/dry paper on a wood block very good, especially if you need something while out in the field... the variety of grits and the affordability make it very worthwhile, especially for a novice... with practice you can get pretty well any type of edge you are looking for

The ability to hand sharpen is a 'must have' skill for knife folks. Reason being, the Work Sharp, and, belt grinders, in general, don't travel or work well out in the field. 🤪 Nice machete, Matt! 👍 I'd love to add one of that pattern in my machete collection.

I have always used a flat file and different grades of sand paper. With the machetes I sometimes used in the American south, the flat file would keep you going all day. A fine edge on something being used like a machete, would just turn, or so I think. A slightly ragged edge tears as much as it cuts, which is why it gets through clothing and leather when slashing. Some sand paper is now coated with aluminium oxide. That is for the final shiny finish. I use those for finishing my lock picking tools.

I've seen very a good edge put on tools and "corn knife" and machete with a pair of fine double basted files. Actually sharp enough to shave the hair on your arm. And for sand paper the metal version is called emery paper for one name. These go to extremely fine grit. 3000 is the highest I've seen and is used to polish. With a little creativity making a sharpening guide you can get a remarkable edge. As you keep emphasizing, the angle or geometry is important. For a test get an old beat up spade shovel and a new shovel. Put a 30° edge on the new shovel and polish the entire head. Go dig a hole and anyone can see how a properly sharpened tool makes work easier.

so useful thx bud

Cutting parties are absolutely my favourite.

That looks like the love child of a machete and a brush hook!

I have a very similar machete which was sold as a cane cutters tool for the sugar plantations they were made by martindale in birmingham for the british empire I always found the best way to sharpen is with a flap disc on a hand grinder- a quick stroke along the blade on one side then the other- don't let any heat build up or the temper is ruined.

Just a quick tip I get a slightly higher angle each time i use finer abrasive it gets your edge convex and not the best looking. But you can get from dull to shaving sharp much faster

@Divine_Serpent_Geh

4 жыл бұрын

Wgg Wfg People forget how important edge geometry is. Simple things like that can keep your blade from getting stuck in targets to sailing/cleaving through them. Excellent tip!

A good quality mill file, like a Pferd, will eat metal very quickly and with a great deal of control. Great for establishing a bevel on a newly forged blade.

Interesting video Matt! This resembles the south Indian arivaal which is originally meant to be used as a machete for chopping wood or branches or for agricultural purposes but it's quite famously now used as a weapon by most of them. Would love to see some research done by you on the topic and another video of it.

A machete is a great tool for brush trimming. I have two good long ones. One that rings like a singing sword, one so stout that with a guard would be a not too short cutlass. Every good boy and girl should get a good machete for their 12th birthdays. With practice they're quicker than clippers at taking large branch's limbs off for bundling (I have too many trees in the first place). In addition, the arm swinging athletics of machete use are more invigorating than most other yard tools. There's also that it's a tool where skill maters. A miss-use can end in stitches. I did a little slash on my calf back in the 1980's while building a wikiup. That's all part of the virtue of this great yard tool.

I often sharpen my kitchen knives with the bottom of a dish. You know, the slightly rough circular ridge where it normally stands. It works like a charm.

Thank you very much for this sharpening tutorial, I appreciate it, and learned something I can use. The one thing I wish would have been of more focus in this video, is how to properly address the curved part of the particular blade you were sharpening. I've watched some other tutorials on this, but at this point in time, I do not yet have the confidence to own and attempt to sharpen a curved blade like the one you sharpened.

I you have it a little bit backwards with the sandpaper vs stones, the reason you would go with a stone instead sandpaper is if you sharpen a lot and you want to save money. Where I live I can get a stone for about 40-50 times the cost of sheet of wet and dry and you get way more than 50 sheets of sharpening with a stone. On the other hand if you absolutely have to get something flat it's pretty hard go past a sheet of wet and dry attached to a sheet of glass.

10 out of 10, would watch matt do the gardening again.

Nice I have a Czech Machete with a snarling wolf as a makers mark thats about a yard long. And the toothy edge thing makes me think of reenactment where you have to de burr swords and polearms before going on the field because of that very reason.

Yeah, don't take your swords to a 'professional' sharpener, he'll put it on a belt sander and ruin it. He doesn't have hours to do it by hand. : o

I like to use a long handled slasher myself, basically a socketed billhook of questionable quality steel on the end of a pole. What it lacks in finesse it makes up for in punch. Even though the blade is a relative lightweight it has the power to take down a small sapling, and sometimes I will use it more like a machete with my hand choked up further towards the blade. I just use a cheap tungsten sharpener on it to tidy up the edge now and then.

@garrenbrooks9703

5 жыл бұрын

Some folks call it a sling blade, i call it a Kaiser blade

It is also good to keep a whetting iron at hand if you have just bent your edge! You simply straighten back up the edge with it! It saves much time and material, since you are not sharpening it off and what not! (especially with a fine edge)

Good presentation of how to sharpen a blade. Maintaining the angle of the edge is vital to getting a good cutting edge. I just wonder if you use a leather strop to finish a really fine edge? As for axes, if I need to do some serious chopping I will sometimes get them shaving sharp.

This exact shape and make is a traditional blade in Tamil Nadu, India called Aruval. Literally translated to Chop Blade. It's used for almost everything from cutting wood, opening coconuts, butchering goats, settling disputes with people, etc. It is usually depicted as the weapon of the God Ayyanar in villages.

Personally Iv'e never come across any difficulty with belt sanders. All you need to do is check the blade every now and then by touching it, so long as it's not uncomfortable to touch from the heat your fine.

@SonsOfLorgar

5 жыл бұрын

If it uses a cloth belt, I guess you could arrange a dripping garden hose above it for additional cooling?

Most machetes arrive pretty blunt, and same for some swords. Have an oilstone or whetstone ready.

I'm wondering if Lucy appreciates Your fine gardening skills!