It’s not difficult to make a machete with your own hands if you have an old saw, an angle grinder and a sanding disc on hand. We offer a small workshop on how to make a large knife from an outdated two-handed saw. Possessing a large cutting surface and cutting force, the machete is indispensable for making a path through thickets, as well as for preparing camp food and protection from wild animals.

You can make a machete with your own hands if you have an old two-handed saw lying around the house. The flexible and durable blade of a tool that has fallen into disrepair is valuable here.

It's no secret that a machete is just a long and wide knife. Its initial use was in the harvesting of sugar cane and bananas on tropical islands and in Latin America.

Subsequently, agricultural tools turned into a serious type of military weapon, which was repeatedly used in local conflicts. Many will also remember adventure and action films where machetes are shown. Actually, thanks to films, this type of large knife gained fame.

As a peaceful item, the machete is effective for cutting a path through dense bushes and tall grass. Due to its long length, it can be used for protection from wild animals and cutting up hunting prey.

If you don’t have an ordinary knife or can opener at hand, a homemade machete can also come in handy in cooking. They can open a jar canned meat, chop vegetables and herbs to cook delicious hot food on the campfire recipe with stewed meat .

DIY machete making technology

To make a knife big size, You will need a canvas old saw, long (up to 2.5-3 meters) rope or paracord.

The tools you will need are a grinder and, preferably, a sanding disc, as well as sandpaper.

You will also need a pencil and a ruler, but the latter is more likely for drawing straight lines, because, ideally, a machete made by yourself should correspond to your individual physiological parameters.

So the length cutting blade will be equal to the distance from the elbow part of the arm to the joints of the clenched hand. The part that is rounded at the end is 10 centimeters from the tip to the beginning of the rounding. Moreover, the rounding can be done both from the bottom side, and from the top and bottom (like the bow of a ship, if you stand on the deck).

The length of the handle is the width of eight fingers folded. The thickness of the handle is two fingers. By the way, be sure to leave a couple of centimeters of protrusion down at the end of the handle. This is necessary so that the rope from which the handle winding will be made does not slip off.

Having taken measurements according to your personal parameters and drawn even contours on the saw blade using a pencil and ruler, you can begin cutting out the desired shape with a grinder.

Be sure to trim so that there are no nicks left. Then use a sanding disc to remove rust from the surface.

Use a 25-degree blade to sharpen the edge on both sides of the cutting surface. At the same time, leave a blunt indentation of a couple of centimeters on the side of the handle. Finally, sand the surface with sandpaper.

All that remains is to tightly wrap the rope around the handle so that it is comfortable in the palm of your hand. This is where the protrusion you made will come in handy, on which you can fix the edge of the winding. Alternatively, the handle can be made of wood or plastic.

A large knife made by yourself will definitely serve you in the forest and thickets of tall grass or reeds. And, of course, this formidable weapon should be used only for peaceful purposes!

The weekend was a success, the program was completed to the maximum:
1 A vegetable garden of 20 acres was dug up, potatoes were planted;
2 on the grave of grandfathers (participants of the Second World War) was removed;
3rd annual, family trip to the forest to the melt water lake “Arka Kul” - completed;
The 4th annual restoration of ancient products and the invention of something new is being fulfilled.
This year the question is “what to do?” didn't even appear. An old grandfather’s object immediately caught my eye - it was something intended for cutting beets, etc., even my hardened father could not say the exact name, “it’s just a Kuinya for Cutting,” he said. I decided to call it HDR.
As can be seen in the figure, the HDR consists of a body (connected to each other by a bolt-nut system, bars) and a cutter (once well sharpened). The cutter gave me the idea to make a machete.


The way the HDR works is simple: you lift the cutter by the handle, insert the beets between the body and the cutter, and grunt along it.
I took the HDR apart piece by piece.

Cutter width 36 mm, length 470 mm, thickness 2 mm. In principle, the characteristic is sufficient for a knife.




I decided to use a machine to cut the edge and the place for the handle at an angle.




The result is something like this.


More like a large knife than a machete.

Workpiece dimensions: blade length 350 mm.
The remaining metal will be used to make an awl, etc.

After all preparatory work I asked my father to sharpen the workpiece on a special machine.


Rate it!
The next step is to polish the metal, but there are problems - the rust is deeper in places than expected (on the ribs). Then hardening the metal with lowering cutting edge into waste machine oil. (There is a need?)
Now another problem arose, and a very important one, how to make the handle. There are many ways, but I couldn’t find a knife that was suitable for this particular knife. I thought about using a 5x5 cm wooden block as a basis.


Roughly speaking, cut in half, drill holes and connect with rivets. But something in this design confuses me and whether it will be necessary to install a guard.
I would be grateful if you could tell me or give me an idea.
Thank you for your attention! I hope you liked the preparation.
I will prepare the second part of the article after all work is completed.

In many films, the machete is demonstrated as a weapon that helps the main character defend against enemies or, conversely, attack them. In fact, this tool serves quite trivial agricultural needs. IN Latin America with its help they cut sugar cane or make their way through the impenetrable thickets of the jungle. In our latitudes, a machete can be used as a tool for woodworking. You can make a machete with your own hands. This will require you to have certain skills and availability appropriate tool. The materials for making this knife are quite ordinary, you can find them without much effort.

Materials

Before starting work, prepare:

• a piece of thin hardened steel, maybe a little rusty;
• paracord;
• a piece of leather;
• leather rivet;
• gypsy needle or awl;
• waxed thread;
• leather finishing wax;
• sandpaper;
• grinder;
• knife sharpening tool;
• propane torch;
• hammer;
• container with water.

You can find a piece of hardened steel anywhere, you just need to look carefully. In this case, a rectangular piece of steel found near the railroad tracks was used to create the machete.

Step 1. Using chalk, draw the characteristic shape of a machete on a piece of steel. Don't forget to draw a handle.

Step 2. Cut out the blank for the machete using a grinder. Be sure to follow safety precautions. Do not wear loose clothing that may become tight, and protect your eyes and hands while working. For convenience when working with an angle grinder, clamp the piece of steel itself in a vice.

Don't forget to cut out the handle. Make it big, you will need it to form the handle of the machete.

Step 3. Sharpen your knife. To make it easier, you can give this workpiece to a blacksmith or do all the work yourself, heating the machete blade with a propane torch and immersing it in a container of cold water as needed.

Step 4. Wrap paracord around the handle of the machete. Place the twists of the cord tightly and tighten them firmly. Be sure to secure the paracord so that it does not unravel while working. Secure the ends of the paracord using a large needle.

It is necessary to wrap the handle of the machete. This will make it more convenient for you to work: the steel will not cut into your hand, and the machete will not slip out of it.

Step 5. Cut a case for a machete from a piece of leather. Repeat the shape of the blade, but remember to leave a few inches for seams and fit. Try on the resulting pattern. If everything is in order, use an awl to make holes in the leather. Try to make the intervals between them equal. Sew the parts of the cover together using waxed thread or leather cord.

Sew a small strap to the case. Attach parts of one rivet to the case and strap. The strap will allow the machete to be securely held in the case, and if necessary, by unfastening the rivet, you can easily take out the knife itself. WITH reverse side Sew a small rectangular piece of leather onto the cover. So, ready product It will be convenient to wear on a belt.

With which you can successfully fight your enemies. In fact, this knife serves quite peaceful purposes. For example, in Latin America, machetes are used to cut sugar cane or to make their way through impassable jungles. A machete is a great thing for tourists and hunters. It is quite possible to make it yourself, if you have necessary tools and some skills.

For work you will need materials:
thin plate of hardened steel,
paracord - lightweight nylon rope with a core
a small piece of leather
leather rivet,
waxed thread or thin leather cord,
leather finishing wax,
chalk, container with water.

Required tools:
Bulgarian,
sandpaper,
knife sharpening tool,
awl, gypsy needle,
propane burner,
hammer.

Step 1. Scheme and pattern

Surely you have a suitable piece of hardened steel in your household. Draw a diagram of the future knife on thick paper. Cut out, and using the design as a template, transfer the design onto the steel plate using chalk. Don't forget to draw a handle.

Step 2. Preparing the machete

Using a grinder, cut out the workpiece. Do not neglect safety precautions - wear gloves and safety glasses. Pre-clamp the plate in a vice. Make a wide cut on the handle; it will be needed to form the handle of the machete.

Step 3. Sharpening

Now sharpen your knife. You can do this yourself by heating the blade with a propane heating pad and cooling it as needed in a container of cool water.

Step 4: Machete Handle

Make a handle. Wrap the handle tightly with paracord. Apply the turns of the cord, pulling it with force. Secure the ends of the cord well using a gypsy needle. If you have carpentry skills, you can make the handle wooden.

Step 5. Sewing the cover

The machete requires a sheath. For this you will need a piece of leather. Cut it out using a paper template, leaving a couple of centimeters for seams and hems. Try on the resulting workpiece. If everything is in order with the dimensions, make holes on the leather with an awl, at an equal distance from each other. Sew both parts of the cover together with leather cord or waxed thread.

Step 6. Clasp

Sew a short strap to the case for fastening. Attach two parts of one rivet to the strap and case.

A strap with a rivet will securely hold the machete in its sheath. WITH inside Sew a small rectangle of leather onto the case for greater convenience in wearing the sheath on the belt. To make the case last longer, sand the edges of the leather sections on it and treat it with special wax for leather. This is guaranteed to increase its service life.

Step 6. Final stage

If you want to make yourself a high-quality knife and you are stopped by the fact that there are no other similar tools in the workshop, take a closer look at these instructions. A craftsman makes a quality machete sword using only hand tool! During production, the author did not even use an electric drill; the holes were drilled with a hand drill!

The metal used to make the sword was 1050 grade; this is an excellent steel for making knives, common in America. Such steel is perfectly hardened, and this is very important in manufacturing. cutting tool, since otherwise the blade will not hold an edge. As for domestic analogues, this includes steel such as “50” and “50G”. To make a knife you will need steel with a high carbon content. Let's move on to the manufacturing process!

Materials and tools used

List of materials:
- steel 1050 ();
- thin boards (for linings);
- pins (brass, steel and others upon request).

List of tools:
- hacksaw for metal;
- wood saw;
- hammer;
- drill;
- metal files and rasps;
- chisel;
- burner;
- household or special oven (for annealing);
- hardening oil;
- sandpaper;
- epoxy adhesive;
- wood oil.

Machete making process:

Step one. Cutting out the primary profile
The author used 1050 steel as a blank; the metal can be bought in America without any problems. Domestic analogues are steel 50 and 50G. Draw the profile of the blade on the metal using a marker and start cutting.

The author clamps the workpiece in a vice and cuts out the primary profile using a regular hacksaw. Since the steel is not hardened, it cuts quite easily, the main thing is to be patient.

After this, we arm ourselves with a good file and grind off everything that we could not cut off with a saw. We carefully process the profile along the contour. The author removes with a file quite a large number of metal

Step two. Holes for pins
Next, you need to be sure to drill holes for the pins. How many there will be and what metal they will be made of, everyone decides for themselves. IN classic version It is customary to use brass rods, but steel is also suitable, even ordinary nails can be used. It is extremely important to drill holes before hardening, as it will be almost impossible to do this later. Hardened metal can only be drilled on a machine using a drill with a special tip.

Step three. Handle covers
Let's start making the overlays, here you will need two thin boards. Place them together and try to hold them in your hand; the handle should not be too thick. We attach the shank to the boards and outline it with a marker.

Now the overlays can be cut out! And since we only have hand tools in our assortment, given the lack hand jigsaw, we will cut it with a chisel! Make cuts around the handle profile where the material cannot be cut hand saw. Well, then take a chisel and cut off the interfering parts. Remove any remaining rough edges using a rasp.

Finally, all you have to do is drill holes for the pins and try to dry assemble the handle. If you wish, you can trim it on the sword with files.

Step four. Forming bevels
To form high-quality bevels, we mount the sword on a flat wooden block. Now we take a metal file and begin to form the cutting edge. First we make a bevel on one side, and then on the other. To be sure, you first need to mark everything on the blade to get the same angles. This is where all the main work with metal ends, next comes hardening.

Step five. Let's start hardening the steel!
The author did not use a furnace to temper the sword; it was enough for him gas burner. We move the burner gradually up and down to evenly heat the blade. Ideally, the steel is heated until the magnet is no longer attracted to it. The color of the metal should change from bright red to yellow, this corresponds to a temperature of 900-1000 degrees Celsius. Now we cool the blade in oil; mineral or vegetable oil will do; many people successfully use automotive oil.
If the steel is properly tempered, it will be so strong that a file will not take it.

Now comes the next one important stage strengthening the metal is its tempering. After hardening, the steel will be too brittle for the sword to be used for its intended purpose. Tempering allows you to give it spring properties. For this procedure, you will need an oven with a temperature of 250 degrees Celsius; heat the blade in it for an hour or two. Then you need to turn off the oven and let it cool with the blade closed. Vacation is done!

If you wish, you can sand the blade after hardening, but it looks much cooler with a dark patina. All that can be done is to sand the bevel area.

Step six. Glue the handle
To assemble the handle, you will need epoxy glue. Apply glue to the previously made linings and assemble the handle on the pins. In order for the glue to adhere well to the metal, it must be thoroughly sanded with coarse sandpaper. After machining steel can also be wiped with acetone.

We hammer in the pins and tighten the handle well with clamps; it is advisable to use more clamps so that the handle sticks together well. The author decided to rivet the pins a little for reliability, but this is not necessary. Let the glue dry for 24 hours at room temperature, preferably longer.

Step seven. Finishing pens
When the glue has dried, clamp the blade in a vice and begin processing the handle. First, you will need a rasp, with the help of which we form the main profile of the handle. Next, take a round file, it will be needed for bends and other hard to reach places. The handle must be aligned flush with the metal.