Another Machete Mod-Tramontina 18"

B

bearthedog

Joined
May 17, 2006
Messages
4,290
I had an 18” blade Tramontina machete since 2006 and after a fair amount of use I thought a MOD would be in order.

Mudman did the MOD

In the beginning

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Aguilar killed a fer de lance snake with it back in 07'.

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MUD MOD

Now it has a 13” blade with a sharp tip

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More pics

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I did that to a 22 inch Nicholson machete I picked up in March. It was a bit to floppy so I introduced it the Mr. Chopsaw to bring it closer to 17 inches. The blade is still a little lively but better with less weight and for a $7 machete the mod was worth it. It gets used when I need to blow off a long day at the office. Those are bad days to be weeds and brush at my home.
 
Yeah those Nicholson/Collins pieces are a bit...flaccid. :p
 
Other than the cool factor, what was the reason for the mod? Is the performance better for your uses? I have a Parang on order but may do something similiar to one of my machetes.
 
I should really start to mod these myself. I love the look of all the modded trams, I just never do them myself. :thumbup:

Thanks for sharing.
 
I did mine that way because it is easier to use a chopsaw to straight cut than to cut a curve to match the original Latin style profile. Tapered with the cutting point forward is just going to work better than to cut it squared off for most tasks I use it for. It was heavier than it needed to be and a 22 inch machete has more than enough on it to let a few inches go.

Then there's the "flaccidity" issue which is totally embarrassing and I would really appreciate it if you all would not keep bringing it up. LOL
 
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Triquetra said:
Other than the cool factor, what was the reason for the mod? Is the performance better for your uses? I have a Parang on order but may do something similiar to one of my machetes.
Click to expand...

The cool factor is that it performs better. Lighter, more packable, and with a sharp tip it can do more.

-RB
 
bearthedog said:
The cool factor is that it performs better. Lighter, more packable, and with a sharp tip it can do more.

-RB
Click to expand...

I just grind a point on 'em and call it good! Oh--and obviously flush the scales with the tang and sharpen the edge. :p I like the stock profile, aside from the rounded point.
 
The more I've contemplated what you've done, the more I like it.

I like to think that my machete could perform 'stabbing' duties if it had to. I hunt bigger animals from time to time, and while I generally have a decent hunting knife with me, I might find that I needed to use the machete if I mislaid or couldn't reach my belt knife. Consequently, I've generally ground the top of my machete blades to remove the upswept point.... and this makes the blade a bit 'pointier'. But even then, the curve of the cutting edge at the tip of many machetes sweeps up over a very short distance, and this means that there is a lot of blade having to be forced in at the same time if you are trying to push it into a wild hog.

Having said that, I am yet to use a machete on a hog. The circumstance may arise however, especially as I hope to hunt more with traps in the future.

This grinding down of the point also makes it easier to get some machetes to fit nicely in a sheath.

The 'seax' shape you have created with that modification makes quite a nice point. I like points, and points are useful for boring small holes, and for some fine whittling jobs (not that a machete is the ideal tool for whittling). Also, the overall shape you have created should make it a bit easier to design and use a sheath for the tool.

I'm thinking that if I had to, I could probably use that blade as it is to finish a pig. But if I copy what you've done (and I might), I'd be inclined to cut off the end of the blade at a slightly steeper angle, and I would curve up a few millimeters of the cutting edge at the point to harmonise with my conception of the way a stabby blade should be.

I realize that a point modification like this would make the point somewhat vulnerable to damage because, after all, the machete is a chopper and you are bound to hit a rock eventually. However, if the machete is being carried for occasional chopping and other general purposes... and if it is used carefully.... the Bearthedog modification could be a very good idea. Thanks for the inspiration.
 
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I like that too.

I'm waiting for my two Tramontinas to arrive in the post. I should see them during next week. One of them may well get the BTD mod.
 
Yep, sure thing. The sixteen incher is coming with an inexpensive sheath which I'm told is 'very good'... so I'm keen to see that. The 24 incher is likely to be far too long to be practical for what I mostly do, so it may get the chop. And I'll have to devise or find a sheath for it.
 
My machetes arrived today. Both Tramontina brand, one is 16", the other 24". The sheath that came with the 16" has a "Tramontina" label sewn on it.

Dang, that 24 incher is a big machete. I feel that it would get very little use around here being so long and heavy. I had hoped it would be much thicker than my 10 inch model so I could cut it down and use the offcut for a knife. But it is only about 0.2mm thicker. So while the steel is plenty thick enough for its intended purpose, it isn't the thickness I'd envisaged for my project. So I am undecided as to the future of this one. Its nice though. I should sharpen it up and try it out on the local pest shrubbery just to see how it performs.

The shorter one is very likely to get used. Very handy size and weight. It sits snugly in the sheath, handle and all. I may modify the point on the blade, but I have no intention at this stage of shortening it significantly.

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I got the sheath from the same place as the blades. Robin Exports. I just asked if they had them. I think they had longer ones as well. It only cost about NZ$7. (That's around US$6).
 
Love the mods,especially the first one.
Has me rethinking the one I did last year,not as pointy(I like the point on yours) & cut it down to 12" & ground the edge all the way back & added a choil,then made a muk with the cut off end.
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Nice Mykel. Thin blades have their limitations, but for many things they can be very useful.
 
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