Machete Handle Vibration

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RickG55

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Nov 21, 2004
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I have a machete my great uncle gifted me, made in Japan, that he had when he was in the Army in the 50's. It's a great blade, but whenever I use it, I get that stringing vibration in my hand. What do you all do to eliminate/reduce that?
 
What are you cutting with it? You might try some of that tape they put on tennis rackets and hockey sticks. Or try to slide a piece of bicycle inner tube over it.--Kv
 
Gloves. Depending on the flex of the blade, and the hardness of what you are hitting, you could be just putting too much shock into the system. I'd be thinking that maybe whatever your use is would be better suited to a different tool. It could also be a technique factor as well, but I think more likely its a tool/job situation.

Can you give a better descriptor of the cutting, the blade (weight, flex, shape/ point of balance)? This would really help narrow down what the overall considerations are.
 
kvaughn said:
What are you cutting with it? You might try some of that tape they put on tennis rackets and hockey sticks. Or try to slide a piece of bicycle inner tube over it.--Kv
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I've got some of that tape left over from my racquetball days. Never occurred to me to try it, thanks. As to what I'm hitting with it, so far, just the sort of thicker, more viney weeds that sprout up in the back yard; some of the branches on those mini bushes can get a half inch thick or better.
 
gadgetgeek said:
Gloves. Depending on the flex of the blade, and the hardness of what you are hitting, you could be just putting too much shock into the system. I'd be thinking that maybe whatever your use is would be better suited to a different tool. It could also be a technique factor as well, but I think more likely its a tool/job situation.

Can you give a better descriptor of the cutting, the blade (weight, flex, shape/ point of balance)? This would really help narrow down what the overall considerations are.
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I'll get it out and take some pics tonight when I get home from work. It looks to be on the light and thin side as far as machetes go, with what I would have called the 'traditional' machete shape.
 
RickG55 said:
I'll get it out and take some pics tonight when I get home from work. It looks to be on the light and thin side as far as machetes go, with what I would have called the 'traditional' machete shape.
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What sort of stuff are you cutting? I find that low mass blades tend to transmit shock to the user if they hit hard stops, but of course heavy blades don't get the speed for cutting small stuff, and are more tiring. Also, mass vs length is sort of a ratio, so you can have a "light" blade that is the same weight as a "heavy" blade that is shorter. I figure you probably already know this, but its how I describe the terms, and I find that common ground helps with things like this, especially when I'm trying to describe things right before I head for bed.
 
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My best suggestion is wear gloves. If a handle is loose, you might also notice more vibration not to mention that you could get pinched.
 
if I remember correctly from years ago, depending what area of the machete hits the target and how your technique is have a great part in it. I like to use the machete to chip away instead of sending blows of death with every strike if that makes sense. Use your wrist as well, not just the arm
 
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