Modifying a machete to 2-handed?

T

TimberWolf7.62

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Aug 29, 2010
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I was thinking about a machete with enough handle to get a 2-handed grip on it. Not the CS 2-handed machetes, something with a thicker blade. Condor has some but lots of $$$. So how about Ontario Knife?

I see they have a 22" machete http://ontarioknife.com/tools/machetes/ct5-22.html with a 0.125" thick blade, and the 18" (which I have) http://ontarioknife.com/tools/machetes/1-18.html is listed as a 0.12" thick blade.

Seems to me you could rehandle the 22" (drilling 1 or 2 holes) and add 4" of handle and still have an 18" blade. Anyone tried this?
 
Gonna' need a carbide drill bit to drill through hardened steel. Also, the machetes have a (shallow) FFG to them so that'd do some funky things to the scale-fitting process.
 
The blade would need some grinding, since it is wider than the handle. I'd take it down to a consistent width and eliminate the edge.
How about flexibility? This would be a ~9" handle. Would wood be the right choice? Need something more substantial than paracord but it may have to be able to flex some.
 
I have modified a Latin pattern machete to 2 hand by replacing the handle with one that extends the handle rather than eat into the blade area. Finished by grinding the pommel swell at the bottom of the original grip so it was flush with the new profile.

Actually the project started life as a homemade ditch bank knife with a 4 foot handle. I cut the handle down to a two handed grip after a fair amount of use(blade was too flexible in that role), so I know it could take the strain. It worked well enough but I did eventually throw it away - very cheap stainless machete from China of 20 odd years ago.
 
I'm thinking that would put a huge amount of stress on the handle rivets. An extension would basically be a lever that worked to wallow out the handle rivets.
 
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