The cleaver discussion thread.....

T

TwinStick

Joined
Jan 21, 2011
Messages
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I would like to get one started. I love cleavers, old & new. I don't have anything special yet. I have an Old Hickory kitchen cleaver. But today, i was given an awesome cleaver by a friend, who had a friend give it to him. I know nothing about it. I would like to clean it up and have already started to do so. It has been pounded on severely with a hammer & the spine was mushroomed out 1/4" on each side. This cleaver will not be resold. I will keep it & use it. The handle is a little loose. I think it can be removed &/or tightened but not sure. Any help would be great. Thanks.

The ruler is 12" for scale. Thickness is 1/2" wide at the handle & tapers to 1/4" at the foremost end of blade.

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Removed hammer mushrooming, eh? :D I love cleavers but need to get my hands on more. The only one I have at the moment is this oddball one from an unknown maker. The "crenelated spine" is for use as a meat tenderizer. I'm culling some chickens today so it'll be getting a workout! :D

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I only have two at the moment, one Old Hickory and a big Foster Bros. sheep splitter 19 inches LOA with a 13 inch blade. Best part is the very neat walnut handle on the foster. Someone decided to clean it up at some point ;-(.

Regards

Robin

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Pipeman said:
I only have two at the moment, one Old Hickory and a big Foster Bros. sheep splitter 19 inches LOA with a 13 inch blade. Best part is the very neat walnut handle on the foster. Someone decided to clean it up at some point ;-(.

Regards

Robin

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WOW I like that Foster Bros.! It's like a hybrid of a cleaver and a butcher's knife! :thumbup:
 
Hi Forty two, I have found a few of these up here in the boonies. They seem to have been a favourite of farmers who did their own slaughtering and meat cutting. I turned one into a wicked brush clearing machete, added boot sole leather handle scales and made up a sheath.

Regards

Robin
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I like a short, sharp cleaver as an all-around kitchen knife. 5-6 in is about as handy as a santoku of equal length.
 
Here are most of mine. The top one I think is a lambsplitter. The second is the only one with a name- Leonard something or something Leonard, New York, in 30's-style lettering.
The bottom two have my handles on them. I've always thought the little sqare-ish one was hand-forged, because of the tapering tang chopped off at an obtuse angle as if with a hardie.

hang on a second-

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No offense brother but, what did you clean that spine up with? It looks pretty rough. I think if you used a file it would have looked a lot better. Or a belt grinder.

I too love cleavers. I havean extensive collection that ive recetly started to sell off some of the doubles and less than perfect ones.
 
Well, i found out a little history on the cleaver. LM & KW, Lancaster NY. How cool is this---in business from 1896-1940 & known as the highest quality & best performing knives in the US market.

http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUS-borTools/LancasterM&KW/LM&KW-index.asp

I need some advise on these kind of handles please. This one is cracked in many places. Can it be saved & how. I cleaned it up, removed handle, cleaned off all the rust & gunk & reinstalled it. Put an edge on it. It will slice paper easily now. Did not disturb the makers mark i found. I can see a hammond line as well.
 
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If you can open up the cracks enough to get some glue in them then they might be saved. Sometimes I'll even split a piece of wood open just to glue it better. Another option for smaller cracks is to mix some good wood glue with a little water to thin it and then inject the glue into the crack with a large hypodermic needle. Whatever you glue up needs to be clamped while it dries. Round objects can be 'clamped' with duct tape or bailing wire. I'm fond of Tite-Bond III but any good wood glue should work.
 
I have an old meat cleaver that says 'International Edge Tool Co. Newark .N.J. M.I. Germany' on the blade and says '79-9" ' near the handle. The person that owned it last used it as a hatchet, but its still in pretty good shape. Does anybody know anything about this company?
 
I KNEW someone would post that. Awesome. Seen it in another thread. Here is mine almost done. I wanted it this way. Did not want it all rusty & nasty. Some won't like it now, but i do.
Wicked sharp now.

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