The cleaver discussion thread.....

I know there is always functional overlap between similar tools or tools that evolved from others. I know that these are slaughtering tools, but my eye always sees medieval weapon. :D
 
Park Swan said:
Storm Crow Storm Crow that's awesome, it's like a cleaver version of the cloud cutter! Nice curve in the handle.

Want to get a batch of these going in 80crv2:
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Those are gonna be cool! I have my own small cleaver (7" blade) I want to do a small mid-tech batch run of.
 
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Just picked up this bad boy for $18 and a lil luck. No rust or damage to note. Even the heavily patinad edge is still sharp and the spine has no mushrooming whatsoever. After a little research I found it is an Acme Cutlery Co. Cleaver from around 1890-1915 but that's all I've found. I can't find any info on this particular model. I can find pics and info of the same ones with a large "8" stamped below the makers mark but this doesn't have that. The #8 is also a little larger than mine when comparing measurements... makes me wonder if this is rarer than the #8 model since the info isn't available? ANY better guesses as to the possible date? Any other info would be much appreciated, if nothing else, enjoy seeing this 100+ year old piece of usable art. American craftsmanship at its finest...
I have several others to show but have limited time, can't wait to get some feedback! It's nice to know I'm not the only one who loves and uses cleavers! I also wonder, are any of you using your cleaver for outdoor tasks as I do. I take my modified old hickory cleaver in place of or with my machete on almost every outing. Just curious! Thanks for looking!
 
MarsHillPicker said:
I also wonder, are any of you using your cleaver for outdoor tasks as I do. I take my modified old hickory cleaver in place of or with my machete on almost every outing. Just curious! Thanks for looking!
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In Italy they have an entire class of tool called a "manaresso" that's basically a cleaver for wood. Lots of different patterns. :)
 
Just a quick search and all I can say is WOW! I will definitely be manipulating some designs to say the very least. Makes sense too, I have a little Italian in me somewhere down the line.
 
It's not only an Italian thing, here in Holland they call it hakbijl - which allows me to bring it up here on the axe forum since the "bijl" part = axe - I have some strategically stashed, you know, here and there around the garden, plus a box with a mix of cleavers and hakbijlen that needs sorting out . That said the garden version and the actual cleavers do differ and I wouldn't want to go mixing up using the one in place of the other.
 
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I was absolutley wrong thinking it was a small number of us outdoor cleaver users... I've shocked everybody who has seen mine, and then I sell them one almost every time. No wonder they are used around the world. For me, they make great outdoor tools. I like to think if it was the 1800's and I ran off on a hunting trip with the guys, I would have been the one grabbing my cleaver instead of the big butchers that influenced the bowie knife we have today. Wonderful and interesting info guys, I appreciate you sharing very much. Now to get to work on a long, narrowish, flat topped and still cleaver like "Manaresso"... that was MY favorite style I saw lol!
 
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I actually had some time at my camp today. I had my baby lol, the rehandled vintage Old hickory cleaver and my own handmade kephart style knife with me. Forget the knife but check out the cleaver,and that's after chopping heavily for quite a while. S
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till lookin good and ready to go. Just have to touch it up and it'll be sharp as ever. No sheath in the pic, obviously it was attached to me at the time haha!
 
Ernest DuBois said:
It's not only an Italian thing, here in Holland they call it hakbijl - which allows me to bring it up here on the axe forum since the "bijl" part = axe - I have some strategically stashed, you know, here and there around the garden, plus a box with a mix of cleavers and hakbijlen that needs sorting out . That said the garden version and the actual cleavers do differ and I wouldn't want to go mixing up using the one in place of the other.
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In German a cleaver is "hackbeil" but typically means the culinary type rather than a woods tool. They have a cleaver-like tool called a "praxe" that often has a little hook on the spine, though.
 
In the weeks leading up to the Blade Show, a knifemaker's life gets pretty crazy. One aspect, especially for full-timers, is moving along enough work for customers to be able to stay ahead of the bills while also building inventory for the show. Add to that equipment breakage, injuries, lack of sleep, torrential rains, high heat and humidity, and general bad luck and it's a wonder any of us make it to Atlanta alive and coherent.

As part of the pre-Blade balancing, I forged out a couple of big ol' carcass splitters. One was to be a commission, the other table inventory. I let the customer pick which of the two he liked once they were forged out, then finished it out to his taste.

carcasssplitters02 by James Helm, on Flickr

I'm kind of enjoying shaping the fawn's foot handles on these full-sized carcass splitters.

The blades were forged as closely as possible with the power hammer, with a hand hammer used only for straightening. The spines are as-forged.

carcasssplitters01 by James Helm, on Flickr

Getting the handle wraps epoxied with some other Blade Show inventory.

bladeshow11 by James Helm, on Flickr

The customer picked the blade with slightly more curve to the profile, and requested hemp cord (over a neoprene foundation) and black paracord Turk's head knots fore and aft.

carcasssplitter04 by James Helm, on Flickr

I built a Boltaron sheath for it.

carcasssplitter05 by James Helm, on Flickr

Little hard to see in the picture, but there is more power hammer texture in the blade than usual.

carcasssplitter06 by James Helm, on Flickr

Big blade!

carcasssplitter07 by James Helm, on Flickr

Long handle!

carcasssplitter08 by James Helm, on Flickr

The specs: Blade is forged from 1/4" 5160 steel, is 18 1/2" long and 3 1/2" wide. The overall length is 40 1/4" and the weight is 77 ounces, or 4.8 pounds. It shaved hair cleanly down the full length of the edge.

The customer commented upon receipt, "Pics are great, but you need to feel this thing in your hands to appreciate it." :)
 
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couldn't remember if we had a machete thread or not so i posted these here, on the left we have a legitimus in what i believe is refferred to as latin pattern and on the right there's a martinsdale no.12.

what i'v found is the martinsdale is a bit softer and much better balanced with better ergonomics, it's better IMO than the legitimus bit i'm still happy to have both
 
I have several old forgecraft hi carbon knives and I love them, they are almost indescernable from old hickory... a good thing in my opinion. I've noticed the price on cleavers in general jump insanely over the last few months, luckily I snapped up every deal I could while they were still out there lol. I've had 2 customers recently have me modify one of my larger (10"+ blade, 15"+oal) cleavers into partial tang "hogsplitters". One was 24" oal and was 3/4 tang and the other was a wallhanher and the guy wantfed 36"oal! It took mybiggest cleaver and it was already a 2 hander... I will try to post a pic again now that I've been taught... let's see if it stuck with me lol.
nb04DU
... nope I guess not...
 
MarsHillPicker said:
I have several old forgecraft hi carbon knives and I love them, they are almost indescernable from old hickory... a good thing in my opinion. I've noticed the price on cleavers in general jump insanely over the last few months, luckily I snapped up every deal I could while they were still out there lol. I've had 2 customers recently have me modify one of my larger (10"+ blade, 15"+oal) cleavers into partial tang "hogsplitters". One was 24" oal and was 3/4 tang and the other was a wallhanher and the guy wantfed 36"oal! It took mybiggest cleaver and it was already a 2 hander... I will try to post a pic again now that I've been taught... let's see if it stuck with me lol.
nb04DU
... nope I guess not...
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:thumbsup:
 
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