Cane Machete, Hand Forged Hooked Blade with Rosewood Handle

A cane machete is for green growth that is standing up and needs cutting back. The blade runs straight for most of its length, then hooks forward at the tip so a stem is pulled into the edge instead of leaning away. This one is hand forged in 5160 spring steel, 15 inches of blade and 21 inches overall, with full tang rosewood scales and a leaf tooled leather sheath.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 5160 spring steel, the steel traditional makers name when a blade has to bend rather than break. A machete is ground thin so it keeps its speed through green stems and flexes where a thicker blade would jar the wrist. It leaves the forge dark gray with faint hammer marks in the flat and a wide mirror bright bevel along the edge. The trade is honest. 5160 is carbon steel, so it darkens, it rusts if it goes away wet, and it comes back on a stone.

The handle

The scales are rosewood, oiled rather than lacquered, so the grain stays open and keeps some grip when your hands are damp. Rosewood is dense, and dense wood takes a long day of swinging without going soft around the pins. The tang is full, with steel running the whole length of the handle and showing as a line all round it, three brass pins through and a lanyard hole in the butt. Color and figure move from piece to piece.

What it clears

This is a clearing blade rather than a chopping one. It suits standing cane, corn stalks, tall grass, bramble runs and the light brush that closes over a path. The hook earns its keep on anything that leans away, since it catches the stem and holds it while the blade goes through. Green saplings about a thumb thick come down cleanly. Seasoned hardwood is better left to an axe or a saw.

The leather

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather cut for this blade, so the machete sits in it without rattling. A wide belt loop is stitched to the back and a strap with a snap closes over the handle. A welt is sewn into the edge to keep the stitching clear of the sharp side, and the cream thread is put in by hand. The face is hand tooled with a carved leaf pattern inside a stamped border, cut and shaded into damp leather. Most sellers stop at the words genuine leather.

Who it suits

A cane machete gets bought for a job somebody already has, usually growth that came back faster than anyone planned.

• Growers cutting cane, corn stalks or tall grass
• Land owners keeping trails and fence lines open
• Gardeners working through bramble and brush
• People who would rather sharpen a blade than replace one
• Anyone buying a gift for someone who works outside

What comes in the box

• The hand forged cane machete
• The tooled leather sheath
• A care card
• An engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out the same. The hammer marks, the sweep of the hook, the rosewood grain and the shading in the tooling vary from the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina that builds on carbon steel is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen with a stone or a file, following the bevel already there, and give the inside of the hook a few passes, where sap and grit collect. Oil it lightly before storage, dry the leather away from heat, and read our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits along the blade or on a rosewood scale, and clean line art engraves better than photographs. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a cane machete for? It cuts standing cane, corn stalks and tall grass, and the tip pulls stems in.

Why does the tip hook forward? It holds a stem that would lean away, so the cut goes through.

What does full tang mean? The steel runs the whole length of the handle and shows as a line round it.

Will this steel rust? It can, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.

How sharp is it out of the box? It arrives sharpened by hand and ready to cut.

How long until it ships? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

For a wider belly that carries weight out at the end, see the bush machete in walnut, and for a straight blade in the same steel, the hand forged machete in rosewood. More sits in machetes, in rosewood handle knives, and in bushcraft and survival.