Damascus Cane Machete, Hooked Tip with Olive Wood Handle

Cane, cornstalk, sorghum, pokeweed gone woody by August. Tall stalks lean away from a swing, and half the job is dragging the cut ones clear. That is the work this one is for. The blade is 18 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core, edges running parallel, with a hooked beak at the tip. The olive wood handle sits low in the hand.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus over a high carbon core, etched so the ladder pattern reads as rungs across the flat. The bevel is etched to the edge as well. Pattern is surface. The carbon under it cuts. The edges run close to parallel, so mass stays spread along the length instead of piling up forward. A long thin blade like this works by speed. The tip moves fast when it lands, which is the opposite of an axe. Carbon steel goes grey with use, and spots if you put it away wet.

The handle

Olive wood is dense and carries a little oil of its own, which helps when hands are damp. The tang is full, three brass pins a side, no guard in front. There is a lanyard hole at the butt, and on a blade this long that is not decoration, because 18 inches out front builds momentum by the bottom of an arc. The handle is 5 inches, short enough to stay clear of the swing and long enough for a second hand.

The leather sheath

Vegetable tanned leather, cut and stitched by hand to this blade's own outline, beak included, which is fussier than a straight sheath and the reason nothing rattles. The face is stamped, pressed into damp leather rather than printed on. A welt sits inside the seam so the stitching never lies against the edge. A belt loop on the back, a snap strap over the handle. The leather darkens over a few seasons.

Who it suits

This is a blade for standing growth, and for the mess it leaves once it is down.

• Anyone cutting cane, corn, sorghum or heavy stalk
• People who spend as long clearing as cutting
• Buyers who want the hook and know why
• Anyone who wants pattern welded steel on a working tool

What comes in the box

• The 18 inch Damascus cane machete
• The stamped leather belt sheath
• A care card
• An engraving proof if you order one

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged and finished by hand, so no two come out the same. The ladder pattern lands where the billet says, and the etch bites where it likes. Olive wood grows its own dark streaks. Each sheath is stamped one at a time. Yours will not match the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe it dry when you finish, sap included, because green juice marks carbon steel overnight. A light coat of oil before it goes back in the leather, and do not store it there for months. Grey patina is normal. Orange spotting is not, and fine wool with oil takes it off. Keep the edge up with a file rather than a fine stone. More in our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it here on the page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so nothing goes onto the steel unseen. Add 3 to 5 business days. It is free on orders of 10 or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is the hook for? It catches a standing stalk, pulls it back and holds it while the edge goes through. It also drags cut material out of a pile.

Does the beak snag? It can, in tight growth. It points back, so it grabs on the return rather than the swing.

Why parallel edges instead of a belly? The weight stays even along the blade rather than ahead of your hand, which suits stalks and light growth, where tip speed beats mass.

Will it rust? Carbon steel can if you ignore it. It darkens to grey with use and spots if it goes away wet.

How do I sharpen it? With a file, out in the row. The edge is thick and slightly convex on purpose, because a thin one chips on the first hidden stone.

When will it get here? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days. Engraving adds a few days.

The same steel without the beak is the Damascus machete on rosewood, and for weight ahead of the hand, the kukri machete on walnut. Long blades sit in machetes, pattern welded in Damascus steel, the rest in every blade we make.