How to Turn a 5 Dollar Machete into a Bushcraft Knife Set
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2015
- Today we'll be making two knives from a $5 machete blade. While I'm using a very thin stainless steel machete, the same basic method will work for other machete styles.
How do you like these shorter, more condensed videos?
Thank you for watching and for all the support and kind words! Enjoy!
Since a lot of people were asking, here's a list of all the tools I used, most are from Harbor Freight. All of the name brand tools I bought at garage sales, and I'll list those with what I paid and a link to the comparable tool at Harbor Freight.
Keep in mind that prices change as things go on sale. You can also make do with a lot less, I just used what I already have on hand. Everything I did here could be done with just an angle grinder and power drill. Hope this helps!
-Machete - www.harborfreight.com/18-in-ma...
-Screwdriver - garage sale $0.50 - www.harborfreight.com/2-x-4-in...
-Drill Press - www.harborfreight.com/8-in-5-s...
-Drill Bit - www.harborfreight.com/high-spe...
(though I suggest cobalt bits - www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW1263-...
-Bar Clamp - www.harborfreight.com/12-in-qu...
-Hack Saw - garage sale $4.00 - www.harborfreight.com/12-in-ha...
-6" Bench Grinder - garage sale $10.00 - www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-b...
-4"x36" Belt Sander - www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-x...
-Clamp On Bench Vise (super handy) - garage sale $3.00 - www.harborfreight.com/2-1-2-ha...
-2lb Jeweler's Anvil - garage sale $5.00 - www.amazon.com/2lbs-Jewlers-A...
-1"x30" Belt Sander - www.harborfreight.com/1-in-x-3...
-Diamond Sharpening Stone - www.harborfreight.com/4-sided-...
Some of my books on Amazon:
Simple PVC Pipe Bows - www.amazon.com/dp/1478140917/?...
Take-Down Archery - www.amazon.com/dp/1479348481/?...
The Impossible Bow - www.amazon.com/dp/098324815X/?...
The Backyard Bowyer - www.amazon.com/dp/0983248109/?...
Darts on Target - www.amazon.com/dp/151165385X/?... - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Obviously you are great at making knives but you also are great at making videos
1) no annoying music
2) you don't make us watch you do repetitive stuff for long periods
3) excellent short explanations
4) great camera shots
+fenderstratguy
Yes. The production quality is awesome.
Great video, thanks from Lismore NSW Australia
I agree, He is very intuitive on how a great video is. he would make a great host of a TV show about this stuff.
He has a great natural voice for it, his speech is good his enunciation is good and he talks in a manner that is informative yet not condesending or silly and insulting to the audiance.
great guy.
in my opinion, i like the times where makers of blades, like miller knives, don't talk and you just hear the sound of the tools, while the guy shuts the hell up
Such a great comment !
You are So invited to my channel too ( get involved with my Thanksgiving Day 2019 giveaway ).
FYI - I do mostly knife vids .
❤️🤠🔪
i am 65 years old and have been making knives for at least 50 of those years...you just put out a very good video for a beginner to follow...all they would have to learn now is how to forge and heat treat if the decided to make the blades from scratch..good job as usual...i am always impressed with your thought process and skill level...thanks for sharing and all you do.
This is, by far, the best video on You Tube.
1. No 4 minute, run your mouth intro
2. No, minutes of bull shit through out video.
3. No bull shit wanna be professional intro computer cap
4. Very well spoken
5. Very clearly explained steps
6. not over explained.
so on and so on.
you have a great personality for this. Plus you know what you're doing
Young man I really like how you add value to simple materials. You are creative. Thanks for the many ideas and techniques.
Dude, this shit is so fuckin interesting. I cant stop watching
Haha yea same
DAAAAAN
Dan!!!
Do It With Dan Dan! it is interesting..the guy is pretty good. you should do more diy on your channel..its epic when you wade right in 0 fuks given
Wot r u doin here
I think anyone that criticizes the steel is missing the point of the video. This is a great tutorial on a cheap way to get into knife making / modification. You might not want your first attempt to be on a good quality blank.
4 years after the post , still great . Very concise , easy to follow for its logic . There are so many folks putting down Harbor Freight knives without realizing some of the hidden values with a little effort . $5 machete turned into $50 worth of usable knives .
Due to the fact that you took us along for the journey of creating these, the value behind them has increased ten fold. These knifes are a work of art. Hats off good sir, hats off.
I have to agree with other comments that it's such a poor quality steel that it doesn't even seem worth it. But you did great! And I'm sure it'll be good for basic tasks. :)
Armed Rogue Thanks!
***** I've owned lots of $5 machetes and they were all trash. But I guess my experience doesn't mean anything? I can have an opinion, too, just like you and just like BackyardBowyer. :) #sorrynotsorry
***** Right, I said right there in my comment that it'll be fine for basic tasks.
***** you cant judge what steel it is on a video? if you can drill in it with a handdrill, i'm pretty sure it is not a hard knife. if a strong knife is heattreated, a normal drill wont get you trough it. (+ the drill turned way too fast for steel) but i must say for the builder of the knife: nice job! it turned out great. nice skills.
none of the above, indeed... ;-)
those both came out very nice. I think your skill level is worth more than that HF crap steel. time for some 1095 or tool steel.
mcnameva Love me some 1095! SCHF55 does it best ($35)
I think the Ontario knife co. machete is 1095.... maybe an idea for a future vid?
I'm nearly 70 yrs old and I'm jealous of all your talent. I've seen several of your videos and they are all great !
Instructions are clear and straightforward. Vidiography is clear, in focus and supports the instructions. There is no unnecessary jibber-jabber. An excellent video. Congratulations!
As an HF Tools employee I have to say I don't recommend doing this, as it can cause injury to yourself or any others near by.
As a person, this is amazing! I never knew one of those seemingly worthless things could be turned into this!
Now all you have to do is scrape the china logo of the blade.
+Christopher Hitchens I too scrape off the China logo every chance I get. Love the prices but hate we are so dependent on their goods!
Chris D I dunno, He was a detective in ways, he was more of a bullshit detector.
Chris D He had no deep seeded negativity, he always thought the universe was awe inspiring. He smoked heaps of ciggys, and drank lots. I'd say that was the more likely contributor.
Chris D Yeah, he used to stay up late most night's and have hangovers a lot. That's why his eyes always looked droopy. He had no anger at anyone, not that i know of, if he did he hid it well. I love everyone, there's only one person i hate, and that's for personal reasons.
the kid is GOOD less see your work fucker
OUT-standing! I love to see people crafting useful things like this.
As for the cheap steel, I learned a hell of a lot from the Honduran Army when I was a young man while hacking through the jungles there to lay centerlines for roads. I was part of Iowa's 389th Engineering Bn and we packed in all sorts of expensive survey gear and stakes initially. We always had a problem with local kids following behind and pulling up our beautiful stakes and stealing the fluorescent engineers tape for "Rambo" headbands. By the time we were done, we were using $5 machetes and compasses and making our markers from trees as we went along. We travelled lighter, moved faster and the kids had no interest in the markers.
I had never considered this before. I like how you focused on the structure of the knife and left room for the individual to make it their own. Thank you for taking the time to put this out there.
Very nice video. You made it look easy. The mark of a true craftsman!
I must say, I've been watching your vids from the beginning and you've come a long way. In both video presentation and quality of workmanship. Not that you made poor quality things before but the amount of different things and the quality of them all is much greater now. Great video!
I love this video, & the channel. The Harbor Freight steel on mine was improperly hardened, so I set it aside as scrap metal. I now have two nice Condor's & this video at least shows some way to make use of the scrap. Quality of original steel is important for any re-purposing project so I'm more likely to look for saw steel, mower blades & other items previously made for cutting or tooling, or just handling stress, like old leaf springs. I did work as a knife grinder for a few years, & learned that BOTH proper material choice & controlled tempering are important to overall performance.
Love watching your videos and one primary reason comes to mind....YOU GET RIGHT TO IT! Thanx for not wasting a lot of time in the beginning with boring commentary, though your commentary would likely be interesting. You never cease to amaze me with your creative skills and ingenuity. I've even made one of your pvc blow guns and all my friends love it. Esp the darts, and I'm 62yrs old! Now these knives are just over the top! The finished knives look and I'm sure perform like many expensive bushcraft knives. THANX for sharing your creativity...keep it going!
Fantastic! Beautiful work! It was spectacular, my friend!
Congratulations! Hugs from friends in the south of Brazil
Mateiros Carijós found you here my friend Kkk. He's done such a great job out of the machete. He's inspired me. I'll create a knife using old circular saw. Video next week. Bye :)
Save Dickmann!
Let's look forward to another great job of yours!
A hug partner!
If I might answer a few questions or concerns raised by people here. 1/He is not hiding the "China" symbol which is clearly present on the original machete so why bother to point it out. 2/Machete blades are generally made from a metal which can be sharpened by a file. It is a function of their simplicity of use and being kept sharp easily with a tool almost everyone will have. Some expensive machetes may be made from better metal but any metal made sharp will cut and this video is only about how to repurpose a cheaply sourced material and was well done in that. 3/ The metal quality is such that you would be wasting your time to attempt to do a better hardening process on it; just practice on things like this and buy a better metal it you want a better finished product with a harder blade edge. Machetes were only really intended as tools for use on scrub bush or green thin stuff like branches and vines. They were not intended by design for use as an axe. In their normal use they hold their edge well with only infrequent resharpening.
Not only did you do a great job on the knives, but your video work was first class. Most people doing a video tell us detail that I just don't want to know, so I don't finish watching because I don't want to watch grass grow. You get on with it and cut out the longer stuff. Great job thanks.
The thumbnail is what brought me here. I knew the knives wouldn't be that great performance wise because of the steel quality. But the photo of the end result in the thumbnail. Oh my god. The knives are gorgeous. You wouldn't expect them to be made from machetes without seeing them in person. Keep up the great work!
Wow, those are really well done. Great work!
Great work man! You made it look so easy. Wish I had such tools too.
That's awesome, props to you on grinding the secondary bevel and sharpening it with that recurve so well!
Amazing work. Amazing narration not to slow and not to fast. Very informative DIY. Hope to see more of your videos soon.
They look great.
Cool stuff my man, stay safe and enjoy the knifes!
Nick I really enjoy your calm center. It reflects directly in your work.
Your projects always have an honest finish. I like your simplicity which is the source of your strength. You are a good student .
Pass on your honest and simple finish and you can do no wrong.
Thanks for the lesson. Sensei G.S.Gibbs
gary gibbs fucken sensei my ass, you've got a black belt in bullshit
This is probably one of the best videos on knife making I have seen. Keep honing your craft. I've seen videos where knife makers have complicated knife making with all sorts of expensive tools. With some simple and inexpensive tools you made some awesome looking knives. I can follow the video to get good results. Thanks.👍👍👍👍👍
It doesn't matter if the knife steel isn't the greatest, it was cheap and relatively easy. They will serve for light tasks around camp. My only thought is that on the larger blade you should have kept the sawback.
Derek Everyguy Thanks! In retrospect, I should have left it on, maybe actually ground out the teeth as well. I'll have to try it!
BackyardBowyer Could you do some carving tests and let us know how the edges hold up? Very curious to see how they do!
this is great ! :)
Beautiful craftsmanship. Poetry in motion.
You are the Man for sure. Great ideas you have for making them. And it works so well. I am going to try and make a Kar-bar type knife from a lawnmower blade. Thanks for posting your work.
nice job. keep up the entertaining videos. and yes. the condensed videos are easier to watch...you loose a little content, but well worth it with Americans ever-shortening attention spans.
what the fuck is your problem
This guy looks like such a nice guy
Alex Sgv he is
Thanks for taking the time to make a great video, 2 great knives, and putting a smile on my face all at once!
What a great job. You are a talented craftsman. It was fun to watch! Thank you!
Great job! I wouldn't have guessed that those two knives were made from a Harbor Freight machete and some scrap wood. I'd really like to try something like this, but I don't have a drill press, belt sanders, or bench grinder. Would kinda suck doing all that shaping with files and hand sanding.
Soulman1282 Hey, with enough time, you too can turn a $5 machete into a $2 knife.
+800lb Gorilla Two knives that are fairly sharp and do their jobs... or were we too salty to realize that? It seems you're too focused on the negative to see his level of craftsmanship and skill, even if it's not up to your standard. Stop being a Nancy.
erekllama The level of craftsmanship skill here is "boyscout" level, barely. Basic stock removal method using soft steel and hardening/tempering on an unknown steel. Sure it is an okay way to practice fabrication skills, but one could do the same thing with relatively inexpensive A2 or O1 steel, or an old file, wrench, etc, and create a far more capable blade.
+800lb Gorilla ... You are an idiot!
+Wes Brown Yeah!! That's why my blades sell for $150-300 at shows, and are guaranteed to last a lifetime. A 36"x2.5"x3/16" bar of O1 Tool Steel can be had for around $30, makes two great blades with some scrap for a kiridashi or similar. Don't bother with this JV bullshit.
You sound perfectly like Seth Rogan
Holy shit your right!
+JoePlaysRS Seth Rogen* ... with e
+Channelfreund Grammarnazi fight is on !
+Steven SuperRainbow Grammar Nazi* Two different words.
Sorry in germany you can do that
what a great idea buds !!! thanks for all you share with us all !! Blessings.
Outstanding job! I'm gonna buy a few of those Harbor Freight machetes and make similar but unfinished kits to give my friends as gifts. I want to encourage them to make things at home and to learn potentially necessary survival skills.
Great project with some very nice looking finished products.
Wow!! I don't have the tools to do this but your video is so detailed that with no experience I could do with the right tools... One question I have. Out of a Machete this cheap does the blade hold and edge? Because you obviously got it very sharp! Or do you end up running it across the stones every 20 uses?
An* edge
Trumania1987 It doesn't hold an edge that well. I ended up going back with a wider sharpening angle on the larger knife so that the edge, while not as sharp, lasts longer for bigger tasks.
+BackyardBowyer The ones I have made don't look as nice as yours but do hold a pretty good edge! Perhaps it depends on which lot you get one from or perhaps their are multiple vendors. If nothing else, it's a very cheap way to practice knife-making skills! Nick, I really enjoy your relaxed style of videos and choice of subjects! Keep up the good work!
If your looking for tools look for an angle grinder, a hacksaw, files, and sandpaper.
+Trumania1987
I've assembled a short list of tools and materials for a beginning knifemaker, hope it will be useful:
Tools:
Dremel: ali.pub/edvi8
Mask with air filters: ali.pub/i84ny
Steel wool: ali.pub/pwril
Materials:
Exotic wood: ali.pub/28obi
G10: ali.pub/cg1t2
Kydex: ali.pub/5v410
Micarta: ali.pub/rmwp3
Best regards!
Like it. I would have used a part of the original metal that didn't have China stamped on it.
MoJo Hahah, I know. Now the nicer of the two knives has CHINA stamped on it!
BackyardBowyer I think it's actually cooler with the made in china because it doesn't look like a cheap knife lol and then if you tell people how you made it, that would be cool story.
BackyardBowyer i was thinking how sad that was,unless you see the video...you might think it was made in a factory.also,i would like to know how many knives all the posters on here have made...you know the guys who say stuff like"why not use better steel?,...and crap like that.i have made a few.some nice others not so much.
Perfect little project for a couple decent pack knifes. I may make a couple to keep in the kayaks. Thanks for the video.
Very impressed, nice job. Never would have guessed they came from a simple HF machete.
That epoxy looked like it smelled good.
+Javier Vargas you are so wrong hahahaha that kind of epoxi smells terrible
+Rafael Gomes that was sarcastic
+Javier Vargas is that why my brother has knife scales stuck to his face?
Any epoxy smells terrible.
Tanner Blair look up, it's a bird, no a plane, no it's the joke
Nice work dude. Just gotta get rid of the word China!!! You should go into the knife making business
Agreed. Sir, you have talent. Let's see what you can do with 1095. I'm using Ontario machetes (1095) and hickory that seasoned out a few years ago. I'm thinking duracoat to protect the steel, without requiring heat that could alter the temper. Thank you for the motivation! 2 years ago? I'm late, but you're still getting subs from this. Again, thank you.
You made that look so easy. What a pro job you done hat off to you, a craftsman 🙌
I AM MAKING THOSE 2 KNIVES! WOW! Thank You so much for your great video's
I don't understand, if it's a super cheap machete, why is the steal in it quality enough to do something like this without having to reforge it?
+hornylink And why china is written on the finished blade ?
maybemaybe illumati know....
+hornylink You make sure it is hard enough by testing with file before buying. If you do not overheat the blade when grinding, you will not have to retemper! make light grinding strokes and water dunk often!
+hornylink It's probably very low quality steel. He drilled right through it and also cut it in half with a hacksaw.
*****
I noticed that! I tried to cut one of mine with a hacksaw and it just knocked the teeth off the blade! Could only use small cut-off abrasive wheels to do preliminary cutting/shaping!
He looks exactly like Dwight schrute's cousin
I'm impressed with your ingenuity, your craftsmanship and your production of an excellent video. You're a gem , sir. My hat is off to you.
How does anyone not like this video? You've got a really practical and amazing hobby.
What is it with cheapo machete manufacturers insisting on sticking a saw-blade on the spine?
They almost never work to any functional degree, and they destroy sheathes ridiculously quickly. :(
He looks so uncomfortable
Nice job Nick. I am a knife smith, and the handle part of the video was very practical. I liked the super glue part just enough to tack the wood onto the handle for alignment. Good on you.
This video was not only a great DIY project, but extremely well done. Very impressive. And it's funny that I was JUST at Harbor Freight less than an hour before watching this video.
The completely unblinking stare terrifies me.
Great video! I want to make a bushcraft knife and you have given me the confidence to make my own! Thank you!
Young man, you are talented. Very nice work, I'm impressed - keep the videos coming.
Talented. Love the way you present it all.
Been watching so many knife making videos , this has to be the simplest and straight to the point with great step by step guide. Beautiful work my friend 👍🙏
What a great job you made of those knifes and a well put together video even I could follow! Well done!
I had one of these machetes and the handle broke. this video inspired me to repurpose it rather than toss it. I kept the saw teeth on the back edge carved/woodburned a dragon head handle and engraved scales on the blade. looks really cool. thanks for the inspiration.
Clear instructions, well-paced, awesome result. Here's a thumb's up and a subscriber!
love the end product, especially the longer piece. keep up the good work
Good job man, talk about frugality and using what you have at hand you did an excellent job.
Finally a use for Harbor Freight!
Jim McIntyre I wouldn't trust most of their power tools , but they have some good deals on small engines , axes , hatchets and smaller tools that don't have to be heavy duty
Outstanding effort mate....I was looking for a guide on how to reshape an old diving knife and this has given me some good ideas. Thanks
Good job man! I've been looking for a use for those garbage machetes and my friend, you just gave it to me!
Great instructional video! I like the concept. I also like the style of the blade. Neat!
Wonderful great project and great video. I see a few of these in my future . I look forward to seeing more .
As always, beautiful work. I appreciate your abilities to see the potential in the resources that many overlook.
Super nicely executed! Well done.
What a nicely edited, well narrated "How To" video. Thanks. I don't plan on making these knives myself, but your production was a pleasure to watch.
You make it look so simple, great job.
great video. the blades look great. Good job taking one cheap blade and making two more useful blades I have always wanted to do this with a circular saw blade too
The background ambiance throughout the video is amazing.
Wowww!!! Great video.lots of info. You really have a talent. Thanks for sharing.
Very Nice work!!! Knives Look Amazing!!
Great simple knives. Thanks for sharing 👍
Pure and simple design... Great video, and awesome knives....
Great job Nick. I’m going to give it a try 👍 Happy New Year
Dude that is really awesome!! Made it look incredibly easy too.
Very amusing watching your craft. You got skillz!
They look great! Nice work!
This was pretty cool may be a winter project for sure !!
Very informative and such clear instructions, thanks for making this great video
Excellent Craftsmanship, impressed with your skills turning a $5 Machete into two great looking blades. Well done.
Regards
Wow,that is great,they look nice,great job on the knives and handles
Great video - very clearly explained and thorough. Thank you.
Beautiful. Looks like a lot of fun.
So I just started making two mini machetes out of two old rusty machetes I had laying around. I'm making one for me with Sycamore handles and one for my buddy with Redwood handles. So far they're looking pretty cool. Can't wait till they're done.
Amazing and gorgeous work!
Awesome video bud! best knife making video i've seen on youtube keep doing what you are doing your doing great man !
You do Beautiful work! A real artist and craftsman
I love you and your project of making knives. Thank you.