The machete thread

General Fruit Growing
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Safety first! Wearing gloves, long sleeves, eye protection (hard hat if felling trees) etc is recommended as with the use of power tools. Weird stuff can and will happen and you will be happy to have your gear to avoid serious injury. I am not a certified arborist and the following is my opinion based of field experience. I assume no liability for any advice given in this thread.

I have seen mention of machetes on a bunch of threads but had not located a thread dedicated to them, and I feel like they are a useful “tool in the toolbox” for anyone who has an orchard. I wouldn’t suggest using them to prune trees you want to keep or to graft (although ostensibly you COULD do either if you hone your blade). So what would you want a machete for in the orchard?

Use Cases

  1. Probably the most obvious - clearing and grubbing “wild” land if using power tools is not your prerogative, or if you need to lose weight and want a workout outside instead of paying for one at the gym!

  2. You have purchased a tree that is not what you thought it would be, and you’ve decided a healthy way to approach your frustration is chopping it down. A machete may be much more therapeutic and healthy release of energy than a chainsaw or handsaw. See above for workout. I guess you could consider this the manual labor version of what my boss calls “machine therapy” when he needs to get away from the desk to run equipment for a change of pace.

  3. You have a more vigorous or invasive plant on your property that needs a stern talking to.

  4. Your lawn mower or weedwhacker is broken or you forgot to get gas for the tank.

  5. Your hand pruning saw or chainsaw is stuck in a tree and you don’t have an extra to cut from the other side.

  6. Quickly cutting a path through an overgrown area you haven’t visited for awhile, and nature has reclaimed the area.

  7. Defense against a particularly aggressive cackle fruit which needs to be harvested, or other undesired orchard visiting critter that has decided you are a threat.

  8. Cutting open, peeling, or assistance harvesting your fruit

Choose your blade style
I have personally used a few styles of machetes. There are the straight “sword” styles, some of which have an alternate serrated edge for sawing small trees, wide straight bladed, and the “bolo” style with a thicker weighted tip. I am partial to the bolo style. They are inexpensive, simple, and I feel the thick tip of the blade provides a great “leverage” point and balance to the blade while chipping away at trees.

Choose your blade size
There are a wide variety of sizes and weights available. I prefer 14" length as a good compromise between length and weight. The longer the blade, the more weight and leverage you have, but it takes a lot more energy per swing and will wear your arm out faster. I’ve found the 14" blade at under 1 lb (about 15 ounces) is a good mix of leverage and my ability to sustainably cut without lots of breaks.

Sharpening your edge
Machetes have various uses, and sharpening your blade to accommodate those various uses is important for efficiency. I would suggest a sharper angle near the tip of your blade for cutting grass, brambles, ribes, and thinner vegetation. A slightly lesser angle for the portion of the blade used for cutting down larger vegetation will allow you to maintain that edge for a longer period of time while still being able to chip/chop woody vegetation. I haven’t done so in the field, but a nice sharp edge near the handle could allow you to slice and dice your fruit for a snack “in the field”. If you are handy with machining, you could turn a portion of the back of your machete into a saw blade if it did not come with one, the caveat here being that you would be removing weight from your blade so it might be wise to size up to account for this if that is your intention.
Tramontina makes an inexpensive

Cutting a tree via machete
While we are at it, for chopping down trees I’ve found the most efficient method is to cut at about a 60° angle and continuously take small chunks of wood away at a time, rotating from top to bottom of the area in question instead of chopping in the same spot with each swing. Basically you are looking to make a “V”, clearing away the wood you just sliced with your last cut, but from the opposite angle each time you swing. The objective is not to take HUGE chunks of wood at a time, rather to make many small chips using less energy to whittle the trunk down. It’s slow work for larger caliber trees but you could chop down a 100 year old oak with that method if you really wanted to. I’ve found for smaller trees (less than an inch or so) that a single cut with the proper force similar to the angle used for whip and tongue grafting will do the trick. Using the bolo style blade, there is a sweet spot, (which is probably a bit different depending on the particular blade you are using) usually right below the wider portion of the tip. It will make a more satisfying “thud” when you make contact, as opposed to a more “hollow” feel where the blade will deflect without making a decent cut, similar to cutting at the wrong angle.

Cutting brush
I’ve found the best way to approach thorny brush is with an excavator. If all I have is a machete, I’ll usually trim smaller sections so the long death tentacles don’t slice me up as I remove the subject in question. For grass and other thornless vegetation, slow and steady is the preferred method. Just make sure you take enough breaks that you don’t get fatigued and accidentally catapult your blade as it slips out of your hand.

Models to buy
I have no complaints with the 14" blade Bolo style Tramontina machete. It is cheap, well balanced, comes with a handle, and has good quality steel that can be sharpened easily. For less than 12 bucks on Amazon, you can’t beat it.

Another option I found which peaked my interest is the Marbles brand Camp Knife, due to the bright orange paint. I will probably be painting our tramontinas a similar color now. They are currently fairly easy to lose in the brush (they blend in with a wooden handle and nice patina) especially if they slip out my hand to an unknown location. This site has it for about 15 bucks, which includes a sheath ( a pretty great deal if you want a sheath). The Amazon listing for this models says it comes with a sharpening stone, and a picture of one is also included on this site so I imagine that is also included.

Other styles may be good for specific activities but I’ve found this style to be a good all around tool. And once again, SAFETY FIRST!!!

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I used to love my machete, but 90% of what I did with it I now do with a Ryobi reciprocating saw. Much easier on my shoulder, and safer too! It goes through bamboo or 3-4" tree limbs in a few seconds. I only use the machte on thin flexible branches like greenbriar or honeysuckle. For that it’s irreplacable. I will say I prefer a much longer 20" blade on my Ontario machete. When sharp it is a heck of a tool for clearing brush.

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I like this machete. This company sells the Tramontina machetes as well.

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Mike, what type of blade do you use for your saw? I have the cheap Ryobi reciprocating saw that came with the 5 tool bundle, and we use a Milwaukee M18 Fuel reciprocating saw at work. For me the HUGE difference between the two is the disadvantage of Ryobi’s “safety button” needing to be pressed before every time you use the tool. Milwaukee has a one time press safety similar to a gun safety, that is much preferred in my opinion.

I discovered “pruning” blades probably last year (we usually use wood blades for cutting PVC pipe at work) but have not tried the pruning blades for wood yet. They appear to be significantly superior based on reviews I’ve read. I am all about buying the good tool once instead of having to go back for a replacement, so I’ll likely end up with a carbide blade like this one:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-12-in-3-TPI-Pruning-Carbide-Teeth-Wood-Cutting-SAWZALL-Reciprocating-Saw-Blade-48-00-5233/313469090#product-overview

Relating to the “buy a good tool once”, that blade costs MORE than the tramontina machete’s current price, but I’ll be using that machete for a long time too, even with a low cost. Sometimes the cheaper tool is OK too if made well, without bells and whistles. Cheap stainless steel blue hawk wire brushes from Lowes come to mind too.

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Thanks for sharing Jim! How long do you typically use that machete for and what are the usual tasks? It comes in a bit heavier than the one I use but looks like a very functional tool.

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last summer i bought a cold steel 17’ magnum kukri machete from knifecenter.com. its got the right amount of heft and balance to cut thru 2in softwood in one swipe and long enough to cut many smaller branches at a time. i really like the weight forward design machetes. it takes less energy to do the same job as a regular machete. also a good self defense weapon with its sharp tip as it can be used as a thrust weapon. very good quality machete for less than $30 delivered. i wrapped the handle with paracord for a more solid grip. i dont go camping without it. i had a large stand of chokecherry infested with black knot along a field to the northwest of my property. it was a threat to my cherry trees so i went at it last spring with this machete. it easily sliced thru up to 2in. wide mature chokecherry with one stroke . in 15min. i leveled probably 30 chokecherry trees. a very fulfilling blade to use and like you said , its a great workout and good way to constructively release pent up frustration. ;).

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Agree, battery-powered reciprocating saw and a “pruning” blade. I got a 3-pack of blades and designated one of them for “abuse”. Using manual post-hole diggers, if I run into a root, that tool/blade makes quick work of it. Sawing into dirt will dull a blade but so far that one is still reasonably sharp…

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I use the standard “all purpose” Milwaukee blades, 5 tpi in 9" length. I replace them after an hour or two of use depending on what I’m cutting. I keep a metal blade handy for going through nails or fencing too. My One+ saw doesn’t have any safety at all that I’m aware of. The 18v battery systems are just incredible. The batteries last so long and they charge in no time.

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Use it to clear paths/cut down invasives like honeysuckle and bucktorn. Cutting down saplings small saplings. The smaller hooked blade good for brambles.

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My boss seems to throw away my “dull blade” when he comes across it in our toolbox. Obviously he doesn’t understand the concept you’ve discussed :joy:

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AI chatbots tell me that machetes are mostly used in the tropics. Is there a reason to have one in USDA growing zone 4?

For our annual and biennial weeds with our miniscule-length growing period, I’m considering starting with a sickle approximately like this:

Just asking if I’m buying another tool I would never use before I create clutter.

I tried swinging a machete at Menards and I felt I needed a second hand on the grip to stop the swinging motion before my wrist became over-adducted (pulled toward pinky finger, side inducing a sprain).

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They’re useful. A machete isn’t the best tool for any one thing but it’s good at a lot of different things, from quick weed trimming to chopping down saplings. I can whack through trees up to ~4" diameter faster than using an axe or folding saw. They’re not as easy as a motorized saw, but they’re handier to pull out and you can carry one around on your belt while you’re out doing other stuff and have it on hand if you need to clean something up.

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At the risk of sounding like a Fiskars representative (I’ve positively commented on their shovels in another thread) I find that the XA23 (the long handle version) is a great tool that is in between an axe and a machete. I use it a lot for whacking shrubs and Bush in early spring and the long handle is a game changer in my opinion with keeping your hands away from thorny crap (e.g. black locust). I have the short handle version of the tool as well and apart from trying it out haven’t touched it again.

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Oh boy you got me started on hand tools!

I have a small weed sickle as well as most other cutting implements. I use it and pruners the most. You have to nail down your use case to choose. Around my yard/garden, the weed sickle is incredible. The smaller/softer the plants, the more they need the blade to move quickly and/or slice along the edge, which it does with ease. The gathering/pull cut is really slick for weeding around desirable plants. Brambles I use pruners now, sorry machete. If I’m delimbing a felled tree or working down a brush pile, I usually bring my kukri or Stihl hatchet. For under 1” green wood where you can cut in the direction of growth (not standing trees), a wicked sharp hatchet beats a reciprocating saw all day- if you can stay safe with it.

I feel like machetes don’t do anything that I have to do well, but they can do a lot alright, they sound cool, and they feel reassuring if you’re out in the sticks.

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I have both. the machette good for bigger stuff that is more labor intensive to do with the saw.

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