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Yeah I wouldn't cut up an old cleaver to modify. The cleaver has to much character. As far as annealing, just throw it in a camp fire overnight. It'll soften as long as it hits critical temp (1450 degrees) and then cools at a rate of 50 degrees an hour or less until it's below 950. It will need to be reheat treated. Lots of work for repurposed steel if you don't have a forge.

These two idiots. The fact that one is a USMC vet makes me ashamed we wore the same uniform. I'm sick of these "supporters" who believe in restrictions. Also, I wonder out of those attacks he has seen, how many were done with a "combat knife" (whatever the hell that means) and how ma y were done with a kitchen knife. Most criminals aren't gonna cut you apart with a $500 custom bowie or even a $60 Kabar. They are gonna stab you with a homemade shank or a $3 goodwill kitchen knife. And they sure as hell won't be wearing it openly. That argument smells just like the assault rifle bullshit. I hope I walk by that moron while I'm getting fuel someday so he can see the 11 1/2" combat knife hanging off my side.

I will check them out when I get off. Beautiful pipe btw. I love it

Just a warning make sure if you reload with black powder that you use a static free mat and ground yourself. Someone, I think Dave S. Had a black powder round they were loading blowup in their face from a static electricity charge. I didn't know it was so touchy until he posted that awhile back

I have really taken an intrest in adding hand made tobacco pipes to my hobbies. I really wanna make myself a Devil Anse nose warmer cutty pipe. I have a pretty well equipped wood shop just not sure where to start. I have a lathe, bandsaw, chop saw, scroll, radial arm, router, etc. Just need to know where to find material and if anyone here could walk me through making my first one. Thanks guys

Non-poisionous normally gets a pass if they aren't in my house. I'll let them all around the house and yard. Poisonous gets a pass unless he is in my yard, shop, or somewhere my nieces or nephews are close by. I'll kill them in the hay field to when we are bailing and throwing hay. I've thrown a bail with a cut in half pisses off copperhead in it and almost got bit. I've also stepped on two in the field while throwing hay. As far as cucumbers, I've heard both ways. Usually if I go to smelling cucumbers in the woods I can find the snake. Oh and one more thing. You ain't seen nothing till you've dug into a "nest". We dug one up opening an old logging road all the time. I bet we dug 30 copperhead and rattlesnakes out with a backhoe, killed anything that wanted to come towards us and fight. Ever since that I see at least 2 or 3 everytime I'm back that way. I never saw any before we dug that out. So I definitely believe they lay up in big dens or nest, and if you disturb them you will then have a serious snake problem for a good long while.

Yep. 20 years experience in Taekwondo, Hapkido and Judo says a boxer is one of the best in the world with his fist. So either scoot back and kick him into submission or get close, head to the ground and show him what an anaconda prey feels like. Boxing is dead and is a sport for betting in Vegas, not for fans watching.

Anyone planning on using a bike should definitely have one now and be riding it regularly. Just like humping a pack it takes practice. I hear several people who's plans include walking home or bugging out on foot with a small to medium sized pack. When was the last time you rucked up and did 4 miles, or 8 or 20? I did a 20 mile ruck back in the winter and got reminded quickly that I'm not a 20 year old Marine anymore. A bike is the same way. If you plan to use a bike, you should be riding it to work, to the store, and on the weekends as often as possible. I'm not much of a bike person. I'll stick with horsepower just as people have for years. My decision is based off the fact that I have horses available, along with enough land to graze them all spring summer and fall and still have land for hay in the winter, as well as the equipment to use the horses to harvest the hay. This is my cousins team, many of you have seen our draft. You could comfortably haul half a ton in a wagon 20 miles a day if needed.

And the finished products. The big hawk from the jackhammer bit turned out a little off center. I left it to be finished another day, and chalk it up to a learning experience since I had never used a hawk drift before. The Pulaski hawk is designed with camping and Ginseng digging in mind, and the long knife is based on a knife I built for Dwight McLemore recently.

Pictures from yesterday. I had a photographer out for the second part of the day and she did an excellent job.

Oliver Springs. Last get together I attended was the one I hosted at my parents. That was a good shoot

Tennessee long knife

Pulaski Tomahawk from a brick hammer. This is rough forged. And my first time using a hawk drift.

I have worked 11 straight 12 hour shifts the last two weeks. I got today off and decided to do something special. I left work at 430 am, and fired the forge at 500 am. I'll post up dates to this thread as I work today if you want to follow along. This is when I fired the forge at 500 am Our material for the day. A 1 1/4" jackhammer bit that will be cut and used to make a tomahawk. A small file for a patch knife. A brick hammer for a Pulaski hawk, and a 1/4" leaf spring for a long hunters style belt knife

I've never seen one that big or even close

By all means feel free. It fell off Sulphur Springs in Clinton

It's a sycamore. We are actually a Husqvarna family, with a T435 arborist saw, 371xp and 3120xp, but it's kinda like Ford and Chevy anymore, they both make great stuff.

It uprooted. It's a monster sycamore I think they have a MS660 stihl, but I may be wrong Neither of those is really feasible for a county road department who's trying to clear it as quickly as possible out of a road. In all honest it probably got hauled to the landfield, though it would made some sweet furniture

Just got this picture from my dad. He works for the Anderson County Road Dept. And got called out to cut a tree that fell across the road. This is what he found when he got there. 6 dump truck loads just for the trunk. It was a monster. I figured some of you guys would find this interesting. He 5'11" for reference

I use a couple different Old Hickory for 99% of my kitchen stuff. Sharp, properly heart treated carbon steel is wonderful, and those old k Ives were designed back when the majority of people still used a knife several times a day.

Yep its a name game. She is selling to new York hipsters. I can hammer those out in about 5-6 hours including clean up grinding, handle shaping, and heat treat. So figuring $40 for a nice piece of burl for a handle, and $8-$10 for a worn out rasp if she's buying on the high end. $750 for 6 hours worth of work ain't to shaby. There are hundreds, if not thousands of very talented knife makers who do much nicer work for less than half the cost due to the name. She has found a botique, which is good for her. Maybe I just need to pack up the Forge and move my ass to New York.

Never heard of that one. Back in the day the fastest cars in most of Appalachia were hot rodded moonshine cars. Most cops cars didn't stand a chance against those things. Not to mention the crazy men driving them.

Well you know how it is.

One of the guys I made good friends with training last year decided he wanted an axe similar to one carried on the show Vikings. So this is what u came up with. This was my first day off in 3 weeks and I worked 5:00 pm to 5:00 am, then drove straight from work to the shop and forged this out. Mild steel body with a forge welded 5160 bit. Apps 4 lbs. 9.5" Long point to point, 29" handle Forge welded eye Hot cutting the leaf spring for the bit. The finished product and one tired blacksmith. I call her the Gavel of Ragnarök since that will be the judgment of the Gods.

I carry in a shoulder holster from time to time, but its an old style vertical. The horizontal ones always make me uncomfortable flagging everyone in sight. And if I have a shoulder holster on then I am on my motorcycle and that means I have a vest on to cover it. I support open carry and practice it from time to time depending on the situation. Im probably gonna get shot first anyways. 6"1', 240 lbs, covered in military tattooos and usually carrying a lg fixed blade knife. And according to your wife I always look either scary or angry. I would shoot me first lol. As far as an Hcp badge they make no sense to me, and they concern me about being used in court in an impersonating an officer case