A machete knife, more commonly just referred to as a machete, or by its pattern, such as a Kukri or bolo, is a great tool for clearing light brush, maintaining trails, and for sundry other camp chores and bushcraft.
Of course, part of responsible machete ownership is knowing how to sharpen it, because if you use it, it will eventually get dulled.
So here’s your primer.
How to Sharpen a Machete
Sharpening a machete knife is fortunately fairly straightforward. Here’s what you need to do:
- Select a stone of appropriate grit. The duller the machete knife, the lower the grit (that is, the coarser the stone) you need. For general purpose sharpening of a machete, anywhere from 80 to 200 grit should work, since you will want a relatively oblique edge, not a razor edge.
- Lay the machete blade flat on the stone, then raise the spine of the machete by an inch or more to produce an angle of approximately 25° to 30°.
- Push the machete away from you, edge forward, as though you are trying to shave a slice off the top of the stone. Doing so will reprofile the edge, removing metal stock where needed.
- Repeat this process 10 to 30 times, then check the edge. You should feel a burr forming on the edge, indicating that the process is working.
- Flip the machete knife over and repeat the process on the other side. Repeat the same number of strokes on each side to ensure that your edge geometry is consistent and symmetrical.
- Repeat this process on both sides of the blade until you are satisfied with the new edge.
Remember, while a sharp machete is important, you don’t need, or truly even want, a razor sharp edge. It is not necessary and will be likely to get dull faster or even sustain damage in the course of normal use.
The Importance of a Sharp Machete or Knife
Rather than continuing to use a dull machete or knife that has seen better days, sharpen your machete at the first sign that you need to do so.
A dull machete will not cut effectively, but more importantly, a sharper tool is a safer tool. With a dull machete, the blade is much more likely to glance off of whatever you’re striking, which increases the odds that you’ll inadvertently strike yourself.
Keep your machete knife sharp and accidents like these will be less likely.
Keeping It from Getting Dull Prematurely
Part of keeping a machete sharp is preventing it from getting dull in the first place. While it is true that the edge will eventually wear from routine and responsible use, there are things you can do to help slow this down.
For instance:
- Don’t use more force than you need to when using a machete.
- Never stick the blade of your machete in the ground.
- Do not strike through brush and into the ground.
- Avoid striking things like walls, posts, and other hard objects that will blunt the blade.
- Store your machete knife somewhere cool and dry to prevent rust from forming on the blade, which will also hasten the deterioration of the edge.
Here for a New Machete Knife?
Want to replace an old machete knife that’s in bad shape? Get it online at BUDK. They carry a wide range of patterns and profiles at surprisingly competitive prices. Plus, they carry other tools as well as knife sharpening essentials, so they should more or less have everything you need.
