How to Sharpen a Machete

[@garywilm4582]

Very thorough technique for sharpening this tool. I appreciate the time that you put into this. Thanks!

[@kellyspann9845]

I have a Tramontina the same length as yours but it's not the bolo style it's just straight blade that I've used some thirty years. I love that thing and it is sharp as a razor. I love to sharpen blades. It's a great stress reliever. I make my own sheaths for all of my knives and machetes. Hate the sheaths that come with knives plus mine look cooler !

[@raimundomartinsdeloiolafil7879]

Os Tramontina são os melhores. Insuperáveis!!!

[@Mari_3333]

This was super informative and helpful :)!! You do a really good job at explaining each step, including why you do it, and giving demonstrations of what you’re talking about, it’s hard to find videos that don’t just give an incredibly basic and technical answer, so thank you!!

[@Innes1million]

Cheers mate. This will help with my big old Machetes, and my tiny wee 15 inch Tramontina!

[@papajoeknows8355]

Excellent video… I just bought a Tramontina and need to sharpen. Thanks!

[@lomgshorts3]

I have a CORNETA GARANTIZA bone handled machete, probably 40 years old. It is of better steel of ANY machete made today, because it rings when you draw a file over the edge. It has been my workhorse for that long, I sharpen it even while I am using it with a sharpening stone that was glued to a stick 2" wide. It can be stropped on the leather sheath that carries it. I have two others modern made that are junk compared to the CORNETA. If you strike them , they do not ring, they thud. One is military (supposedly), the other came from a popular named survival club made in China. You cannot keep an edge on them, they chip easily and bend too wildly, so I call them "junk". If you can find a CORNETA machete anywhere, buy it no matter what they want for it, it will serve you well. Sharpen it at a 30° angle, then strop it on the sheath's back side specially made for stropping and it will keep an edge for hours. But, do not let it get too dull because the steel is thick and hard. The "ringing" of the blade will let you know when to stop sharpening as it becomes "sweet" sounding. The blade will not turn when it bites into wood like the cheap ones do. It cuts like a family Katana of Japanese lore, weighty and strong.

[@Axer940]

Exactly what I needed to see, super helpful. Great video with very clear instruction. Thanks.

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

Great to hear

[@adkmtns5726]

Great video! I would take some fine sandpaper and go over the whole handle. Finish up with a coat of boiled linseed oil to protect the wood.

[@ColossalSwordFormAndTechnique]

Yup 👍 A brand new factory dull edge is best to begin with a file ☝️

[@PhilipLMcAlary]

Very good video tutorial! Thank you, l learned a lot.

[@dougfishback3116]

Thank you for this. Very helpful.

[@dougp4952]

Tramontina Bolo machetes are the best! I lived in the Bahamas for 20 years and I use one there all the time and they were easily available. Came back home to Florida and it took me 7 years to find it again and they are the best.

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

The Tramontina hasn't let me down

[@davidbea3711]

@@BurningRiverBushcraft so WHERE can we order this same machete ??

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

@@davidbea3711 Amazon

[@thesandman3338]

What is the brand of your round stone ?

[@gerry343]

Taking the back of the handle down and rounding the corner by the heel is essential.

[@Alsayid]

Have you tries Marbles machetes, made in El Salvador? I wonder about those, too.

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

I have not. I have been using the Bodark Tool Parangs lately.

[@cloudraker100]

I'll often take a machete and a mora #1 as light weight cutting tools. You can do a lot with that cheap combo.

[@Danielson1818]

Spoken outta my own heart. I use my machete, and my Mora Robust for light stuff. Absolutely great for the money... They are also a lot of fun to customize if you have that artistic side.

[@spiritedadventure7662]

Hi again Burning River Bushcraft, great advice thanks. have a great day and stay safe. James

[@lukealberti5094]

Does a machete need to have a convex edge? Thanks.

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

No, It's a more durable edge, but it's not needed. No matter what grind you start with, the edge will be similar to a convex edge after sharpening it in the field.

[@leongabrielvladescu410]

I ve made it razor sharp with a fixed knife sharpener and with a chef sharpener,that that look like a round file,first the fixed than with the kitchen file and it s work like a dream,tramontina bolo it s verry good becouse it s so flexible and easy to deal with.take care of you guys

[@zaynkun]

With limited tools, would the bastard filing be enough - you think - to allow someone to cut pesky bamboo glass in ones yard?

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

Yes it would

[@nickventruella2493]

why would the river be burning?

[@jbranstetter04]

What's that animal jumping behind you at 6:25?

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

That's a cat.

[@seastar8519]

Great video. when do I need to use oil or solution

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

A stone works better with oil or water. I keep the stone wet the whole time. Use oil or water don't don't switch back and forth.

[@jojovcpb3736]

Did you wet or lubricate the puck?

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

Yes

[@zalafinari]

I'm manually sharpening a 22" Barteaux & Sons machete I inherited and I figured out that watching the sheen while filing I can figure out the right angle to match the original but it seems that the edge could be rounded and I need to file more to make it flat. I found your video helpful in how to better sharpen it but I have one question you didn't address. Is the angle of the sharpened edge along the blade likely the same as the angle around the tip of the machete?

[@zalafinari]

After watching another video just now I realize there's terminology I wasn't aware of. What I meant was that the bevel wasn't flat, it was rounded (concave) and wasn't sure if I should be trying to flatten the bevel to more closely match the angle of the edge or not.

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

I would keep the bevel flat.

[@Mister_Ess]

Please help: I recently bought a machete: very similar in appearance to yours, but I only paid 12 bucks for it, brand-new. I'm very proficient at free-hand sharpening, and I did everything you did in this video, even trying different sharpening tools. The problem: I can barely get the edge sharp enough to cut paper. Will my cheap machete still be useable for bushwhacking, or should I just spend more money and get a true Tramontina? Thanks in advance.

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

You don't need a Machete to be this sharp. A file grade utility edge is what most indigenous are using. This was my only cutting tool for a trip, so I needed it knife sharp. This Tramontina was probably around the same price, by the way.

[@ColossalSwordFormAndTechnique]

You wanna strop the edge, to keep it from dulling ☝️

[@kova1577]

I really need to do something about my blade addiction

[@johngonzalez5593]

Great job 👍

[@BaadBuugz]

I heard that the tip is so dull and thick because it doesn't break when you hit a rock in the field. I do not know if it's true but somehow makes sense

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

Machetes usually have a softer temper to steel so they bend instead of break. The large tip on the Bolo style is a weight forward design for a stronger swing. Thanks for watching

[@mohdzaudikhasni8829]

Hi sir, may i know where to buy that file?

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

They are pretty common. Subscribe to see my latest. Nicholson Half-Round 4-in-Hand Rasp and File, Rasp Cut, American Pattern, 8" Length www.amazon.com/dp/B000VBAIM8/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_Y41T6TA5CWYMZY0NXSFX

[@mohdzaudikhasni8829]

@@BurningRiverBushcraft thank you so much sir.. appreciated 🙏🙏🙏

[@CaptWMcS]

than you bushman John Cryer

[@anormalrat]

I have the 20" machete i keep a bastard file in the sheath, its a tool thats gonna get beat to shit theres no point having it sharper 30 secs each side for a touch up and it just cleaves thru green brush up to about 1" and makes short work of limbs up to about 3"

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

This was my only blade of a limited gear trip. I needed to be able to do knife tasks with it.

[@anormalrat]

@Burning River Bushcraft yours is definitely a good option for only taking 1 blade

[@patg14]

Mild steel, but I love my tramontina

[@osbaldohernandez9174]

Honestly I just my dc4 sharpening stone and a strops get a razors edge every time no file needed

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

This one didn't have an established edge

[@osbaldohernandez9174]

@@BurningRiverBushcraft neither do mines but if you use a coarse diamond stone you can make one

[@djahbojavlog4233]

Thank u

[@CC6_Fanclub_President]

Looks like a deer stand back behind you at the tree line... 👀

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

Wildlife Observation Platform...

[@415fillmore]

I got the same machete from Harbor Freight. How can I get it as sharp as The Book of Eli?

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

To get the machete sharper I would continue to strop the edge using less abrasive grits until it was as sharp as I wanted. This is as sharp as practical for a machete.

[@patg14]

Put a fat angle on the edge to use it as a bolo.

[@paulcarter2388]

Good info. You did not show how to work both sides.

[@spencerdodds2207]

The tip is supposed to be blunt.

[@elyusmechanicalengineering8898]

That's a bolo.

[@jimmywilson1388]

Man that’s an awesome machete for 20 bucks… I wouldn’t want an expensive one anyway it’s kinda pointless for what it’s used for…

[@deanoboland]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@FireCrack83]

I hate it when i buy a tool and it comes "unready". not every buyer of a machete has a tools for sharpening. I sent those back cause if i buy a product it should be ready for use so i dont have to work an hour before start working on the job i bought it for. At least give the custome the info that its not sharp at all or offer a sharpening service. Thats why i never buy Tramontina. Cold Steel or condor are at least able to sharpen theire tools.

[@AussieArmenian]

Bolo. The best Machete ever made....

[@mountainbearoutdoors]

just use a file, anything else is a bonus, machete steel is so soft its pointless going too sharp if you are belting a tree with it.

[@BurningRiverBushcraft]

This was my only cutting tool for a trip. I needed it knife sharp.

[@GovindaGopala333]

Chelensky doing nife sharpening