[AT] Corn Binding/Hay

[charlie hill]

I've seen some machettes that have a round notch cut in the back side of the 
blade.  It's a slot about 1" wide cut at an angle into the blade with a 
rounded, sharpened end.  I've often wondered what it's true intent was. 
Could it be they were made for cutting corn or cane?

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "George Willer" <gwill at gwill.net>
To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'" 
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 8:04 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] Corn Binding/Hay


> That mower section knife is like the one we used we used to cut the twine 
> as
> the bundles were fed into the shredder after we became modernized with a
> binder, tractor, and corn shredder.
>
> When the corn was cut by hand it was with a straight knife somewhat like
> I still use for some chores around the yard.  It was a straight blade with
> no curve like a machete has.
>
> George Willer
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com [mailto:at-
>> bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Steve W.
>> Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 5:50 PM
>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Corn Binding/Hay
>>
>> And if you want the home made version take an old hoe handle and saw a
>> slot on one end long enough to install a sickle bar section. Install the
>> section with it at an angle. I drilled the holes for mounting so that
>> one hole is close to each edge of the handle. You could also use a chunk
>> of heavy wall conduit as the handle. To use just slide the handle down
>> the stalk till you hit the ground and give it a sharp yank up/back to
>> cut the stalk.
>>
>> Larry D Goss wrote:
>> > If you can find one, John, use a bona fide corn knife for the job of
>> hand
>> > cutting rather than the machete-style knives that dealers are selling
>> > nowadays.  It makes all the difference in the world.  You may have to
>> haunt
>> > a bunch of antique shops to find one, but a real corn knife looks kind
>> of
>> > like either a miniature scythe or a hand sickle on steroids.  The
>> forward
>> > side of the knife is serrated and you don't have to swing it to make it
>> > work.  You just put the knife down low (close to the root ball) and 
>> > pull
>> > toward you at an angle.  It slices off the stalk clean as a whistle.
>> You
>> > know that it's time to sharpen the knife when you start pulling the 
>> > root
>> > balls out of the ground.
>> >
>> > Larry
>> >
>>
>> --
>> Steve W.
>> Near Cooperstown, New York
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