Sickles are Modified Machetes

A machete, in our humble estimation, is similar to a large knife except that you tend to swing it as opposed to stab with it. In other words, a machete is a long blade on a handle that you swing. A sickle, therefore, is just a highly modified machete for harvesting grains and stalks.

The Machete in the Garden

The machete has been used for thousands of years, primarily for agricultural purposes. One form we know is the sickle, which is really a machete with a highly modified, curved blade. The advantage of the sickle is that the stalks or canes are pulled together toward the center of the curve, so that they are easier to gather together.

Uses of Machetes or Sickles for Gardeners and Farmers:

1. Chop vegetable matter into small pieces to compost.
2. Cut grasses, brush, leafy vegetaion, or branches for compost material.
3. Remove branches shading your garden.
4. Harvest a variety of grain crops.
5. Make trellis poles.
6. Practice no-till gardening by removing only the above-ground vegetation.
8. Cut fodder for animals.

Website Opens Offering a Global Variety of Machetes

Website Opens Offering a Global Variety of Machetes

Columbia, Missouri-Feb 24th, 2010- The tool of choice for the common man all over the world, the machete combines elements of both the knife and the ax in one convenient, portable package. Used for everything from clearing trails to harvesting crops, machetes are popular with campers, foresters, gardeners, hunters, surveyors, survivalists, hikers, and small-scale farmers. Found throughout the world, certain styles tend to be favored in different regions based on local vegetation, crops, and custom.

Returning to the United States after a 2-year stint in the Peace Corps in Ecuador, MacheteSpecialists.com founder Campbell Laird missed his machete. He did not need a machete to hack through jungle or wield as a weapon, but rather for mundane tasks around the home such as clearing brush and chopping kitchen waste into manageable pieces for his compost pile.

“I needed a good machete, and frankly, I could not find one locally,” says Laird. “The type I had used in South America had a good deal more weight in the blade, making it ideal for chopping. The one cheap machete on offer at my local hardware store was too thin and flimsy.”

In the US, retailers simply do not stock many machetes. Large-scale agricultural machinery has replaced the humble corn knife and sickle (both different types of machetes) at harvest time, and Hollywood and 24-hour news coverage have contributed to negative impressions that leave the machete maligned and misunderstood.

To Laird, however, the machete is an essential tool. “Though more common in the tropics, North Americans have found many uses for the machete as well. Camping, fishing and hiking are popular pastimes, and more and more people are becoming interested in gardening and sustainable agriculture. Additionally, many people living in the US come from areas abroad where machetes are commonplace, and they appreciate being able to use tools they are familiar with.”

A worldwide selection of machetes, as well as machete related-information, can be found at MacheteSpecialists.com.

About The Owner: Campbell Laird is a self-styled machete expert, having spent months researching and categorizing the different styles, regional names, and specialized uses of machetes from all over the world.