Reassure me about the strength of kukri handles

 

Well the partial and stick tang are my favourite user types, as they are in Nepal, and of course the majority of Gurkha issue kukri over the years were either stick or partial tang as well. The MkII and the MkIII notably as well as the W/S MkIV, which was copied from the MkIII anyway, although made to W/S specs of course were all full tang, but that just presents a different set of problems.

I think I have had 4-5 stick tang failures in 10 years with all the kukri I have had made for Tora, so not to bad

I'm glad you like your Tamang Kukri,as for the handle strength I haven't had any problems with stick tangs and I'm not a big fan of full tang Kukri,I don't find them very comfortably to use for heavy chopping.Also , you probably already know,a good soaking of linseed oil will do the handle alot of good.

You have mentioned that you're on the look out for a smaller version of the Tamang,well I know its not a kukri but the Village Karda I've just bought is a cracking knife,I love it.

I'm a fan of flat grind edges on utility knives,and the karda has a very agressive cutting edge indeed,very similar to the Scandi grind knives that are popular at the moment,the only difference being,the karda is a lot bigger and heavier ,it feels so practical when its in your hand you don't  want to put it down.Anyway thats enough of that,and of cause it's just my opinion,and we all have different veiws on what makes a good blade.

I look forward to reading how you get on with the Tamang on its first hunting trip,and good luck.

You have more or less convinced me Angrej.   I have had a hankering for a big American bowie for general use, but the more I look into it, the more this kind of thing appeals to me.  Plus I am so impressed with the utility of the kukri shape and the Tora quality.   So a smaller, straighter pointy blade like the Tamang or the village karda should do what a bowie can do and more.  Plus it doesn't fit the stereotype of 'violent criminal' like a store-bought bowie might.

I am a metalworker by trade, and I've made many knives.  I could, I suppose, make the knife of my dreams but I am not currently geared up for it.  Plus I admire the work of the Nepalese that Ive seen so far, and it is nice to have something genuine from a knowledgable culture that is the product of many generations of hard work and wisdom.

 

With that being said, I've used many of my kukris hard.  Not being nice to them.  Not babying them.  And even as you mentioned, having to wrench, twist, pry, lever, and do whatever's possible, to get my kukri out of a piece of wood.  Just like an axe, it's very possible to get a kukri stuck in wood.  This leaves you with 2 options.  Pound it "through" the wood, or get it "out" of the wood, one way or another.

 

Here's a pic, I think you'll be able to appreciate.  The wood is Big Leaf Maple.  It's hard, and really tough.

 

Now, keep this in mind.  The kukri, is one of my GAK's. (15" blade, 38+ cm iirc)  The stump it's stuck in, is appx. 15 or so inches tall.  So, the total height is over 1 meter.  I chopped all that wood, with that kukri. (in about an hour)  I would think, that if the handle were going to fail, it would fail durring use, and not necessarily due to a short period of extra difficulty. (though, as I said, anything's possible)

 

I hope this helps calm your nerves.  Personally, I have no worries about tang failure at all.  And, even if it happened, just let Simon know, and he'll take care of you.

 

mike

 

mike