The Beast is no
lightweight coming in at close to three pounds.
It’s not a long bladed chopper; in fact, the blade length is only 9.5
inches and an overall length of 16.5 inches.
But the blade is 7mm thick (.284 inch) from tang to tip and that’s what makes this parang so heavy.
I built it with one purpose in mind: Whacking the dead leaves off of
yucca plants, Yucca treculeana.
The
South Texas form of this yucca was once called “the giant yucca” and nurseries
referred to it as, Yucca treculeana
var.canaliculata. That variety is no
longer recognized. Regardless, South
Texas yucca (also called pita) is
much bigger and tougher than your run of the mill yuccas and the dead leaves
hanging from the stalk reject the flimsy-bladed machetes most people use. It’s a lot of work and I figured a heavy
blade would perform better.
I
don’t consider this parang suitable for everyday use since its weight makes the
blade want to keep going, and unless you’re striking something substantial then
the blade is difficult to stop. In other
words, the blade’s mass coupled with your swing and gravity creates momentum
not easily thwarted.
Note
that I rounded the first two inches of the top part of the blade’s spine
to facilitate choking the blade for detailed work. The underside at that point is rounded as
well. I do this to all my large knives
including my Woods Roamer Knife. But on
The Beast detail work is confined to lighter chopping where you allow the
blade’s weight to do most of the work.
The
tang extends about halfway through the handle section. Full tangs on these large knives interfere
with the overall balance of the knives; and the little stick tangs seen on
nearly all Malaysian parangs are prone towards having problems. I’ve read reports of those little stick tangs
working loose even when pinned and also snapping during chopping. So I compromise in my parang-type knives with
a tang that is substantial but not full length.
The handle is made from mesquite and its pinned with a couple of
heavy-duty nails. The steel came from a
set of pickup leaf springs and is probably 5160. This is good steel for choppers and pounders
since it’s forgiving and less prone towards snapping—assuming you tempered the
blade correctly after heat treatment. I
forged the blade then annealed it and afterwards shaped the bevel. I used a cutting torch to make the two 3/16
inch pin holes then cleaned the holes with a drill. The handle is covered with an amalgam of
30-minute epoxy and fine mesquite wood dust.
This makes for a nice color and very durable seal as well as adding
strength to the handle.
This
is not intended to be a cutie chopper all shining and fancy. This is a working tool for use around the
cabin and on el ranchito. But after using The Beast to trim yucca I
couldn’t help think this would make a heck of a weapon in the hands of a Navy
Seal or US Marine or by the Army Delta Force.
The handle is robust enough that it won’t allow the knife to get away
from you. The knife’s overall ergonomics
keep the hand at a distance from the cutting surface. And the thick blade will go through a door or
into a vehicle with ease.
