Share your agricultural billhook

[Sajen]

I think that when there will be enough interest by our members this could become an interesting thread.

Here is my German "hippe" which seems to have a hard life behind it.

35,5 cm overall, blade 20 cm, 11 mm thick at the spine behind the handle.

[Sajen]

Lol, so many views and nobody has to share an ethnographic billhook?

[Interested Party]

Sorry Detlef. I've had lots of working modern bill hooks but never an old ethnographic one. We had an Oaxacan one that a friend brought back made from a saw blade but now I only have the Imacasa version.

[fernando]

I don't collect these things but, we can see more than one in every other local Sunday street fair. Not new stuff ... and often marked. I will try and keep in mind to take some pictures next time i see some examples.


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[Pertinax]

Two garden pruners.
The first is Germany, 19th century. The second is the Soviet Union, mid-20th century, it was also included in a medical bag and was used for cutting uniforms, boots, and ammunition.

[fernando]

Pertinax, those are not so ethno ... are they ? They look like factory made .

[C4RL]

Originally Posted by Pertinax

Two garden pruners.
The first is Germany, 19th century. The second is the Soviet Union, mid-20th century, it was also included in a medical bag and was used for cutting uniforms, boots, and ammunition.

The folding knife looks identical to an agricultural/gardeners pruning knife. Maybe that's what they repurposed.

[Akanthus]

Here another example from central Germany.It has a length from about 40 cm.Together with a spoon like tool it was used for removing bark from trees.The bark was needed for tanning leather.It is said that each blacksmith in the villages had his own signs on the blades.Certainly it was made around 1900.

[drac2k]

I'm late to the game, but I've got a couple of entries. The longer 30" one is very heavy; almost .75" at the base of the spine. I think that I saw a similar example for cutting banana tree stalks.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by drac2k

I'm late to the game, but I've got a couple of entries. The longer 30" one is very heavy; almost .75" at the base of the spine. I think that I saw a similar example for cutting banana tree stalks.

Hello David,

Thank you for showing these nice examples. Any guesses from where they are coming?

Regards,
Detlef

[Akanthus]

Here some pictures.Sorry the first and second is upside down.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Akanthus

Here some pictures.Sorry the first and second is upside down.

Hello Akanthus,

Also to you, thanks for showing your example! Do you know where your example originated?

Regards,
Detlef

[drac2k]

Thanks, Detlef, I was hoping that you could tell me. My short piece looks similar to your example and I noticed that the short one had a star pattern comparable to the one belonging to Ankathus.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by drac2k

Thanks, Detlef, I was hoping that you could tell me. My short piece looks similar to your example and I noticed that the short one had a star pattern comparable to the one belonging to Ankathus.

Hello David,

Your short one and the one from Akanthus could be European or European influenced American. The handle construction makes me think like this. Has the blade an end-to-end tang pened at top of the handle?

Regards,
Detlef

[Akanthus]

Hi Detlef, yes,it's made in the area of the town of Siegen in Nordrheinwestfalen.These knifes are called " Knipp " and the owners often used it for decades and they were their personal tools.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Akanthus

Hi Detlef, yes,it's made in the area of the town of Siegen in Nordrheinwestfalen.These knifes are called " Knipp " and the owners often used it for decades and they were their personal tools.

Hi Akanthus,

You live around 100 km far away from me and it seems that the people call such a sickle knife already different, I know the term "Knipp" but here it is called "Hippe"! My grandmother still used such a "Hippe" when she worked in the garden. Other terms are Heppe, Häbe, Hape, Säsle, Sesel and Gertel. Just different idioms.

Regards,
Detlef