X2

Very nice. ADC

It's Jack the Ripper collection

I'll probably just slightly clean them. I have a few other cleavers with missing scales that I will repair. I was recently given 9 pieces of knife making equipment and may try making a cleaver or two to.

Keith

Thanks. A lot of little, poorly attended auctions have really good deals.

Keith

I like the old cleavers too. I have bought quite a few over the last couple of years. I hope to find some of the old hog splitters at a reasonable price. So far I have not been that lucky.

Keith

That is a very similar looking knife Doug.

Keith

That's a nice case of old knives. I have been throwing around ideas on how to display my cleavers. Most, but not all, have holes in the blade they could be hung from. I've thought about hanging them from an interesting piece of wood on the wall.

Can you hang your case or do you need to keep it flat?

Keith

Its actually a coffee table Keith.

ADC are those F. Dick sharpening steels?

I have the same exact clever. Was my grandfathers when he was a butcher back in NYC before moving upstate in early 1900's.

No sir. I don't believe they are.

I have had this one for over 35 years. I use it to butcher everything. Its a little wore down but still great for taking a moose apart. The long blade goes through the steaks with out leaving a ragged cut. can also pop the hide off in big sheets.

I put the notches on the handle so is not as slippery when its bloody.

I need a new one someday.

Jeff, PM me a mailing address. I think I can fix you up.

Yup! Those are the ones I watch for. I do a lot of gun shows and sell a lot of antique knives, cleavers, axes, etc. I have gotten some regular customers that look for me and buy quite a few. There's a gun show I do to the north where there are a couple of chefs that buy the high end knives. Can certainly make a few bucks on some of them!

Moosetrot

After reading this post I remembered that I had some similar items hanging around in my fish cleaning house and thought I would share:



The largest cleaver is a Foster Bros. as is the Machete. The smaller cleaver says Havana OFCCO on the handle.The largest knife is an Old Hickory and the smaller forged one next to it is unmarked.
The skinny one on the bottom photo is also marked Old Hickory on the handle and the one above it is marked Shapleigh's Hammer Forged 1843-1934.

The knife looks like a Dexter brand. I use mine for a "scalper".

Great thread!

I have some of my Dad's meat cutting tools, some that I saw him use and still use myself. But I have one old butcher knife that I know was his but never saw him use. I asked my older brother about it and he does not recall ever seeing Dad use it either. But I do know that Dad worked in an abattoir to supplement farm income before I was born and some in my younger years. We also killed hogs every year and I saw the cleaver and his meat saw being used but never the big knife.




The large knife is shaped very similar to the one in the OP on this thread. The blade is 11 3/4" long and 1 1/2" from top to bottom. There are no markings on the blade or the handle. The tang of the blade extends 3 3/4" into the 5 3/8" long handle that is a solid piece of wood slotted for the blade rather than separate scales. It is held together by 2 aluminum rivets. Definitely carbon steel blade with some rust but not bad.

The blade on the cleaver is 8" long and the height goes from 3 3/4" at the handle to 5 1/4" near the end. The round handle is 6 1/2" long and 1 14" to 1 3/8" in diameter. But, like the knife, there is no identifying marks on it anywhere. I have seen it used to break down a many a pork rib cage and I still use it on occasion myself.

I also have Dad's meat saw that looks identical to the one shown in MnMan's post. No marking on it either but I have managed adapt blades to it and still use it today.

To date this stuff, I was born in 1945, the year after Dad had purchased a new farm and he had helped run an abattoir before he moved to the new place and he worked in a meat packing place part time after he moved. I only remember him as a full time farmer so he did not work at the plant many years after I was born. I know he used the cleaver and saw and I suspect he used the knife but never saw it in use. He definitely was not one buy stuff like that without having a use for it.

Any input on the manufacturer of any of this is appreciated.

That cleaver may be a Bailey and Sons. Check very closely for a touchmark.

Moosetrot

If your talking about the large knife next to the meat saw that’s not a machate it’s whats known as a lamb splitter som have a hole in them like a cleaver and some dont it’s ment for cutting meat a machate is ment for cutting brush and plants though you could do both with either of you wanted