I just bought a 17" knife with a 12" blade and a 13.5" cleaver with 7.5" blade.



The knife is well balanced, old and unmarked. I have some ideas, but what do you think it was made for?

Keith

Will you restore them or keep them as is?

Chris

My Dad worked in a meat packing plant in the 40s to supplement income from the family farm. I have a knife that was his that is almost identical to the one shown. I never saw him use it at home when processing hogs so I assume he used it at the packing plant breaking down beef. I also have his clever and meat saw. He did use those at home processing hogs.

A cimeter or scimitar. Like the other guys said, probably used in a meat packing plant or by a butcher. I collect the old style Chicago Cutlery knives and that looks like one with the walnut handle and three brass rivets but a lot of other manufacturers made knives that looked just like that. Chicago Cutlery knives were only stamped on one scale and the blades were blank. The stamping in the wood often wore off on the older or well-used models. If it were a Chicago Cutlery knife it would be a stainless steel blade. I can't tell if it is or not.

I call that style of swept back knife a breaking knife. It’s style is used for breaking down large cuts into something more manageable. Dexter Russell has a knife similar but about 6-7” long. I would love to find a quality blade in the 10-14” length.

my first thought was Chicago cutlery also.

After looking at it a bit more I’m agreeing with lugnut it does look like my scimitar styled blade.

It's a scimitar steaking knife, before bandsaws these were used to cut steaks, one long smooth cut.

I have twins to both the knife and cleaver. Several (3-4?) of the knives actually. My Pappy had cousins that operated meat packing/slaughter house type place near Potterville, MI. back when I was a kid.. I assume they were leftovers from those folks. I rarely use the knives except when butchering or turkey carving. Sorta family heirlooms.

Thanks everyone. It was listed as a machete in the auction. I thought it was a large knife for butchering, but did not know it was called a scimitar or cimeter. It's made out of a very good quality carbon steel and has a beautiful ring to it. I paid $16.00 for both pieces together.

Keith

Breaking knife for parting out carcasses.
Put a tang on it and you'll have a good sticker.

Slicing knife by Ontario Knife Co."Old Hickory"

Keith-At $16 you did very well!

Moosetrot

Agreed at 16 buck I would have grabbed those up as well even though I already have a couple of each inherited from my folks

Exactly.

what I have seen for "breaking" is a heavy blade with less sweep, used often from the inside of the side and the cut was directed outward. Think pull tward the cutter and downward from where the knife was started.

I'm
always interested in Old Cleavers if you want to trade for more modern stuff.

S-series (old style) Chicago Cutlery knives are advertised as having high-carbon stainless steel blades. Basically carbon steel with chromium added is my understanding. But, after checking my notes, I'm sure what you have is not a Chicago Cutlery knife.

Here is a pic of a Chicago Cutlery 45S Slicing Scimitar (what I thought yours was). It's a 15" knife with 10" blade.



Excellent find, wish you were able to ID them.

It would look nice in my case with dad's knives.

Excellent collection ADC.

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

Y'all don't know nothing. That top knife was obviously used for castrating pigs.

I knew it was not an actual machete but that's what we called it as kids.Thanks for giving me the proper terminology for it as I would never have guessed it was called a lamb splitter.It is extremely heavy with a blade that is 5/16th thick at the thickest and overall length is 20 inches. It was more of a toe splitter than a lamb splitter since I remember my dad doing just that as he was cutting brush with it. It sliced through a very thick leather boot and then his big toe.......nasty.

Have a big knife like that one, makes a primo melon slicer!

I think you may have led me in the right direction but it is Beatty instead of Bailey. But the only mark I have found is what appears to be a 0 near the center of the blade. I can not see any other marking and am hesitant to remove the patina. Also, according to what info I have found, the 0 would indicate a 7" cleaver but the blade on mine measures right at 8". The handle and shape of the blade sure looks like the Beatty and Son cleavers shown online.

I did find marking on my meat saw. It is Keystone Made by Disston USA.

Hah! After I posted that I was questioning myself about the name! I had two of those I picked up at a garage sale and the handle shape is what tipped me off to what wound up being the wrong name. Nice cleaver! I would advise that you not go too far in refurbishing it. When I get a good knife or cleaver I clean them up a little but leave the good patina. I usually use Flitz on the blades. Be very careful if the maker's mark seems like it is electro-etched as the Flitz may remove it. If it is stamped no problem. A little XXXX steel wool on the blade and the handle will work wonders, even on the grubbiest blades, most of which will be high carbon which will show tarnish, etc., but that's patina!

Good luck!

Moosetrot