Blade grind query

[migueldiaz]

hello all,

i have this bagobo (http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Bagobo) sword with a cutting edge that has serrated segments alternating with the traditional grind (please see pic below).

may i please request for comments on what's the advantage (or logic) of this setup?

thanks in advance :)

[Gavin Nugent]

Nice and interesting. Could the whole blade be viewed to better obtain the form of application.

Gav

[Michael Blalock]

I once brought a machete, (for use) at a pawn shop that was dresses like this, serated and smooth sections. I remember it was made in Brazil but was not new so it could have been sharpened elsewhere. It cut brush better than anything I have ever used. I would assume that would be the case with flesh too. Once it was worn down I could not get the edge back.

[Robert]

I hate to say it but I've seen this same pattern show up on blades where someone had tried to sharpen them on an electric or hand-cranked grinder and then dressed them down with a stone to try to to straighten the edge back up. :eek:

Robert

[Gavin Nugent]

I hate to say it but I've seen this same pattern show up on blades where someone had tried to sharpen them on an electric or hand-cranked grinder and then dressed them down with a stone to try to to straighten the edge back up. :eek:

Robert

It seems far too uniformed for this notion...the detail shows consistancy in the serations too.

Gav

[migueldiaz]

Thanks for all the comments!

The pic of the entire Bagobo sword is below. As additional info, below are excerpts from Fay Cooper-Cole's important work on these Mindanao 'tribes' --
"The workers in iron and brass, the weavers of hemp cloth, and the mediums or shamans—known as mabalian—are under the protection of special deities for whom they make ceremonies at certain times of the year.

"In this community no men stand higher in the estimation of their fellows than do the smiths and the casters of copper.

"Of even greater importance are the smiths who are also under the care of a powerful spirit for whom the _Gomek-gomanan_ ceremony is celebrated each year, just prior to the planting time. Their forges are hidden away in the hemp fields, and I was repeatedly informed that no woman might see the smith at work.

"After an iron knife or spear head has been roughly shaped, the smith splits the edge to a slight depth and inserts a band of steel. The iron is pounded down on the harder metal and the whole is brought to a white heat in the charcoal fire."Hope to receive more feedback on the query :)