Help identify this piece

[Oiluj13]

Greetings, forum masters and ethnographic scholars,I have an unusual acquisition on my workbench that defies standard textbook categorization. Rather than sharing my own research or chronological theories up front, I want to present this artifact completely blindly to the community. I am highly eager to get your uninfluenced, raw opinions on its geographic origin, timeline, and functional purpose.I have attached four highly detailed macro views from my workshop. Please dissect the following physical anomalies:1. The Spine & Face TopographyThe blade profile exhibits a broad-shouldered, single-edged trajectory that terminates in an acute, tapering point. However, looking down the spine axis, the steel maintains a massive, uniform, completely flat "I-Beam" architecture with zero tapering for the first half of its length. This blocky spine drops abruptly into an aggressive, one-sided single-bevel chisel grind. Under magnification, the surface reveals a clear horizontal micro-laminated, heterogeneous slag-bearing matrix crossed over by a dense, cross-hatched network of manual whetstone maintenance lines. Deep, stable historic pitting runs along the bevel boundary line.2. The Asymmetric Through-Bolt HiltThe mounting mechanism completely moves away from traditional blind-tang peening or organic resin seating. The hilt is engineered as a two-piece slab-grip scale set clamped over a wide, flat, full-profile tang. The fastening layout is distinctly asymmetric: one face utilizes two factory-machined, dome-headed slotted machine screws countersunk into the wood grain. The opposite face anchors into hand-cut, rectangular sheet-metal wash plates and sleeve-nuts/peened targets.3. The Hardened Leather SheathThe sheath is constructed entirely from a thick, hardened leather hide that has naturally crazed, water-shrunk, and oil-saturated over generations. The outer seam is held together by a tight, sequential row of heavy-duty copper/brass tubular eyelet rivets driven directly through the overlapping leather lips. There is no wood or rattan presence.The Challenge Questions:Based purely on the material mix and geometry, what is the precise geographic origin of this blade core?How do you reconcile the traditional asymmetric single-bevel chisel grind with a full-tang, slab-grip through-bolt configuration?Does the combination of the tubular scabbard eyelets and the factory slot-head machine bolts point to a specific historical conflict theater or supply line modification?I look forward to reading your blind diagnostic breakdowns and seeing where the metallurgy leads us!

[werecow]

I can't comment on the metallurgy as I don't have the required knowledge base, but if it helps at all a reverse google image search came up with knives with a similar blade profile and canted grip and they were all listed on an Argentinian site that seems to be a local ebay variant (though it requires me to log in when attempting to click through, so I don't have more information than that).

[Tim Simmons]

I like the backwoods or frontier look of this knife. There is an appealing rugged and functional quality to it. Interesting from your photos, having a chisel edge? Might help the identification.

[A. G. Maisey]

I don't know where this might have been made, but I do know that chisel grind blades have quite specific uses, as do blades that are set below the line of the hilt.

This is a fairly robust sort of knife, in a way it echoes the oldtime Saami knives that were used to take bark from trees. But this is not a Saami knife.

Chisel grind blades were (are?) popular in Siberia, this type of sheath construction is popular in Siberia, the hilt is rivetted & looks like cow horn.

Pure guess:- Siberia.

[wildwolberine]

Hi Oiluj13,

Greetings from San Antonio!

Could this have been made from an old pair of sheep shears?

[Tim Simmons]

Really good suggestion. To me the blade looks a touch to heavy?

[Oiluj13]

Greetings from floresville Go Spurs Go! thanks for your suggestions i don’t think it was made from shears as it is extremely thick. I purchased this blade in washington state around federal way i believe it might have been repurposed from an industrial planer and might have been used as a cushion frontiers man knife i was hoping someone here might know more about this piece as i can not find anything else quite like it.

[RobT]

Hi All,

I may as well jump in. So, we have a chisel grind, a blade canted off axis from the hilt and a relatively short hilt. Aside from the triangular blade, I see nothing really inconsistent with the Philippines. I have an Apalit knife with scales riveted to a full tang. I also have a barong shaped blade that has a hilt with a cross pin made of a hex nut counter sunk into the hilt and screwed into a screw or bolt (the head is cut off flush with the hilt so I can’t tell which).
Although this knife appears to be a formidable weapon, can we rule out that it wasn’t originally intended to be a butcher knife/boning knife/cleaver? My kutsilyo de busong looks pretty wicked but it is a butcher knife (as are my two Sabatier which would also be rather lethal). Actually, the blade profiles of the knife in question and that of a kutsilyo de busong are roughly similar. The differences being that edge of the kutsilyo is curved not straight (also the kutsilyo blade isn’t canted and is symmetrically ground). Could you post the blade dimensions? My kutsilyo is 9” long and 2.625” at the base (22.86 & 6.66 cm)
The the butcher knife supposition is bolstered by the sheath, which has no means of carry but would be entirely adequate for safe storage of the blade.

Sincerely,
RobT

PS: Whatever it is or wherever it is from, it is a really good looking piece. I’d like to have one.

[Oiluj13]

Hi here are a few mor pics the sheath does have belt looks and i took pictures with ruler for size comparison.

[RobT]

Oiluj13,

Thanks for supplying the other side of the sheath and the length. From what I can see, the length of the blade, if measured in a straight line from the heel of the blade where the tang begins, to the tip comes in at about 11.5”. My big Sabatier is only 11.25" long. With a half inch spine and tang, a knife as long as yours could be used for fighting, camping or butchery without much fear of failure. Chisel grinds have lately become more popular in the US but I don’t think that they are too common on US hunting knives. Your idea about a custom made piece is a good one but I would say it looks more homemade than custom made. Given the chisel grind and the blade/hilt cant, I still think that a Philippine origin is a good bet. What I find odd is the belt loop. Everything about this piece is super sturdy (including the riveted, thick leather sheath). Why is the belt loop so wimpy? The band of leather is narrow and it looks like it couldn’t take more than an 1.125” wide belt.

Sincerely,
RobT

[A. G. Maisey]

Oiluj, this is a chisel grind blade, the other side of the blade might be dead flat, or it might demonstrate some degree of concavity.

Could you please advise in respect of the geometry of the side of the blade that we have not yet seen.

Thank you.