Cane Knife

This tool at Smith’s Tavern is a cane knife with a leather handle and a sword-like pummel.  The blade is serrated on one edge and bevelled on the other with a curved hook at the end.

 

A cane knife is a large hand-wielded cutting tool similar to a machete.  Its use is prevalent in the harvesting of sugarcane. A typical cane knife is characterized by a hardwood handle, a full tang, a deep blade and a hook at its tip used for picking up the cut cane.  The thin blade facilitates cutting cane quickly as the harvester slashes the cane at an angle: a thin blade slices through better than a thick blade.

 

Reference:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_knife

Catalog Items:

Item T85

Location:	Panel 17
Length:	42 cm
Width:	13 cm
Weight:	554 g