Chopper

[Ridgegrass]

Just showing off with this one. I inherited this big chopper in 1980 from an uncle who bought it new. It's an Olcut. Big, 5 1/8" closed, very heavy. Beautifully striped celluloid stamped, "LIBERTY". According to most literature the OLCUT tang stamping is circa 1914. It's very near mint and very tight, hard to open and close. Although these knives are often called "Cherry Tree Choppers", it's size, (like a folding hunter),lends credence to the opinion that the chopping blade was intended to split bone and sinew. Any opinion welcome. J.O'.

[kootenay joe]

I have always thought that this 'hachet' blade is more of a novelty than a blade with a specific function. It could be used with blade fully open and batonning the thick 'spine' like for splitting small kindling.
kj

[Gunsil]

Cool knife!! Literature is very mistaken, there is no proof that Olcut was that early or pre-KABAR. I have some original Union Cut Co price lists and Olcut is listed as being current in the 1928 and 1937 price lists but gone in the 1938 price list. The choppers are listed in both of those. Likewise, the same books usually say Keenwell was used circa 1910, but the mark does not show in price lists until 1938 and is also in the 1940 list. Studying Keenwell fixed blades they are not at all like earlier knives, They look like late 1930s knives by style and construction.

[Hideaway Knives]

Interesting hatchet blade