# Tools for home butchering



## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Some of the recent posts showed a big whole in the preps. I have the tools for butchering chickens but not so much for anything bigger. Knives run the gamet in prices and materials. For those that have some know how, what do you recommend for basic knives, saws, sharpening equipment, skinners, etc? What type of material, metal or ceramic, etc? Favorite places to purchase? 
I have a pretty good set up for butchering, mobile stainless steel sink, tables, strong stomach, etc. Having better knives would allow me to use some of the many deer that get hit on this road. If nothing else than for dog food.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Any good knives will work.

I prefer metal over ceramic for hard use, and Kershaw is one of my favorite brands.

A "bow" saw with a bone blade, a deep-throated hacksaw, or even a Sawzall will cut what a knife cant handle

This place has decent pricing and a wide assortment of brands

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/main_front.jsp?Mode=Other&file=brands.jsp


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Go to where you would have a hog or beef butchered. They sometimes have used knives for sale, might even have new ones. The place we use does. I debone everything when butchering.


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## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

If you have the 'tools' for butchering chickens, then you have the 'tools' for butchering anything. I've skinned and cut up dozens of deer with just one knife (and I would have used the same knife on a chicken).

That said, I like Russel-Dexter and Victorinox-Forschner knives. They're inexpensive and good quality. If you're doing pigs, a pig skinner is nice to have.

I've recently taken to using a bone saw on deer (essentially 2 cuts - 1 to cut off the sternum & lower part of the front leg, a second to take off the ribs and two arm roasts). Splitting a carcass is a waste of time, IMHO.

I've recently been using some of the small diamond sharpers that I've been getting at gun shows, but a prefer to use a big (2" X 8") double sided sharpening stone.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

the very best knife to use is the one you use efficently and safely.

with that being said...one of my favorites is the old hickory knives..i like the boneing knife real well.

over all i like the small rapala fillet knife for doing "everything".

get yourself a good manual meat saw.

the main thing is to get familiar with the process of doing butchering and then you can do it with what ever knife and tools you have.practice,practice,practice.

heres an example of someone that can really use a knife and keeps it sharp.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A76cUA1QJdc&feature=related[/ame]


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Wow, that video reminds me of the guy with the meat cleaver and chicken at the Chinese food place. About 30 seconds and a whole bird was in neat pieces. 

Thanks for the info and links. Neither butcher we use sell cutlery. Neither of them are particularly willling to share any info either.


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## Tarheel (Jan 24, 2010)

elkhound said:


> the very best knife to use is the one you use efficently and safely.
> 
> with that being said...one of my favorites is the old hickory knives..i like the boneing knife real well.
> 
> ...


Good Video- Thanks for sharing ! And he did not loose any toes.

Agree with the fillet knife's, that's all we use.


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

We use a double hook (I don't know the name of it) to hang deer from a rafter to help skin and piece out the deer. This really makes the skinning so much easier than having to tie the legs. You can get these hooks at Cabelas.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Remington makes a nice set..comes in a hard plastic case Cabelas? I got mine at a yard sale!
A Bone saw

Also the game hangers( a t-post will do) are like $20 at sportsmansguide.com and the thing called a "butt-out plug" is quite handy about $10 I think a decent pulley is also useful.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

they are called gambrel sticks....i made one from a piece of oak limb,metal,etc.

heres one in action..the one in picture is actually a single tree from when i had a work horse.i have a new wooden one that is stragiht and i redone the hang spot in shed that allows me to get a critter higher off ground.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

heres a nice tool for tapeing up packaged rolled sausage or burger


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I use the Old Hickory knives. The are one of the best I've found. I also invested about $35 in a good set of meat scissors. They make a word of difference. 

I have a variety of sharpening tools. One I don't have, but wish I did, is the old fashion wheel I could turn with foot power. A neighbor has one and he can put an edge on a knife that will last much MUCH longer than any edge I can put using my hand held sharpening stones.

Any knife that the blade runs the entire length thru the handle and will hold an edge is a good knife. If has those qualities and fits comfortably in your hand it's a great knife.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

use thsi for strickly gutting.it is very good.it took me a couple of deer before i opened my mind to its design.once i did well it quickly became my favorite gutting tools.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

If you want scraped pigs, you need a large tub to scald and a way to heat water and a scraper. I skin my pigs, but some folks want the skin left on, especially for smoking.

You need something to hoist the carcass up, block and tackle, rope. A high place to hang the carcass. Something to keep the hind legs apart. I use an old swingle tree, but they make tools just for that.

A bit of twine to tie off the bung.

I've got a butcher's saw. Looks a bit like a huge hacksaw but in stainless steel and it was sure worth the purchase price. That's for sawing through the full length of the backbone to separate the halves and for removing the lower legs.

I like Schrade's Old Timer Sharp Finger for skinning, but it'll be too small if your hands are any bigger than mine. I prefer a smaller knife unless I have to cut across a large chunk. I've got a set of expensive German made knives and they are also well worth the cost of purchase. They sharpen up nice and hold an edge. Henkel, I think, but their line made in Germany, not the ones from Spain or China.

It's awkward to remove the gallbladder with a huge knife, so I have something small and sharp standing by to do that. Also, you need a knife small enough to get inside the mouth to remove the tongue.

On hogs and beef, both, don't forget to get the cheeks. That's good muscle meat and you don't want to waste it.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

doubled edged knife strickly used for cutting jugular vein in pigs and beef slaughtered at home.this knife was my great grandfathers.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

favorite overall for "doing it all" this knife is 21 years old now and has sen is fair share of fillet,gardening,butchering and kitchen prep work.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

for the money and nice metal in blades and i think theya re still under $20.ok i will stop now posting pic's.i get carried away at times.....sorry.


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

I love pictures, am a visual learner. Lots of good info.

Jogged the brain cells, too as we have a pulley with some sort of apparatus for hanging up carcasses. It is up in the rafters of the wood shed. Used it for "field dressing" the last batch of hogs. That was a few years ago. Wish I could have taken a video of the man that did that job.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> some sort of apparatus for hanging up carcasses


I use a small boat winch attached to a telephone pole, and a "homemade" gambrel


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## LonelyNorthwind (Mar 6, 2010)

Thanks so much for taking the time to post the pictures! Great thread!


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Bearfootfarm said:


> I use a small boat winch attached to a telephone pole, and a "homemade" gambrel


Is that to keep the vagrants away? You butcher them right next to the road? Here the vacationers would at least have their sensibilities offended.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

elkhound said:


> for the money and nice metal in blades and i think theya re still under $20.ok i will stop now posting pic's.i get carried away at times.....sorry.


I have to agree. Old hickory are the best. They don't stay sharp for ever or claim to. But are easy to get a really sharp edge on. Plus they are built well to the point that if needed you can hammer on the back side to get through a bone or two.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

i figure a 5 1/2 6 inch knife , dexter , dexter-russle , mandala , old hickory are all fine 

the truth is meat cutting knifes are probably less expensive than that set in the kitchen at most peoles houses int eh wood block , and they hold a better edge 5-15 dollars for most of the meat cutting knifes will get you a decent blade from the above manufacturers 

honestly my favorite knife is a old russle 5 1/2 inch strait stiff boning knife that i bought at a church rumage sale for 25 cents i skin and bone deer with that knife 

i ave a 25 inch bone saw , they sell them at many hardwar stores and restaraunt supplies - my best advice don't get a 25 inch the blades are darn hard to find also they are fairly cheap buy a bunch o blades when you get your saw maybe 5-6 

i do admit using the sawzall with a standard bi mettal wrecking blade in , i use a fresh one , it cuts bone very well, i graba new blade when i do that , and our primary cutting for deer is just to cut the legs off at the joints , we are not supposed to cut any thing else other than the pelvis to clean it out when feild dressing deer. cwd guidlines

i use a comalong with a gamberel i welded up , i do like bearfoot farms design for the gamberell mine doesn't go quite that far back up and they sometimes want to fall off when only one is hanging

i currently use a kitchen aid mixer with grinder atachment to make my ground it isn't real fast but it is ok for a few deer at a time


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Is that to keep the vagrants away? You butcher them right next to the road? Here the vacationers would at least have their sensibilities offended


Hardly anyone notices around here.

They would have to make an effort to see it through that relatively small space, since it only take about 1 second for a car to pass by there

And I didn't really choose that spot.
It's just where the light pole happened to be.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> i do like bearfoot farms design for the gamberell mine doesn't go quite that far back up and they sometimes want to fall off when only one is hanging


That gambrel is about 35 years old, and was the result of a* lot *of experiments to get the angles and dimensions right to make sure it didn't drop the meat off.

Several of us worked on different variations, and once we got it like we wanted, I made about 50 of them.

It's cut from 3/8" steel plate


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Bearfootfarm said:


> That gambrel is about 35 years old, and was the result of a* lot *of experiments to get the angles and dimensions right to make sure it didn't drop the meat off.
> 
> Several of us worked on different variations, and once we got it like we wanted, I made about 50 of them.
> 
> It's cut from 3/8" steel plate


do you have dementions you would share , 3/8 plate seems like a bit of over kill price wise like pipe would be less expensive as it is easier to scrounge 1-2 foot leghts for free form the scrap bin. 

mine i made form 1/2 inch bar stock it holds the heavyiest deer fine but i think i should heat the ends and turn them up a bit more i am at about a 45 degree angle now yours looks like maybe 60 or so


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

side note i saw a very easy one to build it uses steel cable and a peice of tubing the cable makes a big loop with holes drilled back an 1/2 inch or so from the ends of the tube so loops hang out each end but go up to make a triangle in the center , the loops slipp around past the hoof and snug tight as the animal is lifted the cable tightens like a noose on the leg


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## Farmerwilly2 (Oct 14, 2006)

I got a piece of square stock the highway dept. uses for signs. It has holes down the length of it. I have a eyebolt in the center and meat hooks made from bent steel rod. I can use it from goat to pig to steer. Since the hooks can fit into any of the holes in the stock you can adjust how far you're spreading. The hook for my chain hoist fits the eyebolt without a problem.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> do you have dementions you would share , 3/8 plate seems like a bit of over kill price wise like pipe would be less expensive as it is easier to scrounge 1-2 foot leghts for free form the scrap bin.


I'll try to get some measurements.

When I made it, I worked for a company that built induction heating and melting furnaces, and ran a computerized cutting machine.

I could buy all the steel I wanted at scrap prices, and 3/8 was easy to cut

The machine could be programmed with dimensions, or could trace a drawing with an electric eye, so I could play around with different shapes easily.

If you have a welder it wouldn't be hard to bend and weld a workable version from lots of different stock


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

i have a welder now i just need time and a 240 outlet the garage has 1 outlet and it isn't even it's own circuit much less 240 some day i will dig a trench and lay new 6ga wire some day.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

i used to work right between welding , the plasma table and the laser room ,i was hoever a lowly drill press operator , i sure miss buying steel at the scrapp price i had a collection going in my dads shed of the usefull lengths of steel stock

i could go use a freinds welding station after work from time to time


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I finally remembered to measure my gambrel:


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