"hahabogus" > wrote in message
...
> "Joe Cilinceon" > wrote in
> :
>
>> "hahabogus" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Christine Dabney > wrote in
>>> :
>>>
>>>> My hands are small,
>>>> and I really don't know which one would be the best for my needs.
>>>> Any ideas
>>>
>>> A thicker heavier cleaver and a rubber mallet. Place the cleaver
>>> where you want it. Have at it with the mallet.. Using a rubber mallet
>>> and exact placement of the cleaver ensures the bone gets cut where
>>> you want it cut; with no wild willy-nilly swinging of the cleaver.
>>> This is a more humane way
>>> for the cleaver and ensures that at the end of the cutting job your
>>> mandatory pre-job finger count matches. I'd lean more towards a Swiss
>>> style
>>> cleaver for meat and bone cutting...Lee Valley used to offer one at a
>>> reasonable price while not being a 'knife' brand name offering the
>>> swiss style of cleaver with the point on one end would do a fine job
>>> on meat joints.
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> The house of the burning beet-Alan
>>>
>>> It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
>>> Elbonian Folklore
>>>
>>
>> Oh do I agree with this statement. With heavy bone cutting cleavers
>> this is the only safe way to do it unless it is as large as a tree
>> trunk. I don't know about the Swiss style cleaver but any cleaver with
>> a heavy spine should handle this just fine, provided it isn't
>> sharpened to a real acute angle.
>>
>> Joe Cilinceon
>>
>>
>>
>
> I checked and Lee Valley no longer carries that style of cleaver (it was
> around 1/4 inch thick and the end curved to a point). Their solid
> stainless steel chinese style cleaver is availible...it's thickness seems
> to be lacking but it does weigh in at 1 pound, and the price is right for
> an occassional dismemberment of a joint or the halving of a squash. Plus
> the mallets are right there...
>
> --
>
> The house of the burning beet-Alan
>
> It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
> Elbonian Folklore
>

F. Dick is a good source of those types of cleavers.
http://www.chefknifes.com/cleavers.htm their current line.

Joe Cilinceon