Batoning large pieces of wood is not necessary...

Saying "batoning is not necessary" is technically true (assuming you have something else to split your wood with), but to me saying that shows a lack of experience in wet environments (and I'm not talking about an afternoon drizzle). It's an extremely valuable skill to know.

I've spent a good portion of my life in a rain forest in South America in the wet season - where everything is soaked to the core, standing or on the ground. Batoning is rarely, if ever, used there. I personally think opposite of you: Batoning shows a lack of experience building fires.
 
I cant help but hear nutnfancy talking about how the axe isnt an efficeint chopping or splitting tool...its almost as if he forgot (or doesnt know) that north america was pretty much built with the axe. :)

why stop useing them now? because everyone likes to show their ab-USED esee knives that have been used as splitting wedges, not knives LOL

we all do it but what an awesome topic of discussion though!
 
I've spent a good portion of my life in a rain forest in South America in the wet season - where everything is soaked to the core, standing or on the ground. Batoning is rarely, if ever, used there. I personally think opposite of you: Batoning shows a lack of experience building fires.

LOL jeff is throwing rocks now ! I am heading out today at noon after my first aid upgrade course is over to get some firewood with my brother..i'll post up a how to on building fires without battoning.

These threads are SOOOO entertaining.

Jeff, anyone can start fires without battoning wood in wet conditions when you soak everythign in deisel:rolleyes: LOL!
 
Not throwing rocks, just spreadin' the gospel. I love "blanket statements" as twoism made. While I'm sure Canada can be wet, I'm not real sure he's seen much over a hard drizzle up there as compared to The Amazon Rainforest :D
 
Not throwing rocks, just spreadin' the gospel. I love "blanket statements" as twoism made. While I'm sure Canada can be wet, I'm not real sure he's seen much over a hard drizzle up there as compared to The Amazon Rainforest :D

Careful now, you'll spark another ESEE sale...

Anyway, The Pacific North West of Canada and the U.S. are a Rain Forrest as well. However, they don't see as much rain as the Amazon, but I wouldn't call it a drizzle. ;)

Anyway, I do most of my battoning just because. There has been occassions where I have been out in a hard rain, or after an ice storm where it was a pia to find enough small dry wood for kindling. Allot of times in the winter we have allot of moisture in the air or snow slightly melts onto small dead branches. Than at night the temp drops and freezes them. The next day you grab those branches cause they snap when broken and you assume they are dry. Until you put them on your fire and all you really are doing is defrosting them...

Battoning made my fire quicker than trying to search around for good kindling a few times.
I haven't found an easier way to make a nice clean Hearth board for friction fire, but yes there are other ways. But again, I am not battoning anything larger than 3-4" diameter in any of those situations. I also am not looking for the grainiest hard woods either.

The only reason I baton large wood is; well, what else am I going to do with a 1/4" thick knife??? :p
 
Who's Jeff gonna pee off next? :confused:

Who is NEXT in the crosshairs???

Heck-Next thing you know he's going to say that "Zombie Death Chat" isn't relevant in real life... :foot:

After I FREAKIN bought that 1/4 inch stock 18" blade! :mad:
 
Oh wow, I was being a smartass when I called Canada's (and the NW US) rain a drizzle. Been there, done that. In fact I spent a year in the Northwest about 7 years ago.

Have yall ever tried scraping (more of a push cut) wrist sized dead wood for tinder or for flattening out a fire board? Works pretty good and that's what we use in the Amazon to gather tinder for fires. But again, most everything we're talking about here is wrist size or smaller. I think most folks here have interpreted this thread as a NO BATONING thread. Go back and re-read the OP, children :D I baton all the time on small pieces for kindling. All I'm saying is batoning has become the latest dance craze that everyone wnats to do because it's cool, not because it's necessary. We use it as an expedient means to an end, and while that's fine, I can also see youngsters to the art using this shortcut instead of really learning fire making from the ground up. THAT'S THE ONLY POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE IN THIS WHOLE THREAD, GIRLS!
 
You a smart ass??? Who would have thought??? :D

I never knew you spent time in PNW, very cool:thumbup: One day I'll get there as well. I always thought you and Mike were scared to cross the Mason Dixon line :D

I never thought you were anti battoning, the 2nd part of my post was just stating my limited experience. Remember, I have over 8k post in under 3 years, some may say I talk too much:o

I use that scraping technique allot. My hearth boards I make when I do friction fire with materials I find on site are pretty small and I rarely baton for them.
But the ones I make for practice are big so I can use both sides of the hearth. Those I make by battoning and it's easier for me.


Anyway, I like this thread. I learned a few things, most importantly I have new info to put in my Jeff Randall Journal!!!
:p:D
 
Holy shit, I'd hate to see or read that journal :D

I'm right there in total agreement with you on the batoning thing. Ain't it damn fun slaying sacred cows though? ;)
 
Who's Jeff gonna pee off next? :confused:

Who is NEXT in the crosshairs???

Heck-Next thing you know he's going to say that "Zombie Death Chat" isn't relevant in real life... :foot:

After I FREAKIN bought that 1/4 inch stock 18" blade! :mad:

Guyon has been begging for a Junglas to come up for sale in the exchange and I'm just tryin' to help a brother out :D
 
Guyon has been begging for a Junglas to come up for sale in the exchange and I'm just tryin' to help a brother out :D

What about me? I still need that 6 and a Junglas. But, THE Guyon did have dibs. I'll just wait in the vanguard for my moment, I guess. :D

Moose
 
Man this has turned in to the ESEE Forum of old, discussing skills and somewhat logically debating on the application of means and methods.

Jeff, you should start more threads. I mean shit, you started a 5 page thread about string. :D
 
Man this has turned in to the ESEE Forum of old, discussing skills and somewhat logically debating on the application of means and methods.

Jeff, you should start more threads. I mean shit, you started a 5 page thread about string. :D

We're just all bored as hell. I am going out today though with one of the new Wallet E&E Kits and take some photos of some of the tools in use. And no, I'm not going to baton the 1.5" long Titanium razor balde.
 
We're just all bored as hell. I am going out today though with one of the new Wallet E&E Kits and take some photos of some of the tools in use. And no, I'm not going to baton the 1.5" long Titanium razor balde.

Nancy! Grip the blade with a multitool and baton away!
 
We're just all bored as hell. I am going out today though with one of the new Wallet E&E Kits and take some photos of some of the tools in use. And no, I'm not going to baton the 1.5" long Titanium razor balde.

why not....as long as the wood is only half the length of the blade you should be fine....;)
 
... Batoning shows a lack of experience building fires.

:thumbup: ...my thoughts exactly. Although not against it (to each their own, right?), I really don't see the need for it, that is what an axe is for, I never go far from home without an axe :) (or machete in the jungle).

I've been working in the woods for almost 20 years and have never needed to baton wood with a knife, and in fact I had never even heard of it before until spending time on these forums.

I would say that for the most part, I don't even use the axe all that much either for wilderness fire building, usually dead dry limbs from the bottom of conifers, birch bark, old man's beard, etc; these are all plentiful tinder where I have lived and worked (at least in North America) and lighting a fire even in the rain or winter has usually not been all that challenging.

After a long day at work, or a long hike, the last thing one wants to do is expend needless energy cutting and chopping. Whenever possible I will opt to feed logs into the fire instead of chopping or sawing into lengths, although of course there are times when this is not the best idea (i.e. very dry conditions when risk of forest fire is high).

I may give batoning a try some time just for fun now that I have a suite of almost indestructible ESEE knives at my disposal that are more than up to the challenge!

canoe_trip1.jpg
 
I agree that there is no need to baton most of the time.

IMO a hatchet or axe are the tools to be used for spliting wood. That being said it is a good skillset to have in case you are in a survival situation and all you have is a knife.
 
We're just all bored as hell. I am going out today though with one of the new Wallet E&E Kits and take some photos of some of the tools in use. And no, I'm not going to baton the 1.5" long Titanium razor balde.

Total bs your not gonna baton that. But PLEASE post pics of how that little dude throws!:D thats right. I went there.
 
While on Jeff's jungle survival course in Peru, I had my first introduction to scraping. We had been in a downpour for close to 24h so everything was really wet, Jeff showed us how to scrape the dead bamboo with the edge of the machete to create dry tinder shavings, this worked great and we had almost no trouble lighting our fires. It also goes to show that even those of us that have been doing this for a while can learn something new (and yet another reason BF is a good place to hang out when we can't be out there !)
 
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