Batoning, prying, and cracking...general knife abuse

[Mistwalker]

***Edit*** : I'd like to express that this material was never meant to be taken as a knife review. It was placed here solely for the purpose of demonstrating an often used wilderness skill.

Among the skills needed in a short term wilderness situation batoning is one that often comes in handy. Sometimes climate conditions make it necessary to baton wood in order to get a fire going good. Also batoning can be utilised to make a relatively flat dry "plank" from which to fashion a fire board to use a fire bow or hand drill, and making smaller pieces of wood from lager ones for the purpose of making tools or cooking and eating utensils . The term batoning refers to using a sturdy limb or piece of wood to drive a knife through another piece of wood in the same direction as you would split wood with an axe. For batoning ones need to have a stout knife that can take some abuse. Today I batoned a nearly two foot section of seasoned oak into several pieces using a Smith & Wesson SW6. This knife has a recurve blade that is .25 inches thick and 4.75 inches from ricasso to tip, and the piece of oak I am splitting is just over four inches thick.

Here is the piece of wood I am going to split, the knife, and the other piece of hardwood and going to baton with

In progress

Part of the time there was hardly more than a half inch of the blade tip sticking out for me to strike

The finished pieces ready for use as kindling, or with a littlle more splitting and whittling to be made into tools or eating utensils, or with a little smoothing one could fashion a fire board.

and this knife held up to the task well.

A good stout heavy blade also comes in handy as a pry bar for splitting small pieces of fatwood for slivers and shavings for firestarting.

And in the winter, using the spine as a striker it can also come in handy as a nut craker. The Black Walnuts are particularly good this year, I wish I had brought more of them home with me.

Being able to make wooden points is a plus too as they come in handy for stakes for tying out a tarp or poncho as a shelter, or spikes in a
trap or punji stakes should the need arise. I happen to love this recurve edge as it makes quick work of cutting points and cordage.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Welcome to Bladeforums, and to the Wilderness!

Nice work. The blade shape does look suited to that kind of work. One other factor we look at is the type of steel -- some of the stainles steels don't hold up as well, although 1/4" stock makes up for a lot.

 

[A.W.U.K.]

Nice set of pics, that was informative, thank you.

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks for the welcome here Esav, it's nice to meet you. I've spent most of my life in the bush lol.

This knife, which isn't even on the market just yet does happen to be made of 440 sadly, though with it being.25 inches thick it is really tough so far. I love working with it, it's great for whittling points, cutting cordage, and stripping bark to make cordage. I really am hoping they will make a 1095 model of this knife in the same demensions of perhaps a bit longer blade if any changes are made. I have brought that subject up and they are looking into it.

 

[tacticalsteel]

Good work right there! The S&W blade is economical yet functional. We tend to go high Dollar wat too quickley! The thickness of the blade definetely goes a long way. a Great "beater" blade!

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Different price range, but a very similar design: TOPS DART Direct Action Rescue Team

Stainless isn't worthless, of course. 440, obviously 440A or they'd be crowing about 440C, has a lot of experience behind it. I've seen European knives in 440 that we would never use for a knife like that, but once you know how to design and heat treat it, and it gets the job done, why change? Only knife knuts knotice.

Most of us look for a more traditionally shaped blade, and many decry the difficulty of sharpening recurves, but I like a blade that curves down to the work, especially for the tasks you mention. Before recurves were popular, I always liked to have a hawksbill around.

 

[andrew7978]

Nice pics and welcome aboard! Looks like some of that inner bark could make some nice tinder as well. It looks pretty thin.

 

[KuRUpTD]

Welcome to W&SS .... enjoyed the review and pics

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks for the welcome all.

I agree, I tend to be hesitant to beat on my more exoensive knives though I have. I like having a good tough knife along that I am not affraid to do rough work with when the time comes, it's always nice when I do so and find minimal wear afterwards.

I have a few more posts I am going to put here in this section but at the moment I have to go out and do the sunday evening family thing with my wife and daughters, I look forward to talking to you all more later.

Thanks for making me feel welcome here.

Peace,

Brian

 

[Joezilla]

So did you design this or are you testing it?

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

It looks like a S&W.

 

[Diomedes Industries]

Joe,

Look again at the pics - it is a S&W. I don't baton that much with my knives, unless I need controlled splitting. I see the point of your post though - if you have ONE knife and HAD to use it like this - you could.

I fear that a knife that could take this kind of abuse on a regular basis would have a design that would be deficient in other areas (food prep or slicing for instance). It is hard to find a compromise for being able to do very thin work and being able to act as a sharpened pry bar.

TF

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Welcome to the boards.

440C is not a bad choice in smaller blades like that.

 

[theedge13]

Just goes to show that you dont need an uber expensive custom to get the job done. Welcome to bladeforums, you will gain alot of information here and your wallet will hate you.

 

[Joezilla]

Joe,

Look again at the pics - it is a S&W.

yeah I know, but he suggested changes to 'em. Ah well.

 

[Mistwalker]

So did you design this or are you testing it?

This is one of three new S&W designs that will be in the upcomming 2009 catalog that I have been sent for and testing and reviewing by Morgan Taylor of Taylor brands. They are three new models of Smith and Wesson knives; SW4 a drop point, SW5 a tanto point, and an SW6 a recurve. I am also testing a fourth knife at this time

I simply chose to use a portion of the tests to illustrate an occasionaly needed bushcraft skill because I was impressed with this knife's toughness and ability to function in this capacity. I also happen to like the recurve blade design for some other bushcraft tasks such as cutting points, stripping bark...and the weight of the blade made the spine a great tool to crack black walnut which are MUCH tougher to crack than their english counterparts. However while the knife is tough as hell, after hacking on that fatwood stump a bit and splitting the fatwood into pieces, and then beating the crap out of it to force it through that nearly two foot section of seasoned oak six times the handle scales loosed a bit and it would not shave after, but I'm not yet sure if that is because of a lack of edge retention, or because it was coated in pitch and sap but I have forwarded this information back to Morgan.

 

[Mistwalker]

Joe,

Look again at the pics - it is a S&W. I don't baton that much with my knives, unless I need controlled splitting. I see the point of your post though - if you have ONE knife and HAD to use it like this - you could.

I fear that a knife that could take this kind of abuse on a regular basis would have a design that would be deficient in other areas (food prep or slicing for instance). It is hard to find a compromise for being able to do very thin work and being able to act as a sharpened pry bar.

TF

That's why I tend to cary a very heavy fixed blade, preferably THICK but not too long, and a good folder.

 

[Mistwalker]

Welcome to the boards.

440C is not a bad choice in smaller blades like that.

Thanks for the welcome. That's what I'm thinking, would still love to have it in 1095. and a different finish. I also prefer the handle scales on the drop point in the above pics

Just goes to show that you dont need an uber expensive custom to get the job done. Welcome to bladeforums, you will gain alot of information here and your wallet will hate you.

Lol, too late...I already know most of it but I have reached a point where I seldom impulse buy anymore. Besides I have a wife and three daughters...my wallet already hates me

 

[Daniel L]

mistwalker - do you use the knives without gloves? If so, how do you find the exposed tang on the top of the handle?

I've noticed a trend for makers to do this - the BM Nimravus, CRK Green Beret, Strider - and to me its a "negative" that's been turned in to a "feature". They talk about that it is easier to index the edge because you can feel the spine. It also happens to mean you can be slack on tolerances and finish since now the tang and handle scales do not need to be flush!

I've handled a few exposed tang knives and found them plain uncomfortable... interested to hear your experienecs.

 

[MBTull]

Mistwalker -

Thanks for the review and welcome to the forum. I agree with your general premise and carry a Gerber back pack axe, a small hatchet, for woodswalking. I can chop, slice, carve, dig, hammer and cut with it. It takes any abuse that i can dish out and comes back to life with a few licks from a sharpening stone. It carries like a large fixed blade. I carry a SAK Huntsman for detail work and a Buck 110 for show.