Batoning question

Another option for a saw is the Agawa Boreal. There are a few different sizes, but I like the 21. It isn't as small and compact, but it does fold up pretty thin.

The Silky's are probably a better choice for hiking etc where you want as light and small as possible, but I much prefer the Boreal for camping.
 
pholder said:
You don’t need to Baton, period. If you are finding logs, there has to be small branches in close proximity
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This. Batoning is nothing more than a demonstration of "look how well my knife can stand up to abuse". If you were actually in a survival situation no way would you risk your knife to get kindling when as pholder has already noted if you are finding cut logs to baton chances are pretty decent that there's already some kindling in the form of sticks and twigs about.

I don't believe the " but, but, but its the only way to get dry kindling" nonsense either.

This activity falls into the same category with lashing your knife to a stick to make a spear. I.e. It's unnecessary and can potentially destroy a tool that you need in a survival situation for no real purpose.
 
Silky's are nice saws, but my first choice is my Agawa Boreal saw. For about the same cost as the bigger Silky saws it packs just as well (with a spare blade in the sleeve even) and it cuts great ... not just on the pull cut like a Silky or similar saw. I can process a lot more wood faster with the Boreal.

I carry and use the Agawa Boreal a lot, but you don't have to have a flat sawed edge to baton if that's the only reason you are considering a saw.
 
Triton said:
Or a lion?
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Yes, but only once.......
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bikerector said:
The big boy is not small, for a folding saw. I have the pocket boy, gomboy, and big boy, the big boy is my workhorse for trail maintenance and it comes with me on the bike a lot paired with a big knife, but it requires a long space to sit in. The goboy is much more manageable and the pocket boy is my newest and probably wouldn't be my choice if I needes to fuel an open fire but good for a large twig stove and decent for crafting.

The spines of saws also make good ferro strikers.
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I love my Gomboy. Perfect size and the thing zips through anything. The efficiency of the thing is shocking and it packs easily.

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You want a flat ended log to baton, ^ that’ll do it.

That said, it’s pretty easy to hold the log up, get the blade in place, then hold the log vertical with the blade alone while you pound through it. Doesn’t have to be flat on the end.
 
I have had a lot of success with an opinel saw.

Shaves a bit of weight.

For bigger fires at some point I just throw logs on it and don't really saw that kind of stuff.
 
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You don't need nicely cut wood to baton with a knife, no need to have it stand and move away to swing a hatchet / axe.
I just hold it in place with the knife and get my second stick to strike the knife and no issues.
 
Triton said:
This. Batoning is nothing more than a demonstration of "look how well my knife can stand up to abuse". If you were actually in a survival situation no way would you risk your knife to get kindling when as pholder has already noted if you are finding cut logs to baton chances are pretty decent that there's already some kindling in the form of sticks and twigs about.

I don't believe the " but, but, but its the only way to get dry kindling" nonsense either.

This activity falls into the same category with lashing your knife to a stick to make a spear. I.e. It's unnecessary and can potentially destroy a tool that you need in a survival situation for no real purpose.
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Batoning is overused and over-promoted via Youtube etc, but it can be a viable technique.
 
Batoning is a valid method for woodworking. Especially using green wood. Its done with a froe and a mallet.

It retains the integrity of the woods grain instead of cutting the grain off. Yielding boards less apt to split or warp as they dry out.


This other kind of batoning with your hunting knife is potentially an emergency technique, but not one I’d rely on.

In my opinion and experience a knife that is good for batoning is bad at knife tasks and vise versa.
 
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Triton said:
If you were actually in a survival situation no way would you risk your knife...
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OK, gotta ask...why always the jump to extremes, i.e. survival situation? How about just a normal hiking/camping scenario and a desire to make things work easily and smoothly? That's 99.9% of knife and saw work.
 
TC said:
OK, gotta ask...why always the jump to extremes, i.e. survival situation? How about just a normal hiking/camping scenario and a desire to make things work easily and smoothly? That's 99.9% of knife and saw work.
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I think the same thought process applies, maybe even more so - why risk damaging a tool using it for something it isn’t designed for in a situation that isn’t even survival, but just recreational? What real-life scenario is there that you’d need to abuse a knife like that, and risk damaging it beyond any usability?
 
GAGL said:
If you wanna save weight, space and money, get a silky replacement blade (Gomtaro or others) wrap the handle with paracord and make a sheath from the plastic packaging it comes in and wrap it with some duct tape.

My Gomtaro 300 weighs less than 85 grams, sheath included. Lots of cutting power for the weight.

https://flic.kr/p/2mFokg2
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I hear they work great for cutting your toothbrush in half. 😂 (I kid, I kid)
 
TC said:
OK, gotta ask...why always the jump to extremes, i.e. survival situation? How about just a normal hiking/camping scenario and a desire to make things work easily and smoothly? That's 99.9% of knife and saw work.
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It comes down to having and using the right tool for the job at hand.

Some of us do not believe a knife is the right tool for batoning.

Some of us think a knife needs to be able to withstand batoning.

Pick your group, but don’t judge the other group.
 
eveled said:
It comes down to having and using the right tool for the job at hand.

Some of us do not believe a knife is the right tool for batoning.

Some of us think a knife needs to be able to withstand batoning.

Pick your group, but don’t judge the other group.
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I'm about knowing the limitations of your tool and making judicious use of it. Taking a stick-tang puukko and whaling on it like Joe-X trying to split a 4" piece of knotty hardwood is just plain stupid, obviously. Gently tapping ("tappy-tap-tap" /AvE) it through soft wood to make some kindling shouldn't hurt it. The term "batoning" just describes a specific technique - it does not quantify the severity applied. A blanket statement that batoning will destroy your knife is unfounded.

But my previous comment was more a general musing that struck me when the "survival situation" was brought up, even though that was never in the OP's premise. It seems that in a lot of threads everything quickly tilts to extremes, for no good reason at all.
 
Something to think about...

A knife that is ground to a thin edge geometry will have different responses to the vibrations and shock to batoning.

For knives that are hard, this could translate to potential damage or cracking.

A thicker secondary edge, combined with steel that is at a lower hardness might survive the loads better.

William Collins talked about this a few times concerning batoning.
 
TC said:
OK, gotta ask...why always the jump to extremes, i.e. survival situation? How about just a normal hiking/camping scenario and a desire to make things work easily and smoothly? That's 99.9% of knife and saw work.
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If you are out intentionally, you should be bringing the right tools with you. A small hatchet for example would be far more preferable than a big heavy knife for processing wood to make a fire.....
 
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