Batoning...Why?!

S

sc_bane

Joined
May 23, 2013
Messages
169
I know several knifemakers here in WA state. One of them recently sold a customer a Buck 120. The guy calls 2 days later and wants the knife replaced with something of equal or lesser value, because "that POS didn't hold up to a couple small logs!"
My friend sent him back one of those construction demo tools from Lowes.

I suppose batoning is a matter of taste rather than necessity. I have never been camping or hunting without an axe and hatchet. At the risk of being blasted, imo batoning with a knife not built for it is slightly smarter than fishing in a dry lake.
 
Here's a start. Come back when you have reviewed the dozens of prior threads.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...er-batoning-than-I-do-swinging-an-axe-hatchet

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...irewood-chopping-with-a-knife-a-passing-trend

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...t-batoning-quot-for-camp-survival-fire-making

Batoning - BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com › ... › Gossman Knives‎
Oct 30, 2012 - 8 posts - ‎1 author

I went for an overnight kayak trip on one of the larger lakes in the north east this past weekend. I brought my deer creek with me, a sawvivor, ...
Thread: Tips for Batoning? - BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com › ... › Wilderness & Survival Skills‎
Mar 12, 2013 - 20 posts - ‎8 authors

Ok... regarding this whole batoning thing... I'm convinced. I'm searching through the archive and on the web. Finding lots of pros and cons.
Review Lemminkainen MSP - Micarta Survival Puukko: ...
www.bladeforums.com/.../1123334-Lemminkainen-MSP-Micarta-Surviv...‎
Nov 4, 2013 - 3 posts - ‎1 author

Let's start with some batoning on seasoned wood (80mm diameter roughly) Not bad at all, the knife works well. Now, I want to made some ...
Thread: Batoning with Folders - BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com › ... › General Knife Discussion‎
May 5, 2013 - 20 posts - ‎14 authors

There seems to be a new trend... batoning folding knives. I know batoning is undeniably effective, fun, and popular, so is batoning with folders ...
Thread: Which is better for batoning? Scandi or Flat ...
www.bladeforums.com › ... › Wilderness & Survival Skills‎
May 14, 2013 - 20 posts - ‎4 authors

Which grind is better for hard push-cuts (ie. batoning) where edge thickness, strength and toughness are serious considerations? Before you ...

Thread: Batoning Like A Big Boy - BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com › ... › Busse Combat Knives‎
Feb 9, 2013 - 20 posts - ‎4 authors

Haven't really done much batoning until recently. I've been using my TGLB and it batons very well, but I figured a little extra size wouldn't hurt, ...
Becker BK17 vs Mora Companion - Review w/ pics - ...
www.bladeforums.com › ... › Becker Knife & Tool‎
Aug 10, 2013 - 8 posts - ‎5 authors

I wanted my first post on here to bring some value to the forum, so I decided to do a review/comparison between the Becker Bk17 and the Mora ...
Fire Making Only one knife for batoning wood? - ...
www.bladeforums.com/.../989549-Only-one-knife-for-batoning-wood‎
Sep 5, 2012 - 20 posts - ‎14 authors

If you were going to buy only one knife, strictly for batoning wood..It would be used for nothing else and taken on my kayay camping weekends.
Emerson Knives - BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com › Forum › Manufacturer's Forums‎
Off Topic, Review, Nylon, Kydex, Leather. Order threads in... Ascending Order; Descending Order. Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the ...
Review Scrap Yard Mud Mutt: an awesome 5 inch bushcraft ...
www.bladeforums.com/.../1153074-Scrap-Yard-Mud-Mutt-an-awesome-...‎
Feb 10, 2014 - 9 posts - ‎2 authors

It seems like the perfect combination of light weight, good blade length for batoning, great ergos, and the expected Scrap Yard quality.
Thread: Stupid question about batoning/bushcraft - ...
www.bladeforums.com › ... › General Knife Discussion‎
Aug 31, 2012 - 7 posts - ‎5 authors

Is there anyway to properly remove the wood chips that get stuck to the coating on my BK2 every time I baton/cut wood with it? And can anyone ...
Fire Making Mora Knives and batoning wood - BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com/...php/763165-Mora-Knives-and-batoning-wood‎
Aug 7, 2010 - 20 posts - ‎14 authors

I have a few Mora knives and have seen videos of people batoning (word?) small to medium sized wooden boughs on the www-- chopping as ...
Thread: Batoning with custom bk11 - BladeForums.com
www.bladeforums.com › ... › Becker Knife & Tool‎
Nov 12, 2012 - 15 posts - ‎5 authors

I just did this for fun, i wouldnt use my 11 for batoning in normal situations and i dont think its practical to split wood this small unless your ...
Thread: a bit of holiday batoning with my bk14 today - ...
www.bladeforums.com › ... › Becker Knife & Tool‎
Jan 3, 2013 - 15 posts - ‎6 authors
Ikarus13 is offline Registered User. Join Date: Mar 2012; Location: Croatia; Posts: 16. Nice type of batoning! hope you blunted the edge!
 
Dear sc_bane,

Please go to the search function and you will find lots and lots of threads on this subject
And they will answer your question


EDIT
Thomas,
thanks
I must have posted as you posted
 
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Thomas Linton: while I appreciate your help to the OP, some of the link don't work for me.

Here are a few links that I know of:

Is it safe?

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...safer-batoning-than-I-do-swinging-an-axe-hatc

Is it a passing trend?

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...irewood-chopping-with-a-knife-a-passing-trend

Can a Mora do it?

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/763165-Mora-Knives-and-batoning-wood

Maybe we can improve that Mora design:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...and-custom-handles-promised-in-the-PIF-thread

Let's discuss it some more.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/811192-Batoning-Broken-Down

Now how about some knife reviews.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...rd-Mud-Mutt-an-awesome-5-inch-bushcraft-blade

Or how about a recommendation of the BEST knife for batoning. (Forget the reviews--let's get straight to the punch!)

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/736577-Best-knife-for-baton

USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION, my friend.

 
The old man told me about having a morning pinch over a V notched log in northern Ontario. As he looked out across the water he saw a moose. So he picked up his Parker Hale 30-06 and nailed it. I have no idea if the V notch was batoned out, never asked him.
 
sc_bane said:
I know several knifemakers here in WA state. One of them recently sold a customer a Buck 120. The guy calls 2 days later and wants the knife replaced with something of equal or lesser value, because "that POS didn't hold up to a couple small logs!"
My friend sent him back one of those construction demo tools from Lowes.

I suppose batoning is a matter of taste rather than necessity. I have never been camping or hunting without an axe and hatchet. At the risk of being blasted, imo batoning with a knife not built for it is slightly smarter than fishing in a dry lake.
Click to expand...

Baton or don't baton. Do what you like. I'll continue to baton my mora which it's perfectly capable of. And the reason is that I don't want to lug around a heavy and mostly useless tool like a hatchet on a hike.
 
It can be summed up pretty quick.
A-it's your knife do what you want
B-any folder probably can handle a little bit, but you shouldn't anyway. You'll end up destroying it.
C-if you're dead set on battoning, get a fixed blade with a full tang.
 
CloudsRest said:
I'm not willing to carry an ax or saw backpacking, therefore I baton. It's a minimalist approach.
Click to expand...

i always carry a small hatchet and a folding saw when backpacking. I rationalize to myself that the effort in carrying a little extra weight is less than the effort involved in batoning. However, my friends all know that I always take more stuff than I actually need or use. I admire those who take a minimalist approach and go into the wilderness with the bare essentials.
 
Ultimately on the forums, its inevitable that there will be multiple threads that discuss similar things. I don’t think it’s a big deal. Sometimes I would rather respond to a new thread that one that’s been open for 5 years and has had hundreds of responses from 4 years ago.

In response to the thread, I used my knife for batoning once. I was archery hunting and in my climbing stand, on my way up the tree, and there was a slightly large vine that was in the way of my climber, making it more difficult to get up the tree. I whipped out my trusty ZT551 and quickly chopped through the vine. I would not have done this with some other knives but heavy duty ZT0551 was perfect for the job. So on occasion I think that sometimes you do encounter situations that it can be a useful if you have the right knife for the job ,..... but not very often.
 
Since there are some seriously good references here, I would recommend:

1. Make this a sticky and lock it down.
2. Refer any other newbie to this sticky, then lock their thread down.

Done.
 
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