Batoning wood: opinions/debate

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In over a half-century of backwoods activities, I have never found the need for batoning wood with a knife....I always have my old Estwing hand axe with me, and it performs these tasks flawlessly. And yes, I`ve read all the arguments about your hand/eye coordination might be off, and you might overswing and chop your leg off, but no one seems to be aware that you can ALSO baton an axe (!) just as easily, in the event you don`t feel stable enough to swing that axe the way God intended....
And, for those of you who fantasize "Well, what about in a Survival Situation?" Let me just tell you that if you`re out in the boonies with nothing but a pair of shoelaces and your knife, it`s gonna take more than batoning wood to save your sorry ass....
 
waterdogs said:
In over a half-century of backwoods activities, I have never found the need for batoning wood with a knife....I always have my old Estwing hand axe with me, and it performs these tasks flawlessly. And yes, I`ve read all the arguments about your hand/eye coordination might be off, and you might overswing and chop your leg off, but no one seems to be aware that you can ALSO baton an axe (!) just as easily, in the event you don`t feel stable enough to swing that axe the way God intended....
And, for those of you who fantasize "Well, what about in a Survival Situation?" Let me just tell you that if you`re out in the boonies with nothing but a pair of shoelaces and your knife, it`s gonna take more than batoning wood to save your sorry ass....
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Awesome, then I'll only have to worry about everything besides batoning.
 
Weather you are using a knife, axe or maul, split wood burns better than wood that has not been split.

I like to gather a few large pieces of wood with my saw and split them for fuel rather than spend time gathering armfuls of sticks that only burn for a few minutes.

Also, if it has been raining, the outer layer of wood on a stick will be soggy, and will resist burning and smoke alot.
 
That batoning continues to be an issue just amazes me. Batoning (done properly, I suppose I should say) is not damaging to a knife.

I have been batoning stuff since I was a kid, long before I ever knew the action even had a name, "batoning". I just thought of it as splitting sticks and wood with my knife to get smaller pieces. I don't remember anyone teaching me, I just needed some smaller diameter sticks than what I had to start a fire, so I split what I had. Over my lifetime, most of my batoning has been done with a SAK - never any damage.

I certainly don't baton every time I'm in the woods, but it's a useful skill to have. If you're not sure how to do it, start gently, and work on wood appropriate for your blade (a SAK won't work well on an 8" thick oak branch!). For your "hammer" only use wood - never stone or steel. Go easy on the handles of folders and stick tang knives.

Really, it just ain't no big deal!




p.s. I've been bouncing around the woods for over half a century too! :D
 
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I have several small camp axes and I recently took my Busse FFBM out in the field and did some wood splitting with it. I found that batoning with the FFBM to be more controlled than whacking away at a piece of a log with a small camp axe and it was amazingly effective! Far from an alternative, I find that splitting off starter kindling from a larger piece of wood to be easier by batoning than with my small axes.
 
Until this last weekend, I had always used a hatchet or medium sized axe to split wood when camping. This trip, I tried batoning with a knife with a 5 inch blade. I found the batoning easier and more precise than the axe/hatchet. Maybe if I was better with an axe, I wouldn't have found it so. But, for me, I really liked batoning and will definitely make it a criteria when purchasing a knife. I just want a bigger chopper now!
 
I have never seen a big deal with "batoning". I always just thought of it as splitting.

I will not even go into the debate about "needing" it to split wood for a campfire, rather I see it as a basic necessary skill for woodworking. If you want to start talking about woodcraft, about making tools and things longer term for primitive living, to make your life more comfortable, you'll need to have some basic wood working skills. You need to be able to shape wood to your will. At some point, this will involve having to break down a larger piece of wood to a suitable size. Splitting it is such a simple, basic thing, I find it somewhat silly to even debate the need for its use. Are we going to discuss whether anyone actually "needs" to saw? Or whittle/carve?
 
the possum said:
I have never seen a big deal with "batoning". I always just thought of it as splitting.

I will not even go into the debate about "needing" it to split wood for a campfire, rather I see it as a basic necessary skill for woodworking. If you want to start talking about woodcraft, about making tools and things longer term for primitive living, to make your life more comfortable, you'll need to have some basic wood working skills. You need to be able to shape wood to your will. At some point, this will involve having to break down a larger piece of wood to a suitable size. Splitting it is such a simple, basic thing, I find it somewhat silly to even debate the need for its use. Are we going to discuss whether anyone actually "needs" to saw? Or whittle/carve?
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:thumbup::thumbup:
 
Last month some friends and I were in the middle of a 4 day hiking trip when heavy rain started.we hiked for 8 hours in heavy rain and were naturally soaked.When we finally did get to camp a fire was a must.We put up some tarps and set to work building a fire.we collected some dry-ish birch bark along the way and got some small twigs smoldering.we had some wood chopped but it was in block form so I grabbed my knife (NWA Forum knife) and started batoning. The dry core wood I split from those blocks got the fire going.2 of us kept feeding the fire while 2 of us batoned the blocks of wood we cut and got the fire really roaring.we went to bed dry that night.Batoning is something that'll never leave my outdoor skill set.
 
the possum said:
I have never seen a big deal with "batoning". I always just thought of it as splitting.

I will not even go into the debate about "needing" it to split wood for a campfire, rather I see it as a basic necessary skill for woodworking. If you want to start talking about woodcraft, about making tools and things longer term for primitive living, to make your life more comfortable, you'll need to have some basic wood working skills. You need to be able to shape wood to your will. At some point, this will involve having to break down a larger piece of wood to a suitable size. Splitting it is such a simple, basic thing, I find it somewhat silly to even debate the need for its use. Are we going to discuss whether anyone actually "needs" to saw? Or whittle/carve?
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Thanks for the posts guys, I know this is a complex topic.

The purpose of this thread was not to debate the usefulness of splitting wood, but the criteria that many people insist a knife must meet to be considered a survival knife.

You can baton wood with a pocket knife for example by starting the split with the knife, taking it out of the wood, and continuing the split by batoning a wedge that you carved out of wood (with your small knife). Therefore you can split wood with a weaker and smaller knife by using an alternative technique (batoning a wooden wedge).

You can also baton your axe if it makes you feel safer.

There are also many people who consider the task of splitting wood not necessary when you collect smaller pieces of wood or small branches that hang low on trees (which are dry on the inside), and that you can be just as comfortable.

It is also important to realize that this thread was not intended to make people argue or fight, but for us to share our techniques and learn from one another.

I know from experience how hard it can be when a group of people go backpacking or camping and everyone tries to do things "their way" ultimately ending up in bickering and inefficient use of time and resources. By creating this thread we can (hopefully) understand each others techniques and respect them enough to "let it be" when the time comes.

Thanks to everyone who posted. It has been good reading.

P.S. I baton too, so no hard feelings
 
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Splitting wood is the key, here, not batoning with a knife. Splitting is simply an action you do with a tool. If and when you don't have that tool, you improvise. A wooden wedge can easily be carved with a small knife, and a small notch for starting a split can be sawn or even batonned (lightly) using a small folder.

For long-term wilderness living, of course you need to know how to split wood. But if you're in that situation, buy an axe, hatchet, or splitting maul.

I choose a survival knife based on quality and carry-ability, not on attributes I can very likely work around. But that's just me.
 
I think batoning works very well for splitting kindling, so that colors my perspective somewhat in terms of a mid-sized outdoor knife (something along the lines of a BAIII). I don't hunt, but if I did would probably carry another, more refined blade for skinning.

As it is, I tend to carry a fairly stout mid-sized blade, and then a more refined folder, when outdoors. The folder is more convenient and more refined, but not something I would baton with.

My larger blade would probably still be pretty small by some of these guys' standards. I might carry a Large Sebenza and BAIII into the woods (not talking about car camping, but also not necessarily long range/light weight).

I do own a few of the FSH, FFBM, etc. sorts of things. Honestly, these are more for "fun" than for backwoods tools. Not that I would never use them in place of a hatchet or small axe... kind of depends on the context.

My experience growing up in the NE/Mid-Atlantic and then moving out to the NW is that splitting wood... at least for me, is more about kindling. I don't tend to split/burn enormous logs in a camp situation. Most of the time a small folding saw is more useful than a larger splitting tool.

Kind of a related issue... I really enjoy the process of making a fire. So the tools I use aren't necessarily completely based on efficiency. Some of my choices are based more on the way I enjoy doing things. Kind of the same as with the knives themselves. :)
 
I dont find myself in a survival situation very often but I do like to have the right gear. I will say this, my FFBM and to some degree, my SYK SOD have replaced my small Marbles camp axe and my handmade camp axe. Keener edge, just as tough and can split wood better and faster. Its a big heavy knife and probably too larger for some in their kit but I just wont skimp on some things. Guns and knives.

I can see an issue with a smaller thinner perhaps lower quality knife not being able to sustain batoning. Simply purchase a knife suitable for batoning and you should be GTG.
 
At first, I thought the batoning emphasis on the forums was just overdone bravado. People will spare no effort to beat a $500 fixed blade through a log when a $20 hatchet or saw would work much better. "But I don't have a hatchet!" No, you intentionally decided not to bring one -- after all, you did manage to remember to bring 6 high-end knives and your camera to take baton pics. ;):D

I still think that batoning is mostly going out of your way to make a routine task that your knife was not really made for, more difficult.

By now, though, I've accepted it as something that knife guys just do. I've started doing it myself. :shrug: I'll even do very light batoning (using the heel of my hand) with most of my locking folders. Just yesterday, I was about to lightly baton-split some scrap boards with my small Sebenza :eek: to make improvised stakes for the garden.

Instead, I walked back to the garage and got my hatchet. :cool::thumbup:

My obligatory batoning pic, mile 150 of 3000 of our 2006 Continential Divide Trail hike:
IMGP0535-1.jpg
 
I've been practicing woodcraft as long as anyone else. Yes I baton. When canoeing I carry a 4 in folder and 3 in axe. I baton the axe, never the folder.

A wedge and back of axe have worked for hundreds of years. You need the weight.
 
To me batoning is the last option. If I find myself without an ax, yes I will baton a knife in order to split wood, but if I have a choice I will use and ax. I grew up splitting wood to be used to heat our house and I can split much more wood much more quickly with an ax or maul. Couldn't even imagine splitting 10 cords of seasoned hardwood with a knife.
 
I agree that batoning with knife can be more precise than hatchet if you're unskilled - I just find it too slow and have used hatchet or axe for kindling for over 50 years - with the odd stint with a meat cleaver on the hearth when it was too cold and wet to go outside. Only rarely had to make kindling when in the bush - usually heaps of twigs and such and I also carry firelighters for when the woods soaked.
 
I would do it if I absolutely had to, other wise it isn't happening! If I ever do baton it will be to a solid fixed blade.
 
Well, I would never carry my Busse FFBM on a long hike, its too damn heavy. However when Im camping, I use it instead of a camp axe because I have a lot of control splitting logs cut to size for burning by batoning. I can get smaller kindling easier for starting the fire and I can split pretty big logs quickly for when the fire is cooking. Its not hard on the knife and Its easier than an axe.
 
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