Batoning wood: opinions/debate

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I can't imagine PLANNING on spending the night in the bush without an axe or heavy (min 5/16) fixed blade chopper.
 
When my camping has alot of hiking I use whatever knife is on my belt for wood chores. If batoning is needed its light duty usually on the outer edges working in.

When I stationary camp with the family we bring a hachet.

I've never thought about batoning ability as a criteria for a knife...but hey, its good if they can I suppose. I just think its an over-rated facet of knife usage.;)
 
wally@ferguson said:
I can't imagine PLANNING on spending the night in the bush without an axe or heavy (min 5/16) fixed blade chopper.
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If you did long hies in the woods you might start imagining this. I personally even find my bravo 1 to start to get a bit cumbersom. I wouldnt even dream about bringing an axe or a huge knife. Not saying it couldnt be done but it just isnt needed.

I baton with my knives for fun. Useful or not, I enjoy it. My knives are toys as well as tools. I think it works well, and when i go for hiking trips it can be useful. I dont split giant logs but small ones is fine IMO. Whatever floats your boat.
 
I think that with most people, it's less about how much you're going to use batoning as much as it is about how much the knife can withstand. I put my knives through hell before I even take them out into the woods with me.
 
I do not baton wood but imho knowing your knife can do it is a nice feeling and I also feel that batoning wood is not cruel to a knife and it does seperate the good knife from the bad ones. I do not think a knifemaker would refuse to fix a knife if you were actually trying to use it. Great thread buy the way

:D
 
I baton whenever im outdoors it seems like a simple and logical process to me. my RAT-3 has never failed in this task and ive beaten the hell out of it. maybe im just spoiled by rats and busses :rolleyes:
 
I don't know anyone (myself included) who flies a float plane in northern Ontario who doesn't have an axe stashed under a seat. That's called planning.

If I had to rely on batoning with my folder or small fixed blade, that's my bad.
 
wally@ferguson said:
I don't know anyone (myself included) who flies a float plane in northern Ontario who doesn't have an axe stashed under a seat. That's called planning.

If I had to rely on batoning with my folder or small fixed blade, that's my bad.
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That's a little different. Sometimes you really don't want to go hiking with an axe, they're just too heavy for it. But you do carry one when you can.
 
wally@ferguson said:
I don't know anyone (myself included) who flies a float plane in northern Ontario who doesn't have an axe stashed under a seat. That's called planning.
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I don't know anyone who flies a float plane in Northern Ontario, or anywhere else - with or without an axe stashed under the seat.

Hell, I don't even know anyone in Northern Ontario. My planning must really suck.
 
I have been keeping an eye on this set of postings and I have noticed that the posters are divided starkly between those who work and live in the bush and those who ponce around waxing lyrical about what if's and when they's....!

I shall let you decide for yourself which is which.
 
No matter if you believe in batoning or not it's a method that you might want to have in your skill collection for the "Just in case" times.;)





:)
 
I've posted to many threads about batoning and even written published articles about it. I've lived in Northern Ontario and camped in Northern Manitoba and often without an axe.

Anyhow, I'm too bored of this topic to write anymore words of encouragement about the practice. I use it regularly for a number of reasons and I also use an axe when I choose to bring one.

However, to the OP. Batoning ISN"T very had on a knife unless you are trying to split really difficult wood that would give even an axe a run for its money. You simply use the edge to separate the grain and once the knife is past the bevel the edge doesn't even touch the wood anymore.

With that you don't really need a super robust knife. I'm using a 0.095" thick koyote right now and it does what I want for wood shaping. I've batoned 1/8" thick knives through really nasty stuff. The idea that you need a 0.25" busse battle mistress to baton is overkill. Yeah, they are fun to baton. So is a mora 2000. You don't need a special knife for batoning. Fixed blades do better as do full tang knives. It doesn't have to be thick, long and heavy.

Alternatively, if you think that your knife can't withstand batoning, then you must have pretty low faith in your knife. Who is going to a carry a knife into the bush that they don't trust??? Not me.
 
i have yet to see Les "Survivorman" Stroud baton wood with his Leatherman...if he doesn't do it why should i...

of course this doesn't count the dry salami he batons in half after every episode...
 
IMO hatchets are very heavy and bulky but once you use it, it reduces your work load significantly, I use my knives to cut, and an axe to split wood. This is like the "right tool for the right job" argument, you wouldn't use a knife as a pry bar, but you would use your knife as an axe?
 
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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I think the above post sums it up.

Funny thing... I was just thinking about this tonight. An axe is much more efficient than a knife for chopping wood. And like the poster said..if you're worried about hurting yourself you can always baton with an axe!
 
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.
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A survival knife is the one that you have with you when you're thrust into a survival situation. It's the one you carry every day, or have acccess to every day.

If you backpack, you may not want to carry the extra weight of a hatchet. A so called survival knife doesn't have to be all and do all because no knife is capable of satisfying every requirement one may have. All I know is that when you carry, you should carry the best knife for your all around or other anticipated needs, and let it go at that.

You can bet your life that in a real survival situation you won't have anything you think you need to survive. So, the best thing you can actually carry for surviving is the knowlede and experience you have in your own head and the willpower to get you through the spot you're in.
 
Batoning is not hard on a knife, and a normal activity. It is not as effective as a full sized axe or splitting maul for splitting small logs, but it is much more controllable, and safer for the user. For longer logs and branches, it is far superior to an axe, which cannot be batoned beyond the depth of its head. A knife can be batoned through the entire length if needed.

But the bottom line is, batoning is not hard on a knife, only a crappy or delicate and specialized knife would fail from batoning. (or a defective knife) Proper batoning = With a piece of wood. (or any other soft object) Improper batoning = with a pipewrench, hammer, or rock. Pretty simple.
 
Obviously if someone thinks to carry a knife in the field, they could have just as easily brought an axe or hatchet. There are reasons why some wouldn't - the other guy was supposed to, it got broken, lost, or the duration of being outdoors originally planned didn't need it.

Knowing how is nice, but if you plan on splitting wood and don't want to use a larger tool, that's a personal decision, like choosing between a simple screwdriver or 18 volt Dewalt. I've seen hunters pushing a wheel barrow full of gear to their tree stand, and others with just a fanny pack out on a three night stay. Whether knife or ax is really up to the skill level of the user and their assessment.

Probably the point of contention is whether batoning should be a qualificatiion of some kind for knife or user. It's not - it's just one skill in the set of woodsmanship. The emphasis seems to come from those with an agenda to prove something about their possessions, not their skills.

Really - so what a knife will split wood? So will a sharp rock. That skill is taught and used by some, but I sure don't hear about it. Probably the wrong forum - which is exactly the point. If this was an axe and hatchet forum the bragging would be about shaving with the things.

People like to brag about being able to use a object in ways it wasn't exactly designed for. That's where the wood batoning supporters seem to largely come from. There's no argument that the axe and hatchet were invented to do the job. Why so many have to tell us they can do it with a knife is something else altogether.
 
Just because I probably wont need to baton with my knife doesn't mean I don't want to have a knife that can if I have to.
 
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