How many of you have stopped batoning?

91bravo said:
Nobody said those were axes. You said that an axe or a draw knife was always used to baton with, no matter what country you were in. I’m saying that in Southeast Asia, people use knives or machetes to split wood and it’s very common in day to day life. It’s not like they are splitting rounds, they are making kindling. It’s what we call batoning here in the US.
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Any idea why they don't pick up at least some of the twigs, leaves, and small branches from the trees they fell for firewood to heat their homes and for cooking?

Or use a bit of hemp, bamboo, palm frond, or other natural cordage they make? or parts of plants that burn hot? I realize milkweed isn't worldwide.

We're going to have to agree to disagree.
I'll never concede beating a knife through wood is using the proper tool for the task at hand.
You'll never agree beating a knife through wood isn't using the wrong tool.

You consider a machete a knife?

Anyway, I'm out of here.
 
afishhunter said:
Any idea why they don't pick up at least some of the twigs, leaves, and small branches from the trees they fell for firewood to heat their homes and for cooking?

Or use a bit of hemp, bamboo, palm frond, or other natural cordage they make? or parts of plants that burn hot? I realize milkweed isn't worldwide.

We're going to have to agree to disagree.
I'll never concede beating a knife through wood is using the proper tool for the task at hand.
You'll never agree beating a knife through wood isn't using the wrong tool.

You consider a machete a knife?

Anyway, I'm out of here.
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Sometimes wood, twigs, etc, is wet. Batoning gets to the drier wood in the middle. Same as using a axe to do it. Just because you’ve never done it, or believe in it, doesn’t mean it’s wrong, because it’s not. It accomplishes the same goal. Learn to open your mind, it will set you free. I’ve been batoning wood for over 40 years now, all learned from my father, who probably learned it from his ancestors in Southeast Asia. There are a thousand ways to skin a cat, choose one.
 
91bravo said:
I tend to drink around the campfire as well. That’s when playing with knives is the funnest!
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We know that I said That in jest, partly.
but the first time i battoned a log at a campfire i immediately saw it's uses.....
and it's Way safer than splitting logs with an axe near dark with family and pets around.....
Or even if one's shelter was limited height wise (lean-to, tent, cave, bush, etc. etc.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
We know that I said That in jest, partly.
but the first time i battoned a log at a campfire i immediately saw it's uses.....
and it's Way safer than splitting logs with an axe near dark with family and pets around.....
Or even if one's shelter was limited height wise (lean-to, tent, cave, bush, etc. etc.
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some folks don’t believe in it though, because it goes against the norm from what they have learned and/or are used to. I have a BK9 that I’ve been trying to break by batoning for about 10 years now. I have failed miserably.
 
I baton almost every time I build a fire. I have an ESEE 6 that I use and it works well. I also use it to end split smaller stuff, which does not require the use of a baton (unless you want to).

When I practice, I do one stick fires. You can't do a one stick fire without splitting the stick. I could use a hatchet or axe, but I know I would get hurt with those. For me and my skillset, splitting with a knife and a baton is much safer and efficient enough for my needs.

It's certainly true that you can build a fire with smaller sticks that don't need splitting, but then you need some kind of tinder that will ignite with a spark. I only use tinder like that when I need to make a fire in a hurry. When I have time, I prefer to practice with splitting one stick to various sizes of kindling and fuel, and using some of the splits to carve feather sticks. I then ignite the feather sticks with a ferrocerium rod, and use the feather sticks to ignite the smaller kindling, etc.

If I had to split big rounds and big chunks of wood for a bigger fire or fireplace, I would (reluctantly) learn how to use an axe safely. Until then, I'll stick with splitting with my knife and baton.
 
sgt1372 said:
Never batoned anything while backpacking/camping because most places I went prohibited open fires and I wanted (per the philosophy that I always try to follow when out in the woods) to "leave no trace."

Instead, I always carried a portable stove going back to a white gas Optimus in the 60's that I still own, that still works and that looks a lot better than this one:

OGMwMDM3LmpwZw


. . . to a JetBoil now that I use now.

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I used that exact model Optimus, the 8R for like 40 years. Flawless reliable performance at all altitudes. Finally replaced it for a very light alcohol stove.

Last winter in the ice storm we had here in Texas, the power went out and I used the Optimus for hot coffee and soup for the wife and I. Still works just fine!
 
Billhooks have been used for batoning to split small kindling in Europe for centuries, with some patterns even being made specifically for the purpose. They are all hidden tapered tangs. One may find old billhooks with the backs swayed and mushroomed from the use of a steel hammer for years upon years of use. The trick is in using it as a method only in circumstances where it makes sense to, as with any other tool technique. Batoning small kindling is easy by virtue of the precise placement you can get with positioning the blade, and so is a fine method so long as you're appropriately matching the size of the wood to what the blade can reasonably handle. The single largest place folks go wrong with batoning as a method is not knowing how and when to apply it.
 
It's a been a spell since I've seen a "to baton or not to baton" discussion. It's an interesting topic to get worked up into a fervor over.

In the end, it is simply a technique, one that you can utilize or not, depending on your needs. Many of the "survival experts" I've seen on YouTube in the past have used batoning as a measure for a good knife and half the time they are doing a batoning exercise in the most ridiculous of fashions. A knife can never replace an axe but when conditions merit it, using a knife to process/baton wood into smaller burnable material can be a safer and more efficient method. You don't even need a thick overbuilt knife to justify batoning - hell, you can use a thin Old Hickory blade to break down kindling and be just fine.

I have a scar that serves as a testament to where I should have batoned (either with my axe or a knife). I was in a snow camp, and all the wood we could find was drenched so I was in the process of breaking down larger chunks of wood to try and get to more burnable material within. It was cold, very wet, and my fingers were going numb - ideal conditions for making mistakes. I made a mistake with my axe and painted the snow with my blood - it actually was really cool looking...

Anyway, had I slowed down, took stock of all the tools in my basket, I would have recognized that limiting my movements to smaller motor functions and utilizing more efficient techniques like batoning, I could have saved myself an injury in a pretty difficult environment. Batoning is a technique, one of many - not the end-all/be-all to wood processing. It doesn't have to be "to baton or else!".


dZMmZXy.jpg



(Had to dig through some pics but found one where you can see the scar - I am fortunate that I didn't hit a tendon)
OdV6IW3.jpg
 
The above sums it up perfectly. I'm not sure why it's such a polarizing topic.

It seems to me that there is plenty of room in between the "every folder must pass the baton test or else its lock is worthless and you should've got a Cold Steel" crowd, and the "Batoning is a silly useless task only suitable for YouTube posers" camp.

I especially don't understand when people argue their opinions against other's personal experience. Obviously 91bravo has used hatchets and axes before, and he clearly states the reasons why in his experience there are situations where he prefers to baton, with good reason backing it up. What's the argument against that? Seems pretty straightforward to me.
 
afishhunter said:
True. Batoning has been around for at least 500~600 years.
However, until very recently, as in the post Internet 1990's, Batoning was done with a froe or drawknife/spokeshave, no matter what country you care to mention, not a knife.
The right tool for the job is not necessarily a heavy "overbuilt" "knife" that weighs as much or more than a belt axe or hatchet, or a tomahawk, and weights considerably more than a froe or drawknife/spokeshave.
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And? Sometimes the right tool for the job is going to be what you have with you. And sometimes, that tool might be a fixed blade you had on your belt because you didn't think you needed to carry an axe on what was supposed to be a normal afternoon woods-walking and it suddenly downpoured and you need to start a fire to warm up.

Also, for the record, none of my overbuilt knives weigh as much as my hatchets or axes do. :rolleyes:
 
I have only batoned a few times to test how a certain knife handles wood and to try the technique. I will continue to baton especially if I aquire any more knives to use outdoors, so I don't see myself stopping. I'm not stuck on any one method of breaking down wood, I also like to use an axe, hatchet or tomahawk from time to time depending on the circumstances. A great thing about being human is having the ability to decide how to go about accomplishing any given task. Keep chopping the wood how you see fit, everyone!
 
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