I'm new here...why does every fixed blade knife have to be a star at batoning?

I do baton from time to time, and find it.. therapeutic I guess.

I use the axe outside to break down wood into manageable pieces, then when getting the fireplace going inside I will normally baton a piece down into kindling size while sitting on the hearth.. usually using either my BK16 or Cold Steel SRK.

Do I have to do that? No,.. I could just use some type of fire starter. But again, I'm only chopping off 1 inch pieces, and I just enjoy it 🤷‍♂️
 
I've bought folders cause they batoned them in a video and the lock was still good. I think that was the super freek. Great test of strength for a folder. Two of the will it baton reviewers are pretty funny too. If I had to I might do it with a bigger fixed blade. I try not to have to.
 
JC972 said:
I’ve never Batonned anything. My favorite woods knife is a Buck 102 or 119, and I’ve just never done it. The way grandpaw taught me to make a fire was start with dry leaves, pine needles, etc. Pile that up. Then start with tiny dead twigs, preferably pine. Pile that on the leaves. Then go up in size incrementally. One match lights it off.
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What happens if it is raining?
 
I always wondered who were the nice people who went into the forest before the bushcrafters and sawed up all those limbs into sticks for them to baton.

Batoning has its uses in reducing sticks that you can break with your body into almost suitable fire fodder into something that will burn better. I like a lot of the Scandinavian knives, but for different reasons. I am, however, a big fan of a properly made tomahawk, I learned to appreciate them when I was a re-enactor with a group that was very strict about not cheating - everything had to be done as it was done in the mid 1700's as far as our research could confirm. We had a dozen or so Native American participants from several tribes, and I ended up camping with them when possible - to the point that I "defected" from a fort I was supposed to help defend, turning into an Evil Tory Bastage just so I could camp with my Indian friends. Many of them heat with wood in their real life, especially those who have lived on the Rez in their youth, and they were artists with knife and tomahawk. No unnecessary motions or effort, every lick counted. From them I learned that the power of the tomahawk is in head speed just like using a driver in golf, not brute force like breaking rocks with a sledge.

But, back to batoning so I don't hijack the thread - there's a time and a use for that, but I wouldn't choose a survival knife with that foremost in mind. It's nice if it will do that too, though.
 
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Fritos are my favorite, chock full of oil and not as many goofy flavors as Doritos.

Here’s an idea that’ll rile ‘em up: I believe that most modern Americans are over-entertained and under-accomplished. “Survival” with few exceptions, is enduring a difficult set of conditions, whether you got there on purpose or unexpectedly. That’s an accomplishment.

Making videos, that’s entertainment.

Parker
 
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Drop bear said:
You also baton to make joins in wood.. which then lets you make structures.
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Good point. It's also useful for quickly making a Figure 4 trap for animals. That's something I should practice, but I can't do it at home with 6 housecats having the run of the place, inside and out. Don't smash kitteh!

Come to think of it, learning to properly tune and set a leghold trap (and having said traps) should be in everyone's store of knowledge and gear. I know it looks simple, but thinking that is a good way to catch nothing but 'possums and stray cats. I never quite got the hang of snaring (well, deer are stupidly easy to snare but that's illegal), I'd love to have someone tutor me about it.

Sorry for the side journey, but that's where my mind immediately went when you mentioned joins in wood. For 5-6 years, about a fourth of my income came via steel traps. Damned shame the fur market went to hell (and that happened literally overnight, and took many good, honest people's livelihood with it), I was at the point that I was thinking about quitting and starting long-lining full time in season, and hiring out for animal damage control the rest of the year. I have one really good story about my initial foray into damage control, but this isn't the thread for that.

And, back to the proper use of a baton again, sorry for my trip down memory lane. I hadn't thought about that in a while. It does involve knifes, quite a lot of them, but it isn't batoning/batonning.
 
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JC972 said:
I’ve never Batonned anything. My favorite woods knife is a Buck 102 or 119, and I’ve just never done it. The way grandpaw taught me to make a fire was start with dry leaves, pine needles, etc. Pile that up. Then start with tiny dead twigs, preferably pine. Pile that on the leaves. Then go up in size incrementally. One match lights it off.
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That works well if you have those resources. What happens if everything is wet? Often you can take sticks that are damp on the outside, but when you split them (by batoning), the inner parts are plenty dry. You can then make dry tinder by scraping, making shavings, and feather sticks.
 
rhino said:
That works well if you have those resources. What happens if everything is wet? Often you can take sticks that are damp on the outside, but when you split them (by batoning), the inner parts are plenty dry. You can then make dry tinder by scraping, making shavings, and feather sticks.
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Makes sense what you’re saying don’t get me wrong. In that instance I was taught to use dead pine limbs still on the tree towards the lower part. Shave the bark off first. Lower East Tennessee were covered Up in pine trees everywhere but yellow pine or cedar works best imo.
 
NapalmCheese said:
On the other side, knowledge trumps a lot of things.
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No kidding! The knowledge bombs keep dropping in this thread. I have a whole new respect for Doritos and Fritos. I know some Cub Scouts who are gonna love this!

pholder said:
Unbelievably well. Who new right. Put 4-5 under some kindling light one, sit back and enjoy your fire . That’s all I use
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catspa said:
Fritos are my favorite, chock full of oil and not as many goofy flavors as Doritos.
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Hickory n steel said:
I don't know why, but it seems the same people always have the same tests for their knives.
If a knife breaks when you pound on it it's junk.
Stab the tip into a log and pry, if it snaps it's junk.
Whack the spine of a folder on a table, if it folds on you it's junk.

It's like the guy who went to the doctor.

Doc: does it hurt when I do this ?

Patient: yes !

Doc : then don't do that !
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Then some of the reviewers say "You can't trust your life to this." I wonder how they ride their car, it must be very skeptical from them to trust the vehicle and the road.
 
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