Knife bashing

For this task, a knife is often the best tool for the job, in fact this is exactly what a "hacking knife" (common carpenters tool) is designed to do.

For splitting large rounds, an axe is much better than trying to use a knife and baton, when an axe fails to be productive you use a wedge and a maul.

However for small wood, especially that which can be split readily, a knife and baton works well. The benefit is also strong with small uneven cut wood which is difficult to freestand.

The only knife this would be abusive to are very specialized blades like fillet knives. This is commonly done on utility knives, most popular specifically with wilderness, survival and tactical knife.

-Cliff
 
IMO This goes back to use the right tool for the right job.If you have a camp knife made for chopping chop away.Why you would go back packing and not take an axe or a good camp knife is beyond me.If you are packing in a long way it only stands to reason to equip yourself the right way.Myself I would never consider using a small knife for these tasks and that is not because I don't think it would handle it it just doesn't make good sense to me to use it up that way.I could be way off:footinmou but it would not be the first time.
 
If you have a better knife of course you use it. No one is arguing that using a baton on a knife is more effective than using a knife or hatchet. It is like knowing how to make a set of snowshoes out of boughs, this doesn't mean you leave your gear home if you have it. It is also like using a large bowie to make a sandwitch, it is a bit awkward, and there are better tools usually, but I would not hesitate to do it if I just had the bowie on hand.

-Cliff
 
I don't know if it's true or not, but I've read that some robust sailing pocket knives are built strong to handle a baton. The article indicated that thick rope on sailing ships was cut not by slicing, but by taking a belaying pin and pounding your jacknife through the rope to cut it. I believe the article stated this was the origin of the monster sunfish design and also some of the heavy duty folders with marlin spikes.
 
Originally posted by db
Just because I like this post and think it needs repeteing.
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It was a good post, but totally inappropriate in this thread. People saying that batoning is bad for the knife……. That’s just showing ignorance in an area that they know nothing about. If they want to prove their smarts, they’ll have to at least give a halfway decent reason as to why a baton, when used properly, would hurt a fixed blade. The baton technique takes the weak area of a knife into account, and takes advantage of a good knife’s strong points. It’s a tried and true technique that’s been used since man created his first sharp edge.
 
Buzzbait :

... at least give a halfway decent reason as to why a baton, when used properly, would hurt a fixed blade.
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It doesn't, so any arguement to the contrary, regardless of elegance, is wrong. Experiment always trumps theory. I would assume the responce is primarily due to the title. "Bashing" doesn't imply skill or clarity of purpose.

Most people using a baton on a knife don't "bash" anything, unless of course the knife is fairly sturdy. You have to take care in placement of the knife, working on lines, avoiding knots, taking advantage of grain, and so on.

-Cliff
 
I remember reading a column by Bill Bagwell (about 15 years ago) that talked about using this technique to cut through bone. Across the axis of the bone... i.e. same direction as cutting through the knee of an animal, but a few inches higher or lower.

I thought this was a valid, if extreme, way to use a knife. What do you think?
 
With bone and other hard objects, using a baton and doing a chisel cut is *far* less stressful than trying to chop through it. When the knife is chopped into a very hard target, there is a lot of twisting and snapping of the edge, this can be minimized with batoning, and it then allows very difficult materials to be cut without harm. I have cut large nails for example (3.5" common) with very fine blades (Deerhunter) in this manner.

-Cliff
 
My goodness! I am very impressed with how versatile a small knife can be when used with a baton, and equally impressed with the knowledge and experience given in response to my query. Thank you all. Cliff, I chose the topic, "Knife Bashing", to have a double meaning, but "bashing" certainly connotes a lack of skill and finesse.

Darrel
 
For all of you folks who urge others "a knife is not a prybar" and "the right tool for the right job", I want to welcome you to become my unpaid assistants, and always carry around for me an axe, a crowbar, a shovel, a hammer, a skewer, an awl, a screwdriver, a saw, a kitchen knife, a boxcutter, a machete, a skinner, and so on.

Until then, the knife I have on hand is whatever I may need it to be whenever the need comes up.

--Mike
 
One of the simplest counters to the abusive arguement is that there are lots of makers and manufactures who are perfectly fine with such use and label it as inside the scope of work. How can such work then be complained about.

Now if a counter could be made that this attribute makes it necessary for the knife to be inferior in some other way, then an arguement would be possible. However this point is never raised because in fact such makers and manufactures often make directly better knives.

-Cliff
 
My attitude is; if you use a cutting implement for any other use than to cut or separate materials and break it or hurt yourself you have no one to blame but yourself. BTW I will never be anybodys unpaid spanner boy cause they dont want to use the right tool for the job thats your job. As the Boy Scout motto says BE PREPARED that about says it all. I am not familiar with the phrase batoning to aid in splitting materials it does make sense though. Problem is I have an image of a law enforcement officer using a baton and knife on a suspects fingers to get a confession out of them. lol. I have always used the phrase of using a fro to assist in splitting materials.Guess its the ozark hillbilly in me.
 
Originally posted by Evolute
For all of you folks who urge others "a knife is not a prybar" and "the right tool for the right job", I want to welcome you to become my unpaid assistants, and always carry around for me an axe, a crowbar, a shovel, [snip]... --Mike
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:D ;)
 
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