Please Enlighten Me

Czechmate said:
Baton with your knives they said. It'll be fun they said... :foot:;):D


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Ohhhhhh snap....
 
Another thing to think about in the safety department, is if you are out with a large group of people I find it much more controlled. I tend to go camping with friends and family, and that generally means a fair number of rugrats cruising around. And while "most" of the time they're pretty well supervised, I feel safer kneeling by the fire pit breaking down a 2-4in sized log for dry kindling with my fixed blade than I would feel having to clear a large area and use an axe/hatchet. As at least this way the thing I'm swinging is blunt, and if one of the kids sneaks up on me there won't be anything worth than bruises all around (and yes, I'm keeping an eye out for them either way).

I used to baton more because I thought it was "neat", because I'd never seen it done before. Now, I generally just do it to help get the fire started, and occasionally for fun or for breaking up fatwood. But we're never talking anything more than about 5in anymore. I used to try to baton the biggest knottiest would I could, just to see if I could. Now... I'm far to lazy for that, I only choose the straight grained stuff that's forearm/calf sized or smaller to baton. I generally try not to go much over half of the blade length. And if I have to split something larger than that with a knife, I'm shaping a wedge out of something smaller, and splitting the log with that rather than risking my "only" tool.

Learning about it though did get me on course to learn about "real" knives. I'd never owned a "real" fixed blade before, and my quest for one that would take the beating put me on course to discover other blades and skills, so I'd consider it something of a "gateway" into the hobby and the outdoors, so I'd call that a win for everyone personally.

Oh, and if we're talking splitting actual rounds of large fuel wood... Axe, or preferably a hydraulic splitter for me please :).
 
I'll repeat my original post for those who didn't read the whole thread .


"Hi Jimmy . Well firstly , when we talk about batoning we are talking about doing that with a fixed blade knife that is sturdy enough to withstand it . A pocket knife (unless it's a well made small fixed blade) is NOT made for that sort of thing .
Secondly "batoning" would not be used to cut the tree down . It's more for splitting wood that is already cut to length .
Thirdly if you are hiking deep into the woods then carrying an ax is heavy . The better approach is to bring a sturdy knife and a folding saw (the saw being much lighter then an ax) .
Fourthly , standing a piece of wood on it's end and placing your knife blade on it where you want to split it and then batoning , is a MUCH safer practice than swinging an ax and risking it glancing off and ending up in your shin or foot . Especially when you are deep in the woods and far from help . One slip with an ax and you can easily cut your own toe off , where as it takes real dedication to saw it off"
 
I never batoned until I started hanging out here. It's neat and fun, but completely unnecessary, IMO. I have no intention of batoning on the trail. There are more efficient, and safer ways to start a fire, even in wet conditions. Shaving twigs and scavenging small branches will get you the wood and coals you need to sustain or build up a fire.

Just my $.02
 
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Alls u have to do is be safe with an ax.. Of course im southern so i use tools of that sort pretty frequent.
 
I batonned ONCE...with a Camillus US Pilot's Survival Knife. Result: The blade broke off right at the hilt--on the 3rd hit with a small log about 3" diameter. Camillus sent me a replacement knife FREE (good customer service, thanks!) but I've never trusted the Pilot's Knife enough to take it out of the house again. I certainly don't advise anyone to baton with a knife. In a last ditch survival situation it may be the only option you have but otherwise, I don't practice it and I don't recommend it. I carry a hatchet instead. A light-weight saw and a high quality hatchet can get you all the firewood you'll need.
 
Here's how I think of this whole batonning thing.

1) It's always good to have more skills and knowledge in the toolbox, especially if you spend time out in the woods.

2) Batonning is a skill that can be useful. It may not be, but who knows.

3) IMHO, if you go in the woods, having a wood processing tool is a must have. Be it a saw, knife, axe, hatchet, whatever. My preferred wood processer is a 10" kukri. More flexable in use than a hatchet, just as durable.

4) If you want to learn skills, the best place and time to learn those skills is in an environment that isn't "survival" oriented.

5) I don't take untested equipment into the woods, be it tent/tarp/hammock/stove/etc. Why should my knife be any different?

So there you go. Take what you will from my post.
 
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Some people break their knives...because they're doing it wrong.
One time I went to split some wood and the blade didn't want to sink in with reasonable force; hence, I put that extra hard wood aside to go on the fire after it was big enough to get wood of that size going. :)

There's a HUGE difference between batonning and "Idiotically bashing a knife through a log with a rock/hammer/giant club."

One gets to dry wood...the other gets to warranty replacement or buying a new knife.
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
If I was lost in the woods with only one knife to survive with the last thing I would ever do it beat on the spine with a small log.
If I broke the knife or even just chipped out the blade, I then wouldn't have a knife or a lot less of one to survive with.
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This makes 100% sense to me!
 
stabman said:
Some people break their knives...because they're doing it wrong.
One time I went to split some wood and the blade didn't want to sink in with reasonable force; hence, I put that extra hard wood aside to go on the fire after it was big enough to get wood of that size going. :)

There's a HUGE difference between batonning and "Idiotically bashing a knife through a log with a rock/hammer/giant club."

One gets to dry wood...the other gets to warranty replacement or buying a new knife.
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Yup...you caught us! We're all just complete idiots! Everyone who has had a knife break is nothing more than an idiot who is doing it wrong. Sure glad you've never been stupid enough to have a tool break while you were using it. At least there is someone left on the planet who's not a complete buffoon!
As for me, I'm too much of an idiot buffoon to risk breaking another knife so I'll just do what all the other stupid people do and use an AXE to chop wood and a MACHETE to cut lightweight flexible vegetation like grasses, vines, and brush.
Since I'm not as smart as a teenager or those clever guys who are preparing for the fictitious zombie apocalypse, you won't see me making an You Tube videos of me batonning logs with a knife or chopping down trees with a machete. Maybe when I'm older and wiser I'll advance to those tricky skills.
 
Tired_Yeti said:
Yup...you caught us! We're all just complete idiots! Everyone who has had a knife break is nothing more than an idiot who is doing it wrong. Sure glad you've never been stupid enough to have a tool break while you were using it. At least there is someone left on the planet who's not a complete buffoon!
As for me, I'm too much of an idiot buffoon to risk breaking another knife so I'll just do what all the other stupid people do and use an AXE to chop wood and a MACHETE to cut lightweight flexible vegetation like grasses, vines, and brush.
Since I'm not as smart as a teenager or those clever guys who are preparing for the fictitious zombie apocalypse, you won't see me making an You Tube videos of me batonning logs with a knife or chopping down trees with a machete. Maybe when I'm older and wiser I'll advance to those tricky skills.
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Well yes, pretty all those idiots who broke their knives are idiots.

Since I'm not an idiot, I haven't broken any. :)

I don't know about your knife skills, but your sarcasm needs a bit more work. Overdoing it loses effect.
Maybe when you're older and wiser you'll advance to being able to use those tricky verbal/literary skills. ;)
 
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