Thinnest knife you'll baton.

Scrapyard SOD, 1/4". Nothing under that. Use an ax (proper tool for the job) or make spitting wedges from wood.
 
I'm quite happy batoning with my mora clipper.
I think blade thickness is more important when lateral stress is put on the blade, or when twisting it.
If you know how to baton (properly), a thin blade is no problem.

That said, if people want to learn basic knife skills on the sharpened crowbars, all power to them.
Once they've learned not to twist the blade or to baton on an angle to the blade, they may feel confident to move to a thinner blade.
 
From what I seen batoning my machetes and other knives, and even did this earlier today with a knife with a 1/8" blade thickness....

IMG_6778.jpg


IMG_6779.jpg



....I agree with Ken's earlier statement. Thinner blades do seem to encounter a good bit less resistance because they aren't trying to spread the wood as for apart. The main thing I've seen with batoning isn't so much the thickness of the blade as long as it is a good quality steel but more the width, the tang size and the type and attachment of the handle.
 
Never had a reason to baton with any of my knives but If I ever did, I would stay with 1/8 in thick or more.
 
Guys,

I'm sorry - but thick or thin - don't you find using knives for a baton to be DANGEROUS?

I mean I had a gorgeous girlfirend in 8th grade who was the lead majorette thingie and she would throw that baton up so high - I dont know how the hell she caught it - and at NIGHT! And with all those football field lights! Let alone in the November cold?

I couldn't even SPIN that thing with one hand let alone THROW it up in the air - AND CATCH IT!?!? And that had big RUBBER TIPS on it!

I mean don't you guys ever get HURT? I don't get it... :D
 
funny sawgrass7....you almost had me going there!

Okay -

Koyote Leuku Passaround thread. Four inch knife, 0.095" thick of 15N20. Lets just put this to rest. Posts #46, 138, 147, 165, 181, 244, 251 - all different users, all different woods - same knife - batoning.

Here is the link:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=611325&highlight=leuku+passaround

If batoning were so damn hard on so-called thin knives than this one should have broke. Right?

Proper tool....Bushy - knives aren't the proper tool for anything. You wanna cut? Go get yourself some scissors!
 
ieraseu said:
I wouldn't hesitate to baton with a Mora.
Click to expand...

It didn't work too well for me. My first fixed blade is a laminated Mora #1. We were heating with wood this past winter and so I was chopping lots of wood. Being new to Bladeforums and having just learned about batoning, I figured I'd give the Mora a try on some of our firewood to make some kindling. I went to work with another piece of firewood as a baton, hammering the knife through a piece of twisty-grained ash. The experts here will already know that I ended up with knife shaped sort of like the letter 'K' and I didn't even make it all the way through the piece of wood.

I did lots of things wrong there (laminated knives are softer, wrong wood for batoning, poor technique) so I imagine in most circumstances that you would be fine batoning with a Mora, but it certainly has its limits.
 
mistwalker said:
huh? :confused:
Click to expand...

My cheeky little way of saying that knives are anti-proper, they are multifunction. A can opener only does one thing, it is a proper too for opening a can. A knife does many thing, it isn't a proper tool for anything.
 
kgd said:
My cheeky little way of saying that knives are anti-proper, they are multifunction. A can opener only does one thing, it is a proper too for opening a can. A knife does many thing, it isn't a proper tool for anything.
Click to expand...

Oh, ok I get it now, thanks.

I was thinking i often find one the "propper tool" to keep on my belt :D
 
A hyperbole.
I think his point are that most of us view knives as a do-all tool.
You can trot out a list of myriad tasks, and a matching list of specialized tools for each one.
But most of those tasks you can do with a knife...including split wood.

His point is one against the dogmatic folk who declare that batoning is evil, or that no knife should ever be used for prying under any circumstances.
 
Can't wait to process my big game this year with my scissors, Might be a little tough on the big round steaks. I could use my SAK then I would have a scissors and a useless knife blade.:D
 
I need to start hitting refresh before I write posts.
kgd explained himself before I did, and I didn't see it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top