Warning About Battening

Batoning is dumb...use an axe. You carried matches and/or a lighter because you wanted a fire, why wouldn't you carry a proper tool for managing firewood ?

If you are scrounging firewood in the bush you don't need to baton. I've yet to find convenient cut logs that need batoning to get kindling. If you are camping in a park or cornfield and brought a bag of purchased firewood and no kindling........

Most discussions and especially pics usually take place on the back deck with dry wood.

Hope your finfer heals well.
 
hum I can definitely say I have never splinted a cut finger....Glad to hear your alright though:)
These things happen, try to be as careful as possible
 
Flashpoint,

Glad you are OK, but you need to take some first aid classes, seriously.

A tourniquet is not to be used on anything that direct pressure can stop. The only time a tourniquet is to be used is when death from bleed-out is a danger. In fact, only a doctor should remove the tourniquet.

Any other use can lead to worse injuries than the initial wound.
 
You should really consider a doctor sooner, I had a SMALL wound on a finger which took only 3 stitches to close (without ABs) which ended up costing me 2 surgeries 6 days in hospital and a couple of months of nauseating ABs and that was with immediate medical attention (albeit incompetent).
 
Let's not take the OP through the grand inquisition guys...he made a few poor judgment calls, but he is here to share to help others. Let's return the favor...kindly. :)
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
I'm still not sure I understand battoning. You have a LOG and you want a fire. Why not just put said log on the fire and be done with it? Are you trying to make a miniature fire?

Or is it just a reason to play with your knife? I have made probably thousands of fires and never felt the need to chop a already cut log into segments. In fact the log will burn up quicker when it is cut up and not left whole.

Just wondering.

Edit: Glad you still have all your dangly bits!
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Unless you're using some sort of starter fuel, in order for larger logs to take you need to find some smaller wood sources that take a flame easier-and steadily build up in size until your logs will burn. Easiest way to do it if you have no other source of wood (I live in desert highlands and dead wood period is a luxury) is to split what wood you have, either via battoning or chopping with an axe. Other reasons for battoning are attempting to light a fire in wet conditions, when your firewood supply is wet or encased in ice. You can batton to get to the dry stuff in the middle.
 
Flashpoint said:
I had been setting the wood on the ground and then wacking with the knife to get it started and then taking a smaller log to drive it through. The log that was being battened during the accident, wouldn't stand up by it's self so I was holding down low. The first wack that would normally only sink the knife down about half inch or so into the log, split the log all the way down to my hand. I think it's just a freak accident, but it's possible it could happen again. I'm just saying, I know there are a lot of people here who do batten wood and there is a chance that one hit could split the log, even with a 10" knife.
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Are you saying that you were holding the log that you were trying to split instead of the knife? If so, IMO, that was the mistake.
 
Happens to the best of us.

Next time use a smaller piece of wood to hold the log upright then set the blade.
 
Helle said:
Happens to the best of us.

Next time use a smaller piece of wood to hold the log upright then set the blade.
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Good idea.

You used a tourniquet to stop bleeding on a finger?
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I tied a piece of Wal-Mart sack around my finger to slow the bleeding down enough to put some antibiotic salve in the wound and then paint the wound shut with liquid bandage.

hum I can definitely say I have never splinted a cut finger....Glad to hear your alright though
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Thanks, it was a first for me too. I splinted it to keep me from inadvertently bending my finger and opening the wound back up. Now that the cut in closed up and the swelling is going down I've taken the splint off.

Are you saying that you were holding the log that you were trying to split instead of the knife? If so, IMO, that was the mistake.
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Holding the log to keep it standing up while I set the knife for battening. :rolleyes:


Let's not take the OP through the grand inquisition guys...he made a few poor judgment calls, but he is here to share to help others. Let's return the favor...kindly.
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Thanks J_Curd.








I can't believe no one has asked what kind of a knife it was.... I thought this was Blade Forum. :D
 
Flashpoint said:
I can't believe no one has asked what kind of a knife it was.... I thought this was Blade Forum. :D
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It would be nice to know what kind of knife it was, just in case it ends up in the classifieds for sale.. Just kidding. Its never funny when someone gets hurt.

Just be thankful you didn't post this in W&C :D

I know there are a lot of people that do it, but I have to be honest, until I joined BF's, I'd never heard of anyone using a knife to cut firewood :confused:...
I wouldn't have second thoughts about doing it if it was a matter of survival, but I've yet to read a story about it where that was the case...

As Grampa use to say, the right tool for the job :D But then again, to each their own
 
Flashpoint said:
I had been setting the wood on the ground and then wacking with the knife to get it started and then taking a smaller log to drive it through. The log that was being battened during the accident, wouldn't stand up by it's self so I was holding down low. The first wack that would normally only sink the knife down about half inch or so into the log, split the log all the way down to my hand.
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Yeah - I figured you were doing something like that. I've never batoned with a knife. Instead I learnt a different technique as a kid by watching my grandfather's chinese cook make kindling. I steady the log by supporting it in position with weak hand and just before striking the log with the chopper I'd pull my hand away. There's enough inertia in the log to keep it in position until the chopper hit it. Sounds dangerous but been doing it that way for over 50 years and no accidents.
 
shunsui said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_bandage

I thought you were nuts, but apparently that stuff works pretty good. Which brand were you using ? If your arm doesn't fall off, I'll get some. ;)
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http://www.newskinproducts.com/liquid-bandage.htm

Works pretty good. It has 6.7% alcohol in it, and I could feel it too.

I know there are a lot of people that do it, but I have to be honest, until I joined BF's, I'd never heard of anyone using a knife to cut firewood ...
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Same here. I think I'll go buy an ax now.
 
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So what type of knife was it? :D

Seriously, what type??

For what it is worth I rarely baton (little need to where I camp) but I think it is a good skill to practice. Regardless of whether you are using an axe or knife, if you are holding the piece to be cut with your other hand, you are at risk of injury - maybe find another way to support your wood? I must be missing something from your description :o but I've found that I can usually hold the wood standing in place just with firm downward pressure from the knife (which I hold in my left hand) and then I strike with the baton in my right hand - none of my limbs holding/touching the wood to be split - but YMMV :).

Hope you heal up quick! :D
 
Flashpoint said:
The log that was being battened during the accident, wouldn't stand up by it's self so I was holding down low.
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Well, I guess you won't do that again. A lot of people do this with a hatchet too and end up with the same result.

antonio_luiz said:
I steady the log by supporting it in position with weak hand and just before striking the log with the chopper I'd pull my hand away. There's enough inertia in the log to keep it in position until the chopper hit it. Sounds dangerous but been doing it that way for over 50 years and no accidents.
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It is dangerous too. Sometimes that log starts tipping towards you and you follow it with the axe, a natural inclination. Now its buried in your shin. Perhaps it works for you, but this isn't something I'd ever advise somebody else.

Here is a very good method for axe work for unstable, limb sized wood. See 2.20 minutes in the video.

[youtube]2tUUctg6dfk[/youtube]

There is nothing wrong with using a knife and proper batoning technique. I don't know why the idiots responding to the OP can't open their eyes to the fact that different folks have different ways of doing things. I also don't know who burns full logs by starting them up with a bic lighter. At least I don't know how that is done without a liter of gasoline.
 
Excellent video, thanks for sharing that. I remember all those lessons from my childhood in Appalachia. The only thing I managed to do with an ax was break two of my ribs with the butt of the handle :)
 
Good video kgd. Thanks.

Unwrapped for an evening inspection. It still has some glue from the butterfly stitches.

4048248139_b31b0010d2_o.jpg


The knife in question.

A convexed Outcast.

4048994242_7619f79ac3_o.jpg
 
Oh gawd, your lucky you have a finger. Put more glue on that butthead :) Wrap it up, and just wash it and re-glue until it starts itching...I will take pics of my thumb soon (paper wheel incident of 2009) :(
 
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