What's the fascination with batonning?

[TwinStick]

Let me preface this question by saying that I've owned knives for more than 55 years. (Yes, I'm an old guy.) I've owned everything from small Spyderco's to 24" machetes. It never occurred to me in all those years to hammer any of my knife blades through a log, branch, etc. until I recently started to read knife forums. If I need a make a fire I shave some wood from a branch to make some tinder and then look around for small and medium size branches to use as is or break into pieces. When the fire gets large enough I lay a large branch across the fire and let the fire burn it in two and then burn each half. If I get the urge to chop something, I get out a small hatchet or axe and have at it.

I'm willing to admit that I might be missing something here. I understand that using a large knife to chop some branches might save the weight of carrying a small hatchet. But what is the fascination with batonning a large log or branch? Lots of posts on lots of forums and lots of videos on the net about batonning.

So, here is your chance to educate the old guy. Please enlighten me.

Some states, or areas within certain states, will hand you a nice ticket, (i.e. a big fat fine, or ticket) if your fire or the wood therefrom is outside the designated fire ring (as some parks have.) When i questioned the Park Ranger as to why, he said simply, that too many people fall asleep or pass out & the fire has the opportunity to spread, when practicing that method of drag & burn. It may just be another ploy by NY State to make money from people who recreate, IDK.

As to batoning. I mostly use it to gauge a knifes toughness & edge holding ability. I beat the bejeebers out of mine, usually in a controlled environment, so if it breaks, it is no big deal. But i like to know what my blades are capable of before i ever need to actually trust my life to it, should the need ever arise.

 

[corwise]

Like a couple of other folks I was taught battoning in a military suvival class, in my case the AF SERE back in '93. Their training was based on ejecting from an aircraft and your 5" survival knife was all you had available.
Since then I've used it a few times to make kindling, and it has been useful. Most knives can take it, I like bigger knives anyway, so no reason not to.
If you have a better technique then go for it, but battoning works and is a fun way to use your knife. IMHO at least.

 

[MKP]

When I was a kid living in a 3rd world country, people battoning for cooking wood. Chopping with an axe actually more tiresome than battoning. This is especially true if you are an an old lady like my grandma. That how she split big log of wood into little pieces for cooking. That how every other woman in the neighborhood did it.

 

[Boats]

Batoning is popular on the net because folks get to show off their steroidal machetes.

Besides, videos of dudes processing a night's worth of wood in minutes with twenty buck folding saws are boring.

 

[Maddogg774]

Says the poster boy for Scrapyard. LOL. You really think Scrapyard doesn't see that one of the main uses for their knives is to baton? And with that knowledge didn't design their knives to do it?

Well they have never named one of their knives "Batoner"

 

[Rurouni]

I only recently found out about battoning even though I grew up in the countryside chopping wood as a chore. I find that it's a great way to make kindling; it's really useful to do in front of my woodstove in the morning when to quickly get a fire going (too disorganized to make kindling the day before). I've tried using a hatchet indoors but it feels awkward.

Here's what I use: Izula & wild cherry.