Why Baton?

stabman said:
Not my saw.
I don't have a chainsaw, so once I figured out what to squeeze to make it go, I just grabbed the saw and started cutting wood. First and only time I used one was that day.
Still have my limbs, so it worked out, okay. :)
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Glad you kept your limbs and please don’t think I was trying to be rude. I use saws frequently while alone miles from help, so safety is always on my mind when using anything sharp.
 
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Smaug said:
Safer than what? Using twigs, like I suggested?


Ah, good point there. When it's a real soaker, you're saying none of the sticks were dry enough to burn, even after whittling the outer layer down?

Where'd you get the cinder blocks out in the wilds like that?



A very good point. Applies more to camping than simulating a "stranded in the wild" situation.


Just yesterday, I got a portable wood stove going after it raining half the day without any split dry wood. Just twigs I found in the vicinity, with the bark whittled off. The smallest twigs, maybe 1/8 to 1/4" were soaked through; useless. Anything larger, with thicker bark and it was no problem. Full disclosure: I was using a Tumbleweed to start them, not dry shavings with ferro rod. Many would call that "cheating", just like buying wood is "cheating". :-D



I don't think a ferro rod will light feather stick shavings. You need something finer, like the wood dust scraped off with the sharp 90° spine of a knife, dryer lint, etc.


...but my question was why split wood at all? Just use twigs. It seems like the only REAL reason to baton is to get to dry wood in very wet conditions or when only the thicker wood is available. (ex. camping and have to bring purchased wood) The rest of the time, just use the right size branch or log for the fire.

I guess it all comes down to: "What are we trying to simulate when we're starting a fire outside of "civilization?"" There are many different levels:

1) Planned; bring a lighter and tinder from home and maybe even dry wood from home
2) Planned, but traveling light: bring a lighter and tinder from home, but plan on finding and processing the rest in the field. (this is what I've been doing with my collapsible wood stove)
3) Unplanned, but with the assumption that a knife and fire steel are on one's person
4) Unplanned, but with the assumption that a knife only is on one's person (got to make a bow & drill)
5) Unplanned with nothing (yikes)

Maybe there are some in-between levels too?
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Check out a few DBK videos.
 
I have been batoning for 50 years+, I didn't even know it had a name, it was borne out necessity not showing off on you tube or playing in the woods. Real, urgent. desperate, necessity. We didn't have chainsaws, and axes just did not cut the mustard.
When you have two cigarettes and one match batoning is the only option.

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Alone said:
Here's a little South Texas "hardwood" putting the "bends" to 210-thousandths of INFI... :eek:
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Hard wood like that, you may not want to go straight through the middle (just because the blade is long enough), but to take smaller parts off from the side to begin with. Good illustration (like others above) of what wood can do to a blade though.
 
Here in Hawaii, I witness people from all different backgrounds batoning. They learned it from their cultures, from all different places.

It is a great way to make similar size pieces of wood that cook more evenly.

Most of the tools used are handmade from leaf springs, machetes, chunks of steel, or lawnmower blades etc.

The technique has been around for at least as long as metals have been made.
 
One could argue that it tests overall construction of a knife so that's why youtubers do it - to test the knife.
Also - it looks cool and gets the views.

But in real life you would only need to baton in survival situation if you are lost in forest after rain, to get to the dry wood to start the fire. That is the only reason why. Survival in damp area.

Otherwise you can chop/break wood. Take some dry grass/leaves/twigs and smaller pieces of wood to get fire going and so on, so there's no need to baton if you are in dry area.

Some will argue that one should never ever baton because you can make a wedge... but if you're freezing already making a wedge would be last thing on your mind. You'd need fire and you'd need it NOW.


Lucky for me, I'll most likely never find myself in survival situation. But it does give me peace of mind knowing that my knife can handle batoning.
 
In an honest SHTF situation even if the knife broke while batoning you're gonna use the blade parts anyway. You're not gonna stop just because it's a bit more inconvenient. You're still gonna need wood.
 
Cedric broke a 511 batoning, later discovering the real length of the tang goes much deeper--- casual viewers will say "he used the wrong knife to baton, therefore it broke under pressure"
And so, we need sharp anchors that can withstand batoning; [insert plethora here] these, will split wood fine --- yes but at the extent of losing their......
knife-manity🫣😭
 
91bravo said:
Batoning is a cultural thing and has been around forever. It’s new to a lot of folks here though.
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Not to me, I only found found out it was called “batoning” within the last couple of years. Been practicing the actual method or concept of it since I was eight.
 
Way-Barney said:
I have been batoning for 50 years+, I didn't even know it had a name, it was borne out necessity not showing off on you tube or playing in the woods. Real, urgent. desperate, necessity. We didn't have chainsaws, and axes just did not cut the mustard.
When you have two cigarettes and one match batoning is the only option.

View attachment 2354290
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This got a good chuckle outta me. The pic I mean.
 
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