- Joined
- Apr 18, 2014
- Messages
- 25
Hello everyone on Bladeforums. I'm new here and this is my first post, and I have a question I just haven't been able to find an answer to in the archives.
It seems somewhat silly but something I keep asking myself when watching knife reviews which include batoning wood. My first thought, and my question, is: Where are they getting these nicely cut logs? Silly as it seems it leads to a bigger question.
Let me elaborate. I will see videos of a medium size knife, like a Bk7, batoning a log or piece of wood that seems much too big to have cut up into logs by itself. I understand that these guys for all I know could have taken them from their woodpile that was cut up by a chainsaw. But I want to know about the applications of batoning in the field, and what equipment or combination of tools is best.
This makes me think of an experience I had when I was younger, when some friends and myself decided to go �camping� together. Not park your car by the lake, bring the cooler type camping, but along the lines of backpacking a few miles in and setting up shelter by the river. "Roughing it". I was inexperienced but still knew enough to suggest we pack light and bring one good size axe or saw at most, and any other knives/tools should be small for light work and kept to a minimum. Of course we ended up with a collection of poor quality survival knives, clunky bowies, machetes, saws, ect. Of course this was an absolute chore to hike with, but even with this arsenal we barely used most of the tools we had. The axe was of poor quality and clunky, and we ended up using the saw most often to cut larger pieces, or my Bk7 for quick work of smaller ones. Most of the time however, we gathered brush from the ground, and almost no batoning happened.
Years later, more experienced, and with an upcoming camping trip, I want to plan what way would be best way to cut firewood, especially in regards to bringing limited items. Batoning wood does seem useful for dense cuts of wood, but how is it done? Can I take a medium knife like the bk7 and baton wood I have cut with a saw? Or should I bring one of my good quality hatchets? Or could I bring one larger knife like an esee junglas and cut pieces off that way? Basically I want to know; when would I baton wood, how would I baton wood, and what is the best option for cutting firewood altogether, whether that means batoning or not.
It seems somewhat silly but something I keep asking myself when watching knife reviews which include batoning wood. My first thought, and my question, is: Where are they getting these nicely cut logs? Silly as it seems it leads to a bigger question.
Let me elaborate. I will see videos of a medium size knife, like a Bk7, batoning a log or piece of wood that seems much too big to have cut up into logs by itself. I understand that these guys for all I know could have taken them from their woodpile that was cut up by a chainsaw. But I want to know about the applications of batoning in the field, and what equipment or combination of tools is best.
This makes me think of an experience I had when I was younger, when some friends and myself decided to go �camping� together. Not park your car by the lake, bring the cooler type camping, but along the lines of backpacking a few miles in and setting up shelter by the river. "Roughing it". I was inexperienced but still knew enough to suggest we pack light and bring one good size axe or saw at most, and any other knives/tools should be small for light work and kept to a minimum. Of course we ended up with a collection of poor quality survival knives, clunky bowies, machetes, saws, ect. Of course this was an absolute chore to hike with, but even with this arsenal we barely used most of the tools we had. The axe was of poor quality and clunky, and we ended up using the saw most often to cut larger pieces, or my Bk7 for quick work of smaller ones. Most of the time however, we gathered brush from the ground, and almost no batoning happened.
Years later, more experienced, and with an upcoming camping trip, I want to plan what way would be best way to cut firewood, especially in regards to bringing limited items. Batoning wood does seem useful for dense cuts of wood, but how is it done? Can I take a medium knife like the bk7 and baton wood I have cut with a saw? Or should I bring one of my good quality hatchets? Or could I bring one larger knife like an esee junglas and cut pieces off that way? Basically I want to know; when would I baton wood, how would I baton wood, and what is the best option for cutting firewood altogether, whether that means batoning or not.
