(image: Dave Canterbury)
Some knives are better than others for batoning wood.
Batoning wood is to split or cut small diameter wood while using a baton and a knife. A baton is a makeshift heavy ‘stick’ (see below).
There’s a technique to batoning wood, but it essentially is the process of holding the knife blade to the end of a relatively small diameter piece of wood while using the baton to strike the knife’s back – forcing the knife edge to split/cut the wood.
You might ask, “Why would I use a knife for batoning wood?”
Because an axe or a saw might not be part of your ordinary carry items while you’re out in the woods, wilderness, or anywhere on a hike or journey during a time or circumstance when you might need to make an emergency shelter or build a fire.
Batoning wood is useful to not only split wood into smaller pieces, but to access the drier center portion for fire building and kindling.
Batoning may be useful for cutting a sapling (young, small diameter tree) for building a shelter.
What is the baton?
The baton is simply a piece of wood that you pick up in the woods for its batoning purpose. A good baton is a piece of wood that’s fairly heavy, ideally of hard wood (heavier, more dense, less effort to ‘baton’), and several inches in diameter. It is essentially your ‘hammer’ used to strike the back of your knife blade.
The batoning knife
Knives will have weaknesses inherent to their design. For example the steel of a non full-tang knife (partial tang) does not extend all the way through the handle. It may be a fixed blade knife, but if the blade itself attaches to the handle as a separate piece, there will be a weak point. Same with a folder. So if using such a knife for batoning (it will still work) you must know the limits for the knife that you’re using.
A full-tang knife is stronger because the steel blade and the handle are all one solid piece.
Note: If you’re batoning (splitting or cutting) hard wood, there will be more stress put on the knife than soft wood. Similarly there’s more stress on the blade while batoning green wood versus dead wood.
Note: When batoning wood, strike the back of the knife further out and away from the handle of the knife.
Note: When batoning (cutting) a sapling, do not cut directly against the grain (it’s the hardest part). Instead place the knife at an angle (about 45-degrees). Make a cut on all four sides, then pull the sapling over.
Caution: Batoning wood is risky (cutting yourself) so be especially carefully during this process (as you should with any process while using a knife)
So what is the best knife to use for batoning wood?
As Dave Canterbury says,
“The best knife or tool you can have is the one that you have when you need it…”
With that said, he is a strong proponent (for the money / price-point) of the Morakniv (Sweden) Bushcraft Black high carbon steel knife. It has a thick blade 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) and is extremely sharp, durable, and is hardened to ‘HRC 56-58’ to better withstand stress on the blade when batoning. The black coating helps protect against corrosion. And being carbon steel, the spine of the knife can be used to slowly and forcefully push down against a fire starter to emit sparks.
And now with that said, while the best knife for batoning may be a large full-tang Bowie knife, the fact is that under most normal circumstances (or for legal reasons) most people will not ordinarily carry such a knife. So, really, it’s a smart thing to acquire one that will get the job done while still being a practical carry or pack item…
In other words, a full-tang KA-BAR with 7″ blade is awesome for sure…, however even a smaller Mora (above) with its 4.3″ blade will also get the job done – and may be more likely to be carried (food for thought).
The following video from Dave Canterbury is very informative how to baton wood…
Nobody can separate me from my trusty,do-it-all, time proven, K-BAR!
…and here it is 😉
KA-BAR Full Size US Marine Corps Fighting Knife
Yep Big fan of the Ka bar myself. I prefer to carry a Gerber Parang or a Kukri if out in the woods as I find they are way more useful if you need to cut brush,small limbs ect. Either would work as well or better for batoning than a knife but to each his own.
I keep one under my pillow 🙂
Which? A Ka Bar or a Kukri? 😉
Batoning wood is espicially useful when it is raining or snowing, Because it exposes the inner/dryer wood to enable it to ignite much faster than outside which is more likely to be wet. Just in case anyone was not familar why this method is used.
Thanks Being Watched, I often wondered why you would waste time to do Batoning. That makes allot of sense.
Also makes kindling so fire starting is easier
I use the batoning app on my phone.
We don’t have soft wood down here (desert scrub) and so battoning ours just isn’t worth it without a real splitting tool. A bag axe (light tomahawk – think roofers hatchet) doesn’t take up much room or weigh very much anyway. We break up small wood by sticking it into tree limb crotches and breaking it.
Doesn’t the Mora only have a partial tang?
Yes, that’s correct. With that said, the knife itself is a great one for it’s price point (around 40 bucks) and is (very) highly rated (on Amazon). As you can see in the video, it does the job while batoning wood – however I would imagine that abnormal abuse may be an issue (compared to pounding on a Bowie knife for example 😉 ).
@ Ken and ALL
Hence you NEVER abuse any tools no matter what you’re using it for, if Batoning and using the Mora, do NOT use a 20 pound log for the striker…. Or that nice Leatherman for cutting High Tinsel 6GA Wire…. On and On.
NRP
I didn’t realize the process had name! I’ve always called it splitting kindling.
I’ve split a whole lot of “Fat Wood” for fire starters over the years. For those who might not know, Fat Wood is simply the stump of a pine tree, dug out in winter when the maximum amount of pine sap is in the stump. Two or three pencil size pieces will get most fireplaces/inserts going, and can be lit easily with a piece of paper.
@ Ozarks Tom
I agree with you Tom, mostly I hit the dead tree stumps (usually from a lightening strike or a fire) after the sap has pulled into the base; makes a HECK of a good starter. Have a bunch of #10 cans full of that, it does take some work, but well worth it.
NRP
I agree Ozarks Tom. That is some of the best fire starter.
I haven’t pulled the trigger on Canterbury’s survival books. I enjoyed him with Cody Lundin on Dual Survival. One of Mr Lundin’s teachers was the Canadian Mors Kochanski. In HIS book he specifically calls it batoning. But I agree with the group, most of us boys growing up with knives probably figured it out naturally.
My papa would call it Whittling hehehehe
NRP
My dad never taught me to whittle. He did give me an old WW2 navy machete when I was 9. The sensibilities were just a tad different back then. Still prefer a machete to a hachet
Why not just buy a light hatchet rather than risking a main survival tool by pounding on it? Doesn’t make good sense.
The difference with a knife and baton vs a small hatchet, you can place the knife directly on the wood with precision and hit it with a baton. A hatchet has to be swung and hope it hits the mark you want, and small diameter limbs are harder to hit precisely.
I learned this long ago splitting small wood pieces for starter, because with a hatchet I was creating an arc in the swing, so I missed and produced a deep cut in my leg. Therefore, for those small fire starter pieces I then used a large tempered steel knife and a small block of wood for better control of the tool for dozens of years and never broke or damaged a blade, and never cut myself.
Swinging the hatchet alone on the end of the limb might be difficult. Try this technique instead. Tap the hatchet into the end of the limb, then simultaneously lift both limb and hatchet up and drive down as one unit. You may have better luck splitting it. Freshly cut is easier to split then dried and seasoned, btw. The older wood does burn easier.
Thank you for the article, learned something new on taking down a sapling. My GHB has a small SOG Tactical (2 inch blade) hanging on it, tried it out in the woods, a bit light weight. Also have a Morakniv Companion 4.1 inch and an Air Force survival knife (which is a nasty looking thing, makes you pay attention!).
Thanks to everyone for sharing your knowledge. I live in the Pine Tree state.
For me, I prefer using my Gerber LMF II for batoning wood. It has been my go-to knife for years. Keep one always attached to my BOB.
Although I do enjoy breaking out my RTAK II on occasion when I have to process a lot of wood, but in keeping with the spirit of the article I wouldn’t have that available most of the time.
give me the cold steel BUSHMAN every single time ive had one for 20 years ive thrown everything at it and it still holds a edge you can shave with and is still razor sharp i gotta agree the best knife is the one you have in your hand at the time thats why i carry 4
I have been intrigued by the cold steel bushman. They are tough to find. They will do in a pinch. I have always seemed to have an ax or hatchet around when I needed to process wood into kindling. Machete for brush or menacing young hooligans (get off my lawn!). A hatchet without the saw is an incomplete package for processing a lot of wood in short order.
My knives have mostly been used for processing food whether it be cutting up vegetables or gutting and skinning of pigs and deer. I try not to abuse my blades and reach for the proper tool for the job. I am still angry at my brother for breaking the tip off my Old Timer trying to pry a lid off a paint can years ago. He is still borrowing and breaking the tools of others to this day.
A hatchet can be batoned too and it is built to take the abuse (and cheaper to replace). Learning to cut and split wood and starting a fire is a vital skill to know in the outback. Lastly, if the campsite is wet, I have some wood left unsplit and drying under tarps waiting to be burned. As the fire burns, I place pieces around the stove/fire to dry out the outside a bit before throwing them in the fire. Splitting to expose the dry wood is the last thing I do prior to adding to the fire.
After cutting and hauling rounds out of the woods, I am not in a big hurry to split these as I like to let wood season and develop natural network of cracks and splits to follow to make the splitting task easier. I try to saw around the big knots so I can isolate them and add them to the fire as a big chunk. Trying to split a knot with a maul or ax could damage the ax… and it is frustrating.
Thing is 99% are not batoning because their trying to find dry wood,they baton because they enjoy doing it.I’ve lived in the woods for over 40 years full time and i can count on ONE hand the times that batoning was absolutely necessary.The knife industry has benefitted greatly off the batoning phenomenon and hype it like it’s a necessary reuqirement for a knife.I’ve whittled all my life with Case xx pocket knives and got plenty of shavings to start a fire with.I’ve cleaned trout with a potted meat lid.I’ve cleaned squirrels with a potted meat lid.Point is a knife is a valuable tool,but it is NOT the most important tool you can have,your mind is..Give a city slicker with zero wilderness experience a $500 fixed blade made from 3v or Elmax steel and give an experienced woodsman a Case xx trapper and you’ll see who makes it and who doesn’t.No tool can replave experience.
I am something of a collector when it comes to bushcraft knives. I have a number of moras and K-bars as well as more expensive custom knives. The Mora is a great knife “3/4” Tang but the Steep Scandi grind is Made for wood working, so when you baton with it, the edge only has to start the work and then the full thickness of the blade does the rest.
When batoning, knife grind is actually one of hte most important things to keep in mind. Scandi is great for wood but will potentially chip the edge if used on bone. Hollow grind is as sharp as sharp can be, but the edge does All the work when batoning so it wears out Very fast. Flat and Sabre grinds sort of meet in the middle. Not the Best for wood working, not the Best for skinning. I personally Carry a BHK in A1 tool steel and a Sabre grind when in the woods.
My KaBar USN Mark1 broke while battoning last week. Snapped right at the handle. It is a full tang knife but I noted that the tang is not very substantial. I love my Recon Scout for battoning but it’s a heavy sob for hiking.
Serious note about any batoning with any blade, DO NOT USE ANYTHING OTHER THAN ANOTHER PIECE OF WOOD FOR STRIKING. Made the mistake of being lazy and just using the back of my hatchet and my very nice schrade knife is now in two pieces.