Heavy batoning with a SAK

[Alfredo]

Hi everybody. This is a test that I done few time ago...hope you enjoi.

Hello everybody.
Today, I would like to show you how doing batoning on a big and very hard piece of wood…but without a big knife or any fixed knife; just using a little folder like a SAK, with a blade lenght 8cm e tickness 2 mm (Victorinox, model M4)...

…and of course whitout destroy or damage it. I apologize previously for the bad quality of any pics.

Let’s start. The only time when I need really to use the Vic to do any batoning (light batoning, to be precise) is now:

in fact I need to do a little crack on the wood.

Now, I need two little wedge, the second and final job of the SAK. From now, the SAK will be safe in my pocket again
Now I need to insert one of the wedges on the crack previoulsly done:

and let’s go to batoning using the wedge.
After any batoning, the crack increasing:

Now I use the second wedge just on the side of the wood, doing batoning:

the crack growing more and more, until the first wedge is free

I continue my work using the two wedges...



...here we are…

at this point, I use one of the wedge to force the crack on the other extremity of the wood...

...just a bit more batoning

and that’s it:

Time required: 4-5 minutes, including time for pics and to preparing the wedges.

Hope you enjoi! Regards from Italy, Alfredo

 

[sapper1]

Good post ,did you use the SAK to make the wedges?
I prefer battoning to swinging an axe,I don't have much luck with axes.

 

[Landy_Dom]

I must say - I'm impressed

 

[Alfredo]

Good post ,did you use the SAK to make the wedges?
I prefer battoning to swinging an axe,I don't have much luck with axes.

Thanks. Yes, I used SAK to do the wedges.

 

[sapper1]

Well done,it just goes to show what you can do with a bit of skill and a small knife.

 

[phill_ue]

I seem to recall a thread where a guy did something similar with a tiny pocket axe and a huge tree trunk! You could potentially do it all with just wedges and a maul if you took the time to make some wedges and fire harden them, etc. A lot of work though, but more satisfying then ripping it through a saw!

 

[Alfredo]

Here you have the video that inspired me...on this video the guy use a small fixed blade and the wood isn't hard like mine, but that's it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7AxOHzBNck&feature=PlayList&p=0E60F6D2D089180F&index=0&playnext=1

 

[Dave Budd]

If your firewood has dried out and checked on the ends then you can do this without using your knife to start the crack at all .

Whenever I've used this technique I just drive the wedge in from the end unless I'm splitting out a bow stave or something very long (and requiring control of the split)

 

[helixpteron]

I seem to recall a thread where a guy did something similar with a tiny pocket axe and a huge tree trunk! You could potentially do it all with just wedges and a maul if you took the time to make some wedges and fire harden them, etc. A lot of work though, but more satisfying then ripping it through a saw!

That will be this one.

Made me appreciate what could be achieved with a GB Mini, though the hatchet used here was a Vaughan.

Excellent use of a small folder, thanks for posting.

 

[John Fenna]

Good post ,did you use the SAK to make the wedges?
I prefer battoning to swinging an axe,I don't have much luck with axes.

T'aint luck - it is practice and the skill that gives you.....
Hows the finger?

 

[Laurentius]

Very ingenious just shows what you can do with a little ingenuity when an SAK is your only tool.

But could you do it with a classic?

I'll get me coat......

 

[Tengu]

How long did it take?

 

[Dave Budd]

Very ingenious just shows what you can do with a little ingenuity when an SAK is your only tool.

But could you do it with a classic?

I'll get me coat......

I bet you could if you just use it to whittle a chisel or point onto a hard stick and then forced the stick through a log

granted I did that wedge with a bigger blade (normal sak from memory), but it could be done

 

[Peat]

I use battoning far more often than an axe. Unfortunately I managed to break the lock on a leatherman blast battoning it so i'm sticking to fixed blades from now on...

 

[helixpteron]

I use battoning far more often than an axe. Unfortunately I managed to break the lock on a leatherman blast battoning it so i'm sticking to fixed blades from now on...

You'll probably find that Leatherman will repair or replace your Blast under warranty.

 

[Alfredo]

You'll probably find that Leatherman will repair or replace your Blast under warranty.

Agree. Leatherman guarantee his products for 25 years, I guess.

 

[Peat]

Agree. Leatherman guarantee his products for 25 years, I guess.

Cheers for that. I don't have any receipts, boxes etc. Do you think they'd still do this?
Pete

 

[Alfredo]

Cheers for that. I don't have any receipts, boxes etc. Do you think they'd still do this?
Pete

Yees, I think so. Normally the LM Custom Service it's really efficient, as per what any of my friends let me know

 

[MrEd]

Cheers for that. I don't have any receipts, boxes etc. Do you think they'd still do this?
Pete

i didnt have my reciept, i sent it back to the UK importer and the sorted it for me, i had a broken screwdriver bit. i got it back and its was all fixed and tight and new again but it was my old one with just a new bit in it. lovely. turn round was about 2 weeks.

i then promptly lost it a few weeks later lol

 

[slammer187]

I broke the lock on a Trekker SAK I think it was called....they won't stand up to much battoning...Hard blade vs softer lock = breakage at some stage...you should be grand as long as you don't put it through too much hard use!