>>415512For one thing, carving dulls a blade much faster than splitting. When splitting, a blade does not cut through fibers, it separates them.
Batoning is a SKILL and if you never baton, you don't have the skill. You can minimize all the risks only if you understand different aspects of batoning and have some experience. Know about things like different forms of stress and common design flaws. Know that hollow grind blades are the pronest for chipping and full flat grind blades can take suprisingly little strain in sideways (sorry, don't know the english word).
Some tips in case you're interested: When starting to split hold the knife with a firm grip to prevent chipping. Once the blade is inside the wood, lighten your grip to prevent the handle from breaking off. Don't hit the handle or the hilt. If you have a rat tang knife, place your pressing handle as close the blade as possible and place the wood you're splitting as close the tip as possible.
Things like these are easy to understand, but if you don't bother to think about them now, then how come you all say batoning is ok in survival situation? It is not, because you don't know how to baton.
>wouldn't you try to remove the outer layers of wood by splitting off-center which would effectively leave you with a dry stick?Splitting off-center is the most common way to break a blade from the middle. Another thing you didn't learn while you were calling us retards. (was it you? ..all the same. I'm out)
