>>111339Blades are damaged primarily by buckling (compressive force, from being pressed into a hard object, such as bone, ice, or a hard cutting board) and by bending, from sideways pressure. Both of these tend to roll the edge of a blade, due to metal's ductile nature. If a knife is used as a scraper, a pry-bar, or encounters hard particles in softer materials or fully, there may be a sideways load at the tip, causing bending damage.
Blade damage is avoided by using an appropriate blade for the task – a thinner blade for more delicate work, and a thicker blade whenever a thinner blade is not required (e.g. a thinner blade might be used to cut fillets, butterfly steak or roast for stuffing, while a thicker one might be used to slice or chop repeatedly, separate primal cuts of poultry or small game, or scrape and trim fat from meat or hide, as these actions would be more likely to cause unnecessary wear on a thinner blade.)
So, um, why do you still think batoning is an appropriate task for a knife? I'd understand if you said using a chisel and mallet to baton wood would be apropos, but a knife that you may actually want to cut something with? C'mon son. Use your fucking head. Next your going to be advocating using a knife as a pry-bar.
