JT Hats
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.

A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.

Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.

His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.

Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.

Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.


AccuSharp Knife Sharpener 001 Review | Serrated Blade Handheld Tungsten Carbide

1 min read

AccuSharp Knife Sharpener 001 Review Everyone has different standards when it comes to knife edges, and the sharpness of a knife doesn’t actually control the quality of food. If you’re one of those good cooks who likes knives only moderately sharp, you could find the AccuSharp a handy tool. It’s safe to use and it works on both plain and serrated edges.

Unfold the AccuSharp and the blue band becomes a protective barrier between you and the knife you’re sharpening. Most sharpening systems require you to hold the knife and run the blade through the device, but the AccuSharp simplifies that by letting you set the knife on the countertop and run the sharpener along the blade. Only slight pressure is needed as the tungsten carbide blades in the AccuSharp shave away the sides of the knife’s beveled edge and restore a factory angle of about 25 degrees. Restoring badly abused knives could take many passes, but once the blade matches the AccuSharp, you’ll only need a few strokes to keep the blade at that level of sharpness.

Realistically, you’ll never get the quality of edge that’s possible with honing stones if you depend solely on the AccuSharp. That may be all the edge you require, but if you’re one of “Those People” who know immediately if a knife has lost its razor edge and don’t feel right without it, the AccuSharp won’t meet those higher standards.

The AccuSharp does require some skill if you expect the tool’s best results. Canting the knife or the sharpener out of vertical will skew the bevel towards one side. Extended use wears the crossover point in the tool’s sharpening blades and results in a gradually less sharp edge on the knife. Although the tool will resharpen badly blunted serrated blades, for a perfect restoration you’ll still need a professional sharpening service. If it’s a cheap serrated blade, the inexpensive AccuSharp definitely gives the knife a new lease on life, but just for a while.

The Messermeister Chantry Knife Sharpener uses steel honing rods instead of carbide scrapers with a design that earned it a place in the New York Museum of Modern Art.

Find this AccuSharp Knife Sharpener:

Find this sharpener on eBay:

[phpbay]accusharp 001, 2[/phpbay]

JT Hats
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.

A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.

Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.

His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.

Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.

Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.


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