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.



AnySharp Knife Sharpener Review | Professional Kitchen Cutlery Hone As Seen On TV

1 min read

AnySharp Knife Sharpener Review One of the simplest and most efficient knife sharpeners I’ve seen lately, the AnySharp quickly restores a uniform bevel to a knife’s edge. Solid construction and a dependable suction-mount base eliminate slipping and jamming. Without any of the usual frustrations of manual sharpeners, you’ll be able to focus on the knife blade and do it right.

I ran one of my older knives — a chef’s knife with a ten-inch blade — through the machine and counted strokes. Possibly because I’d already tinkered with the knife and modified the factory bevel, restoring the edge to the twenty-degree bevel AnySharp targets did take more than the three to five passes claimed by AnySharp. However, I was surprised by how quickly the sharpener works and was well on the way to that fresh accurate edge within ten strokes.

The sharpener mounts firmly to countertop or even to vertical surfaces with a suction base activated by pressing a lever on the top of the device. I expected the AnySharp to bust loose fairly quickly, but through twenty minutes of experimentation, the sharpener never budged. I was able to use two hands on the blade for better control and never experienced skipping or chatter as I pulled the knife through the carbide blades that do the work.

The tricky part is what always becomes difficult — the curved tip of the chef’s knife was a little hard to shape but took only a few extra strokes to finish. Some work with a honing steel brought it quickly to the scary razor sharp level I prefer, but many chefs would be happy with the edge fresh from the machine.

AnySharp guarantees the sharpener for ten years and recommends it for some serrated blades and even for sharpening lawn mower blades. I’d be cautious of that even though it’s possible. Buy the cheaper AnySharp for the yard.

For a different approach suitable for the narrower bevel of Asian knives, see the Chef’s Choice 463.

Find this AnySharp Knife Sharpener:

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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