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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.



SOG Large Fixed Woodline Knife WD01-L

Hunting & Fishing Plain Edge Survival Blade

Posted by JT Hats

SOG Large Fixed Woodline Knife WD01-L | Hunting & Fishing Plain Edge Survival Blade

SOG's Woodline knives put the company's tactical quality to work for the hunter and fisherman. Built for practical camp work and survival needs, the Woodline knives skip the military features civilians don't require.

There's no tactical black coating, and you won't find a dagger point built for stabbing. The ...



Bear Grylls Survival Knife by Gerber, Serrated

Outdoor Emergency Kit Handle w/ Whistle, Firestarter & Sharpener 31-000751

Posted by JT Hats

Bear Grylls Survival Knife by Gerber, Serrated | Outdoor Emergency Kit Handle w/ Whistle, Firestarter & Sharpener 31-000751

Bear Grylls, British SAS veteran and outdoor survival show star, collaborated with Gerber to produce this interesting and very capable survival knife and kit. Unlike some survival knife combos which try to provide too much and wind up with little that works, everything here is functional. You get just the ...



Hanwei Wakizashi Functional Cutting Sword

Chinese Practical Katana w/ Black Scabbard

Posted by JT Hats

Hanwei Wakizashi Functional Cutting Sword | Chinese Practical Katana w/ Black Scabbard

The Practical Wakizashi from CAS Hanwei of China represents the smallest and least expensive true cutting katana of their extensive product line. Although you get a high quality blade made with a traditional tempering process, other parts of the construction are not what you'd expect in an authentic wakizashi.

If you buy ...



SOG Woodline Folding Knife WD-50

Compact Survival Plain Edge by Specialty Knives & Tools

Posted by JT Hats

SOG Woodline Folding Knife WD-50 | Compact Survival Plain Edge by Specialty Knives & Tools

SOG's Woodline WD-50 Folder fits in a belt pouch, not in the pocket. For a compact survival knife large enough to make difference, that's a very sensible idea -- pocket clip styles get snagged on brush and disappear.

The Woodline WD-50 keeps the unusual styling of SOG's other Woodline civilian ...



Gerber Urban Combat LHR Knife, Soldier Combo Edge Fixed Blade

Custom Chris Reeves, William Harsey, Matt Larsen 30-000183

Posted by JT Hats

Gerber Urban Combat LHR Knife, Soldier Combo Edge Fixed Blade | Custom Chris Reeves, William Harsey, Matt Larsen 30-000183

Knife designers Chris Reeves and William W. Harsey Jr. collaborated on the technical details of the Gerber LHR Urban Combat Knife, but Matt Larsen -- an expert in close quarters combat -- also contributed some unusual ideas. Larsen studied hundreds of actual combat encounters before finalizing the LHR concept. ...



Chicago Cutlery Steak Knife Block Set

Full Tang Black Walnut Signature Set of 7

Posted by JT Hats

Chicago Cutlery Steak Knife Block Set | Full Tang Black Walnut Signature Set of 7

The Chicago Cutlery Signature series uses full tang construction with blades ground from the same blank of stamped high carbon stainless steel. The handle shape and grip is completely formed from the slabs of American black walnut hardwood fixed to the tang with three solid brass rivets. Blades ...



Global Stainless Steel Knife Block Set of 6

Cook’s, Carving, Bread, Utility & Paring G GS

Posted by JT Hats

Global Stainless Steel Knife Block Set of 6 | Cook’s, Carving, Bread, Utility & Paring G GS

The Global 6-Piece Knife Block Set is a great way to jump up to the higher standards of Global knives with a basic but versatile assortment of important blades. The set includes knives from both the G and GS series plus a stainless steel knife block with room ...



Ka-Bar Potbelly Hunting, Camping & Survival Knife

Adventure Gurkha w/ Zytel Handle 2-5600-4

Posted by JT Hats

Ka-Bar Potbelly Hunting, Camping & Survival Knife | Adventure Gurkha w/ Zytel Handle 2-5600-4

If you're looking for a heavy duty camp knife, hunting knife, and survival tool, stop here. Look no farther than the Ka-Bar Adventure Potbelly Knife. The Potbelly's seven-inch, hollow ground blade of 1095 Cro-Van steel has enough reach and enough weight to do the work of a camp axe as ...



Ka-Bar Baconmaker Adventure Recurve Knife Blade

Boar Hunter Magazine Steve Johnson 2-5601-1

Posted by JT Hats

Ka-Bar Baconmaker Adventure Recurve Knife Blade | Boar Hunter Magazine Steve Johnson 2-5601-1

One of three Adventure series knives released by Kabar in 2010, the Kabar Adventure Baconmaker satisfies anybody who likes a knife with great style but treats their tools a little rough. This pigsticker can take it.

Adventure series knives developed from a partnership with knife designer Steve Johnson, the field editor of ...



Viking Gladiator Fantasy Sword, Horn Helmet Crossguard

Movie Replica w/ Wood Display Plaque

Posted by JT Hats

Viking Gladiator Fantasy Sword, Horn Helmet Crossguard | Movie Replica w/ Wood Display Plaque

Some parts of this movie replica Viking Gladiator Sword are so unusual they deserve a closer look. Although by no means practical, this fantasy weapon does have a style all its own.

Forty-four inches long with a 33-inch-long, double-edged blade, the sword is impressively heavy. Even though the handle is wrapped ...



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