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.
Benchmade Tanto Folding Knife | Search & Rescue Blade | Heckler & Koch, Mike Snody
55 sec read
Heckler and Koch, manufacturers of top quality sidearms for military and police forces, put their brand on this collaboration from knife maker and designer Mike Snody and the Benchmade Knife Company of Clackamas, Oregon. Beginning with Bali-song knives in 1990, Benchmade expanded into the tactical knife realm with a high tech and high detail approach. Current facilities base production on machines capable of 0.0005-inch tolerances.
Matching Heckler and Koch firearms to a knife is no small feat, but the Snody Tanto holds true to the same look and quality as the popular H&K weapons. Opening smoothly with thumb studs set for either right or left hand use, the Snody Tanto blade snaps securely in place with the extremely reliable Axis blade lock patented by Benchmade. Though it looks almost fanciful, the Snody knife conforms to the original armor-penetrating intent that made the tanto the backup knife of the samurai.
An excellent choice for Search & Rescue personnel, the Tanto’s serrated section cuts harnesses and belts with ease. The black Teflon coating and smooth, quiet action also fit this blade to more discreet operations. A stainless steel pocket clip mounts to either side for easy right or left-handed access. G-10 composite handle slabs match the machined look and functionality of H&K’s pistol grips. The H&K Snody Tanto’s folded length is only 4.5 inches, but the knife packs a versatile 3.5-inch combo-edged blade of 154CM high carbon stainless steel and hits the scale at a slim .40 pounds.
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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Heckler and Koch, manufacturers of top quality sidearms for military and police forces, put their brand on this collaboration from knife maker and designer Mike Snody and the Benchmade Knife Company of Clackamas, Oregon. Beginning with Bali-song knives in 1990, Benchmade expanded into the tactical knife realm with a high tech and high detail approach. Current facilities base production on machines capable of 0.0005-inch tolerances.
