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.



Carpenter’s Axe by Gransfors Bruks | Wood Carving Construction Square Blade

1 min read

Carpenter's Axe by Gransfors Bruks Timber framers know this tool. If you’ve tried an axe for chopping joints for log buildings or post-and-beam construction and it didn’t work out well, it was probably because you had something else in hand. Only the squared edge of a carpenter’s axe will chop a truly flat surface.

The carpenter’s axe is more finishing tool than chopping tool, forged with a thinner blade and longer bevel so the craftsman wielding it can pare shavings from the face of the workpiece or chop the waste from open mortises. For vertical cuts across the grain, you’ll probably prefer a mallet and chisel or a crosscut saw. If the grain is straight and clear, this axe does clean work when chopping out waste wood. The hardened poll of the axe is ground flat for hammering but works better for tapping framing joints together than for driving nails.

For controlled work up close, when roughing out a billet of wood for a new handle or a small squared post, the axe was designed to allow a grip almost above the center of the cutting edge. Holding the axe just below the head lets you pare fine shavings instead of swinging and chopping. Keeping the edge of the axe straight when sharpening preserves the tool’s ability to create flat surfaces. You’ll need good whetstones to maintain the narrow bevel and keep the cutting edge in working shape.

This hand-forged axe from Gransfors Bruks Axe Forge of Sweden lacks paint or unnecessary polishing but shows the marks of hand craftsmanship without any need to cover up flaws. You’ll find the initials of a Gransfors Bruks smith set in the axe head. Through the company website, you’ll even be able to match the mark to the man who made the axe.

For a hand-forged axe designed to meet the needs of the hunter and outdoorsman, see the Gransfors Bruks Outdoor Axe.

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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.



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