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.



Cold Steel Frontier Tomahawk, Outdoor Survival Tool | Camp Hawk Axe, Protective Coated w/ Hickory Handle 90F

59 sec read

Cold Steel Frontier Tomahawk, OutdoorEven though it looks too simple, the round eye of this very basic frontier axe makes it one of the best choices in camp axes. Unless you insist on driving tent stakes with the hammer poll of a tomahawk there’s seldom need for more than a good chopping edge.

In many genuine tomahawks which did survive the work of the American frontier, you’ll see that this style got through intact while many of the fancier versions were retired after polls broke. Pipe axes were especially vulnerable to that sort of damage. The round eye of this type eliminated most of those breakage problems and allowed owners to easily fit new handles on the spot. A fire-hardened tree limb tapered to fit the tomahawk’s eye was quick, cheap, and almost as good as seasoned split stock.

The Cold Steel Tomahawk provides today’s campers with a 5-1/2-inch-long axehead and a cutting edge 3-1/2 inches across. Including the 19-inch long American hickory handle, the Frontier Hawk weighs only 20.4 ounces. Drop-forged in Taiwan from 1055 high carbon steel, the Hawk has a protective coating of black paint to prevent rust. A rubdown now and then with light oil once the paint wears away will keep the axehead in perfect condition.

Cold Steel promotes this tomahawk as appropriate for frontier reenactors, since this style was in common use on the changing American frontier from the time of the French and Indian Wars until the late 1800s.

See the Emerson Tactical Survival Tomahawk for a modern style designed both for the survivalist and the military professional.

Find this Cold Steel Frontier Tomahawk:

 

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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