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.


Ka-Bar Tac Tool Becker BK3 w/ Machete, Chisel | Fixed Emergency SWAT Team Knife, High Carbon Steel

1 min read

Ka-Bar Tac Tool Becker BK3 w/ Machete,The Becker BK3 Tac Tool, now made by Ka-Bar, resulted from a collaboration between Ethan Becker of Becker Knife and Tool and John Benner of Tactical Defense Institute. The original purpose of the Tac Tool was to provide emergency entry into locked or barricaded rooms. Even though the BK3 was designed for urban SWAT teams, it became a popular survival knife for wilderness travelers as well.

Twelve and 1/2 inches long, the BK3 Tac Tool works as knife, chisel, and machete. It’s a great all-around tool for camp work as well as a powerful survival tool to pack in the car or boat. Weight of 1.3 pounds makes it a little heavy to carry on the hip, but it’s useful for nearly anything you’d normally use a camp axe to do, and it’s much more versatile. With 7 inches of combo-serrated cutting edge, a square chisel point, and a wire cutting notch, the Tac Tool could get you into or out of nearly any situation where unlimited destruction is allowed. Neat work might be a problem.

The cutting notch in the back of the nearly 1/4-inch-thick blade of chrome vanadium 1095 high carbon steel is useful for cutting line, copper, wire, and even harnesses, but might be difficult to use in close quarters on seat belts. Finesse isn’t the tool’s major strength. In keeping with the chisel concept, the cutting edge is a single bevel ground at 15 degrees. The flat back makes the blade a very accurate chopping tool, but it’s definitely made to favor right-handed use.

Built with a Grivory grip bolted to a strong full tang, the BK3 Tac Tool by Ka-Bar comes with a matching glass-filled nylon sheath. Only the sheath is imported from Taiwan — Ka-Bar’s BK3 is American-made in Olean, New York.

Find this Ka-Bar Tac Tool:

Find this knife on eBay:

[phpbay]Ka-Bar Tac Tool, 2[/phpbay]

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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