JT Hats FollowJames 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.
One of Leatherman’s larger folding knives for the outdoorsman, the Leatherman E55 Expanse takes basic concepts introduced in the Leatherman Crater knife and improves on them. The several models of the Expanse offer choices of edge type and a bit driver blade option.
The Leatherman E55 Expanse is the basic knife in the series, with just one knife blade and a carabiner clip. The steel in the E55’s 3.1-inch blade is a much better grade than the tough 440HC used in the Crater. According to Leatherman, the 154CM high carbon stainless steel of the E55’s drop point holds an edge roughly three times as long as ordinary stainless steel. Hollow ground with a plain edge, the Expanse still hones easily with ordinary sharpening tools.
The liner lock design carries over basically unchanged from the Crater, but in a more rugged build. Nearly half the handle of the Expanse is stainless steel, and the remainder is weight-saving, glass-filled nylon. In that nylon section, a comfortable groove guides the thumb onto the thumb-stud opening system, reducing the chances of a slip onto the edge. One-handed opening action is smooth after a little practice and use, but keep the bearing clean and oiled.
The Expanse’s second blade is a carabiner clip of stainless steel, large enough to hook onto belt loops, rope, gear straps, and pack loops. Fold the carabiner into the handle and use the second option, a strong stainless steel pocket clip — or remove the pocket clip entirely to save a little weight. The extra size and strength of the Expanse raises the weight to 5.43 ounces.
JT Hats FollowJames 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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