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.
Shun Ken Onion Japanese Chef’s Knife | VG-10 Damascus Full Tang
54 sec read
Made to Shun’s exacting standards with the same materials as their Classic series, this 4 3/8″ Chef’s Knife follows a design by famous American knife maker Ken Onion. This beautiful knife makes a practical addition to any cutlery set, with features suitable for collectors.
The curved full tang handle shows Ken Onion’s concept of a very well known and much used American handle pattern, this time in Shun’s unique PakkaWood and Damascus stainless steel. The chef’s knife has the look of an American handmade blade, but is built for everyday use.
Shun’s typical build is a core layer of very hard VG-10 stainless steel, sandwiched between 32 thin forged layers of high tensile stainless steel. The rippled structure of the blade is stronger and sharper than either alloy would be if used alone. The slight hollows at the edges of the polished layers cut down on friction and break the contact between the knife and slices of food, limiting the tendency to stack up on the blade.
It’s the short blade length of this knife that’s the real limitation — with most chef’s knives ranging from 5″ to 10″, this knife is a little underpowered even for small hands. Maintenance requires the same special care as Shun’s Japanese styles: sharpen the blade on waterstones, not with a sharpening steel, and be wary of bones and frozen food. Hand washing and drying is better by far than risking this good knife in a dishwasher.
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.
The Diamond Edge Pro knife and scissors sharpener from Smith Abrasives combines electric and manual sharpening systems for quick and accurate refurbishing of knives...
Made to Shun’s exacting standards with the same materials as their Classic series, this 4 3/8″ Chef’s Knife follows a design by famous American knife maker Ken Onion. This beautiful knife makes a practical addition to any cutlery set, with features suitable for collectors.
