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.



Shun Utility Slicing Knife by Tim Malzer | Premier Award Winning Kitchen Cutlery w/ Pakkawood Handle

1 min read

Shun Utility Slicing Knife by TimThe Shun Premier 6-1/2-Inch Utility Knife from Shun’s Tim Malzer series will find plenty of use in your kitchen with a blade long enough to serve as slicer, prep knife, and sandwich cutter. The hand-hammered Damask steel and re-designed walnut Pakkawood handle made the Premier product line Blade Magazine’s 2010 choice for Kitchen Knife of the Year.

German celebrity Chef Tim Malzer’s belief that good knives not only make the work easier but lend to more success in the kitchen will be proven over and over with this versatile cutter. Utility knives often hold a slot in between the knives we really use, but the quality of this one bridges the gap. Unless you own other Premier knives, you’ll be using this one wherever possible.

Cutting action really is noticeably better, since the tsuchime or hammered finish of the 33-layer high carbon stainless steel blade reduces the drag of the knife even more than the already good rippling of Damask steel. Edge-holding is exceptional due to the durable and hard central core of SG-10 steel. The higher quality of SG-10 allows hardening to Rockwell 60 to 62. This combines with a more acute sharpening bevel of 16 degrees on each side for a thinner, sharper, and harder cutting edge than the European or American cutlery standard.

Real hardwood provides the material for the Pakkawood grip but out-performs natural hardwood by permeating thin layers of real wood with hard resin. The sheets stack into a solid piece of what still looks like natural black walnut, but the durability and polish gets much better. Yielding to western preferences, Shun redesigned the grip of the Premier series for more comfort as well as more style.

For a flexible, serrated sandwich utility knife from Shun, see the Shun Classic U2 Ultimate Utility Knife.

Find this Shun Utility Knife:

 

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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