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.
Buck 278 Folding Alpha Hunter Knife | Drop Point Gut Hook Blade
54 sec read
Although it doesn’t greatly resemble its predecessor, the Buck 278 Folding Alpha Hunter is the upgraded version of the very popular Buck 110 Folding Hunter. The Buck 278 with gut hook is different enough to be a whole new knife. If you see traces of the 110 here, you’re pretty good.
With a 3-1/2-inch drop point blade and gut hook tip, the Folding Alpha offers hunters a compact version of a very handy hunter skinner design. Small enough for pocket or belt pouch (the Alpha closes to five inches in length), the 278’s high carbon 420HC stainless steel blade has a plain edge for field dressing game and for light camp chores. Use the gut hook tip for opening the abdominal wall of game — the hook design and internal cutting edge limit the incision to the skin and cavity walls, leaving organs intact.
One-handed opening with a nicely positioned thumb stud — out far enough to give owners a little extra leverage — and a secure liner lock add to the safety and the convenient use of the Alpha. Eight ounces of stainless steel with black rubber scales makes the Alpha feel like a real knife, not a folding pocket toy.
If the gut hook is a feature you do need, make sure you have some way to sharpen it. A small diamond-coated honing steel doesn’t weigh much and works better than a stone slip.
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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Although it doesn’t greatly resemble its predecessor, the Buck 278 Folding Alpha Hunter is the upgraded version of the very popular Buck 110 Folding Hunter. The Buck 278 with gut hook is different enough to be a whole new knife. If you see traces of the 110 here, you’re pretty good.
