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.
Folding knives with one-handed opening studs are sometimes a little too tricky to open in a hurry. If you’ve ever thought the side of your thumb was just too close to that cutting edge, you may like the Buck 750 Redpoint with Safe Spin Locking. Built for safe one-handed opening and closing, the Buck 750 throws in a couple more good features besides.
The rubberized drive wheel allows owners to open and close the knife with one hand without ever touching the blade itself. A pressure lock holds the blade in position when fully open — depress it again to release the blade for closure. In closed position with the combo-serrated 2-3/4-inch drop point blade safely tucked away in the rubberized thermoplastic handle, the blade locks shut. No more worries about what might happen if the blade gets bumped open in your pocket — unless you release the drive wheel’s catch, it stays closed. One mechanism serves both purposes, and the operating system is easily learned.
The Buck 750’s edge is only partly serrated, leaving a generous portion of plain edge for the fine work. The knife’s steel liner extends beyond the butt of the knife in a strong steel loop good for stringing a lanyard, clipping on a carabiner, or with the steel tooth you might not have noticed, lifting the cap from an old-fashioned drink bottle.
If you don’t care to keep the Buck 750 in your pocket, hang it from your belt with the heavy duty stainless steel belt clip. The Buck was made for the outdoorsman, with a rubberized finish that won’t slip from your hand and a bright color that shows up in water or weeds, just in case.
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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Folding knives with one-handed opening studs are sometimes a little too tricky to open in a hurry. If you’ve ever thought the side of your thumb was just too close to that cutting edge, you may like the Buck 750 Redpoint with Safe Spin Locking. Built for safe one-handed opening and closing, the Buck 750 throws in a couple more good features besides.
