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.
Edge Pro Knife Sharpener Kit 2 | Sharpening Stones for Plain Edge Japanese or European Kitchen Cutlery
1 min read
With the Edge Pro Knife Sharpener, you’ll be able to accurately restore edges to any of five different bevel angles and polish those edges to razor sharpness. Set up correctly, the Edge Pro system depends on the machine, not on skill — but unless you like machines, you’ll find the Edge Pro challenging to use.
The Edge Pro mounts to any perfectly flat, non-porous and damp surface with strong suction cup feet. If you don’t own that sort of counter-top, Edge Pro recommends you set the sharpening system in a damp glass baking dish and put a damp towel between the dish and the counter. Follow assembly instructions precisely or you may put the device together incorrectly, and watch the DVD the company supplies or you might not instinctively pick up the way the Edge Pro works. The Edge Pro sharpens any plain-edged knife under 3 1/2 inches in width, but doesn’t clamp the knife blade in position — operators hold the knife blade flat against the sharpening table and run a series of guided sharpening stones over the edge. Coarse stones reshape blade edges, and successively finer stones create a sharper and more highly polished edge.
The final results really are very good, and the Edge Pro does precisely restore knives to 10 , 15, 18, 21, and 24 degree bevel angles. Because the Edge Pro depends on synthetic waterstones 8 inches long but only 1/2 an inch wide, you can expect the stones to wear quickly in comparison to wider benchstones. As the stones wear, the accuracy of the bevel the stones grind drops. Replacement stones are available.
One genuine advantage of the Edge Pro system is that it works with virtually any bevel and any hardness of steel, making it usable on high end Japanese knives as well as European cutlery. Once set up and mastered the system takes much less time to restore a knife to best condition, but Edge Pro suggests practicing on 10 to 15 knives before considering yourself expert.
For another fascinating and functional knife sharpening jig, see the Lansky Sharpening System, based on long-lasting diamond hones.
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...
With the Edge Pro Knife Sharpener, you’ll be able to accurately restore edges to any of five different bevel angles and polish those edges to razor sharpness. Set up correctly, the Edge Pro system depends on the machine, not on skill — but unless you like machines, you’ll find the Edge Pro challenging to use.
