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.
Henckels International Classic Carving Knife Set | Stainless Steel Forged 2 Piece
1 min read
The Henckels Classic series still uses the steel alloy developed by J. A. Henckels for its distinctive high performance cutlery. This unique blend of carbon, chromium and other trace elements creates the backbone of this drop forged carving set. A slim carving knife with an eight-inch blade backed up by a stout six-inch stainless steel fork provide utility in the kitchen and precise service at the dining table.
The long tines of the carving fork may look vulnerable, but the quality of the steel overcomes the slender build. This isn’t a carving set that bends under stress — fork and knife are tempered steel. The carving knife’s taper grind slices cleanly and thinly and only needs an occasional touching up with a honing steel. The look of the set with its dark polypropylene handle slabs and solidly riveted full tang handles is professional, not fancy. Use this carving combination for kitchen prep without any concerns. It holds up.
This is the old forged bolster style of blade, much less flexible than modern stamped steel. There’s a little more weight to the blade because of the solid forged bolster, which provides comfortable protection for fingers and extra strength. While not absolutely necessary in today’s world of high quality stamped steel, the construction is comfortingly familiar to many who grew up with and trained upon this type of chef’s knife.
Dishwasher safe, the carving set will keep an edge and polish better if washed by hand in mild detergent. Store in a quality hardwood knife block when not in use.
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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...
The Henckels Classic series still uses the steel alloy developed by J. A. Henckels for its distinctive high performance cutlery. This unique blend of carbon, chromium and other trace elements creates the backbone of this drop forged carving set. A slim carving knife with an eight-inch blade backed up by a stout six-inch stainless steel fork provide utility in the kitchen and precise service at the dining table.
