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 Ames True Temper Landscaping Axe could be considered the civilian version of the Pulaski Firefighting Tool used by smoke jumpers and other wilderness workers to clear trails and firebreaks. The model used by the U.S. Forest Service is heavier than the Ames, but this lighter version for home and farm still does the hard jobs of clearing brush and grubbing stumps better than any other hand tool.
The Ames pulaski axe shouldn’t be considered a digging pick. Both blades of the axe head are tempered steel, one used as a chopping axe and the other used more like a hoe or adz. Cutting and chopping is the purpose of the pulaski, and if you do use the adz end of it as a pry bar, you may snap it off. Tempered steel doesn’t bend very far.
Lightweight garden tools like mattocks work well enough for breaking up last year’s garden, but when you’re digging out saplings, you need something better. The Ames pulaski is built for bigger things than a few feeder roots sneaking under the fence. Chop the trunk down with the axe blade and use the other to attack the roots. Save the adz for chopping in the dirt, if possible, because dirt and rocks will quickly wreck the edge. Sometimes there’s no other choice but to use the axe blade on roots, but try to clean them off first. Expect to sharpen the pulaski frequently if your work goes below ground level.
The high carbon steel pulaski axe head of the Ames True Temper Landscaping Axe weighs 3-3/4 pounds — a heavy tool by homeowner standards but lighter than the professional model. The full-sized 36-inch American hickory handle provides plenty of power.
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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The Ames True Temper Landscaping Axe could be considered the civilian version of the Pulaski Firefighting Tool used by smoke jumpers and other wilderness workers to clear trails and firebreaks. The model used by the U.S. Forest Service is heavier than the Ames, but this lighter version for home and farm still does the hard jobs of clearing brush and grubbing stumps better than any other hand tool.
