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.
Arno Carving Drawknife, Flat Forged | Carpentry Tool, Offset Tang in High Carbon Steel
57 sec read
Drawknives like the Arno Flat Forged Drawknife can remove large amounts of wood quickly, but only with the proper hold-downs or vises in place. Arno makes this knife in a traditional pattern that was once a favorite of coopers and wheelwrights. Using any drawknife successfully means stepping back to trades nearly forgotten today,
The rounded wooden handles offer plenty of grip for better control of the Arno’s hot-forged, six-inch high carbon steel blade. Tangs and handles increase the overall length of the tool to 13 inches — small for a drawknife but a size that handles easily. Longer drawknives could be used for debarking logs and other rough work on large diameter stock, but this size makes better sense for carvers and cabinetmakers who work on a smaller scale.
Offset tangs put the handles slightly below the flat face of the knife and help prevent the blade from digging in too deeply when used in that position. Working with the flat against the workpiece produces long straight cuts and takes off a lot of wood quickly. Working with bevel down results in a shorter chipping stroke.
Drawknives can be very handy tools in the workshop but require special jigs or clamps to hold the work securely. The two-handed power behind them can pull the workpiece out of an ordinary vise — craftsmen who decide to use the traditional drawknife vise or shaving horse will probably have to build one themselves.
The Flexcut Curved Drawknife offers a different approach with a more flexible blade designed for light cutting.
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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Drawknives like the Arno Flat Forged Drawknife can remove large amounts of wood quickly, but only with the proper hold-downs or vises in place. Arno makes this knife in a traditional pattern that was once a favorite of coopers and wheelwrights. Using any drawknife successfully means stepping back to trades nearly forgotten today,
