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.
This small, nine-inch-long utility knife from Boker of Solingen, Germany, may appear ordinary, but its fine materials and workmanship could mark it as the best slicing knife in your kitchen.
Boker’s Ceramic Ebony Utility knife combines a five-inch ceramic blade with a real ebony hardwood handle. That’s real African ebony, not a modern polymer which looks like ebony. Most of us only know true ebony from brief encounters with piano keys. Extremely hard and dense, ebony contains silicon within its cell structure, making it difficult to work with but stable and naturally glossy when polished. Ebony has long been one of the most prized natural materials for knife handles.
Ceramic blades, on the other hand, are new to knife-making and still developing. At present, these extremely sharp knives have several important limitations. Edges chip under side stress, and the blades themselves could break if flexed or dropped. Boker’s warranty does not cover breakage of ceramic knives, and the company provides detailed instructions for care and use. Sharpening is beyond the capability of the average home chef, since special machines are required. Boker does offer a sharpening service for restoring edges with minor chips.
The wonderful thing about ceramic blades is the way they cut. The sharpness of the edge hardly degrades at all in normal use and should last for years. Micro-chipping is common but leaves new sharp edges on the blade and doesn’t compromise efficiency. While most of us would not choose an entire set of ceramic knives as of yet, the quality of these blades is tempting. If you’d like a glimpse of the future of cutlery, the Boker Ceramic Ebony Utility Knife could be the place to start.
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...
This small, nine-inch-long utility knife from Boker of Solingen, Germany, may appear ordinary, but its fine materials and workmanship could mark it as the best slicing knife in your kitchen.
