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.
With coarse and fine honing plates, a secure hand grip, and several aids to accuracy, the Chef’s Choice Multi-Edge Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener does a good job of restoring the edges of most kitchen knives. The system isn’t foolproof and shouldn’t be expected to match the work of a sharpening stone. For those who don’t like sharpening knives the hard way, this Diamond Hone can be the key to working with knives that really cut.
The two-stage system puts a double bevel on the blade. Draw a knife through the right and left sides of the coarse stage first, to shape the main bevel, and then through the guides of the fine stage honing plates to put the final cutting bevel on the edge. The diamond plates rotate as the blade passes through. Fifty strokes could be needed to set the first stage bevel. Ten more on the fine side should restore the edge to workable condition. True razor sharpness would require another stage beyond this, but the edge the hone produces is good enough for most work.
Impatience can be your downfall with the Multi-Edge hone. Use only a light pressure, drawing the knife carefully through the guides as you let the wheels do the polishing, or you may press the cutting edge against the fixture. That would wreck it again as you pull the knife through. Check the edge from time to time as you work and stop when you get a clean edge the length of the blade.
Honing serrated blades with the fine set of honing plates is possible. Used properly, the Multi-Edge should reset and sharpen the tips of the serrations, but isn’t intended to sharpen the inner edges of the teeth. Running serrated blades through the coarse side of this system could damage the knife.
Most of the work will involve the first sharpening of your knives. Once the blade bevels are ground to fit the machine, touch-up is fast and easy.
Find this Chef’s Choice Multi-Edge Knife Sharpener:
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 coarse and fine honing plates, a secure hand grip, and several aids to accuracy, the Chef’s Choice Multi-Edge Diamond Hone Knife Sharpener does a good job of restoring the edges of most kitchen knives. The system isn’t foolproof and shouldn’t be expected to match the work of a sharpening stone. For those who don’t like sharpening knives the hard way, this Diamond Hone can be the key to working with knives that really cut.
