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.
Columbia River Knife & Tool Custom Folding Knife Set 9040GWC | CRKT GoWork Multi Tool Flux Pack, 2009 Innovative Design Award
1 min read
Blade Magazine presented Columbia River Knife & Tool with the 2009 Most Innovative Imported Design award, earned by CRKT’s Flux knife and tool combination system. Whether your frontier is the city or the country, you’ll find a useful combination to tailor to your own pursuits.
Although the Flux tools can be purchased as individual folding clip tools — including separate LED flashlight, knife, flash drive, and more — the most economical setup is the double rail system with two tools. The CRKT GoWork package includes the double rail with two carabiner clips for hanging the tool pack on belt loop or pack. While the carabiners aren’t meant to support much load, they’re sufficient to keep the tool pack at the ready. Slide off either tool when needed, leaving the rail on your gear. When finished, slip the tool back on the rail, and it locks securely in place again.
The GoWork pack includes the Flux knife and Flux driver. The Flux knife is a lightweight folding lockback with high carbon stainless steel 2.25-inch plain edge blade. The clip point blade opens one-handed and snaps into open position with a sturdy liner lock of stainless steel. If you choose to carry the pocket clip folder without the rail, use the stainless steel pocket clip which screws easily to the knife’s grip. The other half of the GoWork pack is the Flux driver tool, which includes one Phillips head bit, two flat screwdriver bits, and a single LED light to illuminate those dark mechanical corners.
Customizing is simple. Flash drives, wine tools, and a more powerful 2 LED flashlight are available as individual tools and may be switched out at will. Buy either the GoWork system, GoNerd pack, or GoPlay pack for a pre-selection of appropriate tools, and add to the collection when a change of scenery is due.
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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Blade Magazine presented Columbia River Knife & Tool with the 2009 Most Innovative Imported Design award, earned by CRKT’s Flux knife and tool combination system. Whether your frontier is the city or the country, you’ll find a useful combination to tailor to your own pursuits.
