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.
I can accept that training weapons shouldn’t be combat level for beginning level training. Wushu routines stress acrobatics and weapons handling and often require lighter versions of the traditional weapons. But a good wushu weapon still looks like the real thing and has to retain the weapon’s original character. This double headed spear with wax wood shaft falls short of that. Although it would serve as a training tool, it doesn’t have the balance or the character required for wushu.
Though waxwood is a traditional choice for both staff and spear, the shaft used in this weapon is not uniform in diameter. That throws the center of balance off. The double spearheads are crudely shaped of chrome plated mild steel. The rounded tips and edges don’t satisfy any aesthetic sense and give the spear the look of flattened tubing. Overall length of 80 inches includes two three-inch-long rudimentary spearheads with red blood tassels.
The most durable part of this weapon is the waxwood shaft, and even that isn’t up to standard. Genuine spears in the Asian tradition were often made with slender and flexible shafts. Using the whipping action of the shaft, a good spearman could guide a spearhead around and past an opponent’s weapon, but a high quality and predictable wooden shaft was critical. To find that today, enthusiasts will have to step up a few grades.
This is barely a taste of what a spear can be, but it’s at least a start. Owners will want something better soon enough.
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.
I can accept that training weapons shouldn’t be combat level for beginning level training. Wushu routines stress acrobatics and weapons handling and often require lighter versions of the traditional weapons. But a good wushu weapon still looks like the real thing and has to retain the weapon’s original character. This double headed spear with wax wood shaft falls short of that. Although it would serve as a training tool, it doesn’t have the balance or the character required for wushu.
