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.
Electric Scissors & Knife Sharpener by Smith Abrasives | Diamond Edge Pro European Blade
1 min read
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 standard European-style edge bevels. The machine also includes a manual hone for kitchen shears.
Two converging industrial diamond grinding wheels rapidly grind both sides of the knife edge on one pass through the machine. That quickly converts an acute Asian knife edge to the wider European bevel style, so make sure your knife matches the machine before use. The first few uses of the diamond wheels work much faster than normal, since much of that first cutting comes from bits of diamond set slightly above the average surface of the wheel. As those diamonds wear away, the wheels cut more slowly but do much finer work. The Diamond Edge Pro creates an accurate hollow ground cutting edge designed for the best combination of edge retention and fast accurate slicing. Two speeds allow full control of the sharpening process without overheating the knife steel.
Two manual sharpening slots extend the machine’s range. One holds carbide cutting blades used to quickly reshape a badly worn knife edge. The other slot allows final honing of the hollow ground edge with fine ceramic honing stones. Purists will still run the knife over a fine benchstone just to be sure, but used properly, the Diamond Edge Pro does give a good working edge straight from the machine.
The scissors-sharpening feature of the machine is much less impressive. A tab at the end of the sharpener pulls out the scissors hone and locks it in place. Slip both blades of the shears through the slots and close lightly before pulling the shears back out across the honing rods. The spring-mounted ceramic rods should adjust automatically to match the bevel of the scissors blades. After a few uses, the rods wear slightly and lose their original accuracy.
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 standard European-style edge bevels. The machine also includes a manual hone for kitchen shears.
