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.
Global Wall Rack Knife Storage | Hanging Magnetic 20 Inch
1 min read
I admit I was skeptical when I first came across this idea — to me wall magnet racks represent something that almost never works. This Knife Storage Wall Magnet is different — Yoshikin designed it to hold a few good Global knives, and it does that job well. It’ll take a little adjustment, but it’s a great idea.
Twenty inches across, this outdoes any plain hook rack immediately by accommodating any width of steel blade — or spoon, or spatula — anything you normally use that has iron or steel in it will attach securely to this rack at any spacing you require. No more trying to fit handles to hooks when the saute pan is about to explode — just slap it on and get to work on what’s important. The perforated metal barrier on the face of the rack lessens the power of the magnet just enough to make a quick release possible.
Since this wall rack is based on a powerful magnet, not one that barely grips what hangs on it, either a special technique or a solid mounting will be essential. Set the mounting screws into plasterboard and you’ll have immediate problems with the strip itself ripping loose. Anchors set firmly into drilled holes should fix that problem, but for added security a strip of hardwood spanning the gap between hidden wall framing could be a great help. Not every wall has 2 by 4’s on a twenty inch spacing every place you need them.
As an alternative to a hardwood support, try setting the strip in place solidly with expansion anchors. Instead of pulling knives straight off the rack, pull down. Sliding the blade over the strip puts less stress on the mounting hardware.
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...
I admit I was skeptical when I first came across this idea — to me wall magnet racks represent something that almost never works. This Knife Storage Wall Magnet is different — Yoshikin designed it to hold a few good Global knives, and it does that job well. It’ll take a little adjustment, but it’s a great idea.
