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.
Milwaukee Circular Saw Worm Drive 6477-20 | Power Tools for Professional Contractors
52 sec read
Milwaukee’s 6477-20 Worm Drive 7-1/4-inch Circular Saw offers contractor grade performance and the power to plow through tough jobs without stalling. Fifteen amps drive the 4400 rpm motor, and the oil-bathed hardened steel worm gear delivers that power efficiently. This saw won’t grind to a halt like a lesser machine. There’s enough dependable power in the Milwaukee 6477-20 to justify reading the manual twice.
The two hand grips give operators enough control to cut accurately and overcome momentary problems safely. The overhand grip provides pressure where you need it most when kickbacks threaten. Adjustments are simpler than on cheaper saws, with locking levers that release easily and clamp securely without the guesses and retries you can expect with a low end machine. The composite base slides smoothly over any material, sometimes slick enough to make work without a fence a little dicey. On the plus side of that, the rugged platform won’t distort — so if you need a true edge on the cutting base, you can count on it being right.
Overall, it’s a machine built to last with a solid five-year warranty behind it and handy maintenance features like a glass vial oil gauge to make sure you’re doing the essentials correctly. Magnesium construction reduces the weight, but this saw still weighs over 14 pounds. Sensible controls and the low-friction base make the extra pounds much less noticeable in action.
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.
Milwaukee’s 6477-20 Worm Drive 7-1/4-inch Circular Saw offers contractor grade performance and the power to plow through tough jobs without stalling. Fifteen amps drive the 4400 rpm motor, and the oil-bathed hardened steel worm gear delivers that power efficiently. This saw won’t grind to a halt like a lesser machine. There’s enough dependable power in the Milwaukee 6477-20 to justify reading the manual twice.
