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.
Mundial Light Cleaver, Stamped Stainless Steel w/ Eco-Friendly Handle | Olivier Anquier Professional Kitchen Knife 6 Inch
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Mundial’s six-inch Light Cleaver is one of the company’s few stamped steel products, but uses strong construction that involves much more than a simple tang embedded in a wooden grip. This high carbon stainless steel cleaver weighs 1.2 pounds and was designed to chop through bones.
In this cleaver, the tang connects through the hardwood grip to a solid stainless steel end cap. The front end of the grip gets reinforcement from a stainless steel ferrule, and the steel tang has such thickness that there’s no need to worry that the knife can’t take a beating. It’s able to handle the chopping chores of the average kitchen without any problems. Comparable to German steel in quality, this Brazilian cleaver is tempered tough and won’t chip if used on hard bones. The edge will deform if abused, and with a blade this thick, sharpening is a job for the whetstone, not the honing steel.
The Olivier Anquier pattern uses ironwood grips sculpted in a comfortable shape with a corrugated belly that adds to the non-slip feel. Ironwood, a tree from the acacia family, is native to South America and, like many tropical hardwoods, has enough density to rival modern composites in durability. You get the beauty of natural wood without having to worry you’ve just contributed to the demise of the rain forest. Acacia grows quickly and abundantly and qualifies as a renewable resource. Hand washing and drying is the only special care the cleaver needs.
For a light vegetable cleaver made for slicing rather than chopping, see the Victorinox Chinese Cleaver.
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...
Mundial’s six-inch Light Cleaver is one of the company’s few stamped steel products, but uses strong construction that involves much more than a simple tang embedded in a wooden grip. This high carbon stainless steel cleaver weighs 1.2 pounds and was designed to chop through bones.
