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I’m not endorsing racing without a helmet, but dang does it look fun. Photo credit: New Bertie’s Inn Facebook page.
Welcome to The Splinter Report, where I gather the assorted interesting and amusing things I’ve seen in the woodworking world. This week we’re looking at something new from Kreg, belt sander racing, and upgrading a planer.
Tool News Quick Bites
Kreg releases 20V Rebel™ Pocket-Hole Joiner: Kreg actually released an entire line of 20V tools that we’ll be covering further later, but the big deal here is the 20V Pocket Hole Joiner. To overly simplify it, it’s a pocket hole jig married to a drill motor on rails. From what I can tell, it’s an efficient way to drill a bunch of pocket holes in a short amount of time. What does everyone else think?
Armor Tool no more?: Stuart over at ToolGuyd noticed that the Armor Tool website seems to no longer exist, and social posts have stopped as well. It looks like some of their products have been folded into Bora, but the Armor Tool name is no more. Expansion and contraction in the industry is a normal thing, but it’s always a bummer to see a woodworking brand disappear.
Local Oddity: Belt Sander Races at Bertie’s Inn
I’ve written before about belt sander racing, though that particular variety was about the skill of modifying the belt sander to be as fast as possible. This version is a bit different — the sanders are all the same, but this time they have riders. The tradition from New Bertie’s Inn dates back 33 years now, and the competition is healthy as ever.
Major thumbs up for turning the event into a fundraiser, though the lack of safety gear gives me a bit of pause. Oh well, the racers aren’t moving that quickly after all. What other sorts of extreme tool sports should we invent? Table saw board launching? Chisel lawn darts?
Video of the Week: Let’s Upgrade a Planer
For someone who spends a lot of time looking at woodworking stuff on the internet, I am unable to explain how I hadn’t heard about Scott Wadsworth and the Essential Craftsman YouTube channel until this week. Scott (and I mean this as the highest compliment) looks exactly the part of someone who has spent their life behind a workbench and has really learned some stuff over the years. The video below is a fun look at the process of upgrading the cutter head in his planer. If you’re looking for something a bit more personal, be sure and check out this interview he recently did with his close friend and blacksmith mentor, Cy Swan.
Anything interesting I missed this week, or that you want me to highlight in a future Splinter Report? Let us know on social media or drop me an email at cknoff@aimmedia.com.
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