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Abe Dubin (aka Orange Man) on his Circle Board. Photo by Chris Sprinkle.
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 skateboards, an impossible track saw cut, and a Douglas fir table.
Tool News Quick Bites
Metabo HPT Releases New Tool Tracker: The device, called the Tracker Pro, utilizes the Apple Find My network and Google Find Hub network to track your tools both nearby or globally.
As you can see in the above image, the tracker, while not invisible by any means, blends in fairly well. The tracker features IP67 dust and water protection to stand up to the rough-and-tumble jobsite environment, and the battery should last 3 years before needed to be replaced.
As Seen in a Museum: Skateboard Edition
I’m sure that there could be some debate as to whether or not skateboards count as woodworking. Given that we just published an old interview with Wendell Castle yesterday, known for his laminated wood forms, I’m going to say it does. Vehicles of Expression: The Craft of the Skateboard is an upcoming exhibition at the Craft in America Museum in Los Angeles. The exhibition traces skateboards from their earliest days as homemade devices to modern times and the contemporary artists who create with them. Organized in consultation with skateboarder and multimedia artist, Abe Dubin (the artist formerly known as Orange Man), the exhibition kicks off on March 14th and runs through May 30th.
As an aside, I find woodworking with recycled skateboards to be a very fun genre of woodworking. Makers like Ben Paik and Daniel Barousse build tables, turn bowls, and even make bicycles out of recycled boards.
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Random Reddit: Achieving the Impossible
Reddit user u/MrMusAddict demonstrated something I did not think was possible this week: serpentine cuts with a track saw:
Cannot get a straight cut no matter what I try?
by
u/MrMusAddict in
woodworking
Now more accurately, he was using the Kreg Accu-Cut, and had accidentally made several mistakes: using a worm drive saw, the blade was installed backwards, the blade wasn’t set on the arbor, the saw was not mounted to the sled correctly, and there was insufficient clamping and support. Full credit where it’s due, the poster fully fessed up to his mistakes, and went back and fixed all of the problems:
UPDATE: Guys I made a straight cut! I initially did literally everything wrong (but you already knew that, lol). Write-up in the comments.
by
u/MrMusAddict in
woodworking
Honestly, I love to see it. Everyone makes mistakes, and to learn from them without simply blaming the tools or giving up is the right way to handle the situation.
Out of Context Christopher Schwarz Quote
“This trick works approximately 100 percent of the time.”
Video of the Week: Made to be Worn
Going to pivot this week and pull a video from Instagram instead of YouTube. When this showed up on my feed earlier this week, I just knew that I had to feature it. Phil is a furnituremaker out of Sacramento, California, and clearly his kids are starting to get to him. Not in a bad way mind you, but in the way where you realize they are growing up and each stage is impermanent. Some parents make height marks on walls, otherse make scrapbooks, but Phil is making a table. I won’t spoil anything else, just go watch.
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Anything interesting I missed this week, or that you want me to highlight in a future Splinter Report? Let me know on social media or drop me an email at cknoff@aimmedia.com.
