The Splinter Report: July 25th

Don’t worry, the only job this AI is stealing is the one where I spent a bunch of hours trying to Photoshop this myself.

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 old cover projects, a burled box, and manufacturing a handplane.

Tool News Quick Bites

Harvey Shows off 5 New Products at AWFS: The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers expo was this week in Vegas, and it sounds like Harvey stole the show a little bit. They brought five new products to show off: the G700Pro Dust Processor, Baby Gyro Air G-200H Vacuum Dust Processor, Big Eye Position Manager, Bridge City HP-8v2 Mini Block Plane, and Sniper Drill Press. Keep your eyes peeled for more details in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

Hercules Releases New Circular Saw: Harbor Freight house brand Hercules continues to round out their power tool portfolio, and this week they released a new 20V worm-drive circular saw. For those who are curious, a worm drive saw tends to have more torque than a sidewinder saw, and can tackle harder tasks. Definitely a nice addition from the brand as it tries to target woodworking professionals.

Cover Showdown: Pie Safe vs Titanic Deck Chair

Let’s get interactive this week. I’ll present to you two different cover projects from prior issues of the magazine, and you’ll vote which one you’d rather build today. If you throw in your email, we’ll send PDFs of both projects to your inbox.

In this corner, hailing from January 1997, we have the American Country Pie Safe.

This particular project was part of a series called “The Little Shop That Could”, which I believe was a precursor to I Can Do That. Here’s the intro blurb for the safe:

THE PIE SAFE, like the dry sink, is an enduring form of furniture whose popularity has long outlasted its purpose. While the idea of this pie safe being chock filled with fresh fruit pies is wonderful, today it’s more practically suited for general storage, or even an entertainment center. If you’ve noted the astronomical prices for genuine antique pie safes, you’ll be glad to know that this one was built for less than $150, including the 12 pre-punched tins that are as easy to acquire as dialing an 800- phone number.

What a throwback, calling an 800 number to order woodworking supplies.

In the other corner, from July 1999, comes The Titanic Deck Chair!

This oddly on-the-nose project for the end of the glory days of publishing featured heavy use of the band saw and oscillating sander. Here’s the opening paragraph:

ARRANGING DECK CHAIRS the sinking Titanic is synonymous with futile gestures. Building a reproduction of one of the two known surviving chairs is anything but futile as you capture a piece of history and add an enduring piece of comfortable lounging furniture to the deck of your home.

There you have it! Let us know which one you’d rather make below. Just an FYI, the email with the plans will probably take 24 hours to arrive, but rest assured, I’ll make sure you get them.

Reddit Projects: Burl Box

I know that burl and figured wood can sometimes be controversial amongst woodworkers. Some feel like it clutters up a design, or is distracting. I’ve definitely seen some ornate boxes with an inlay that just blows out the details. The box below, however, does not fit into that category in my opinion. Instead, Reddit user Snoo-99054 has made the figured wood the showcase piece for the entire box. Notice how the pine trim frames in larger burl panels? In case you’re curious how it was made, they also created a thread showing the step-by-step process.

Eucalyptus globulus (Tasmanian blue gum): Burl box with Huon Pine trim.
byu/Snoo-99054 inwoodworking

Video of the Week: Making Planes

This video is maybe a bit more dry than I normally go for, but I thought it was still worth a watch. Follow along from start to finish as a Lie Nielsen low-angle jack plane is manufactured. No narration, just tool magic at work.

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.