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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 an outdoor bench, a beautiful chair, and a small shop workbench.
Tool News Quick Bites
Bosch has a bunch of new 18V tools: Bosch announced a bunch of new tools yesterday, including a pin nailer, reciprocating saws (both corded and cordless) and right-angle drills. There are also a bunch of new consumables and accessories, several of them for the new Colt 18V router.
Local Creativity: Bench Feet
The collective titles of Popular Woodworking, Fine Woodworking, and Woodsmith hosted an international woodworking tour of England last month. Phil has been sharing bits and pieces from the trip on the Woodsmith Facebook page, and I found this story useful. I’ll let Phil do the talking:
One stop was the Westonbirt Arboretum, managed by Forestry England. Our group had a guided tour.I noticed several of these benches around the grounds. What stands out is the solution for isolating the end grain of the legs from soil moisture to minimize decay.The lower end of the legs has a V-shaped notch that rests on a triangular-shaped sled foot (see editor drawing — keeping in mind I deal in words). The open ends of the foot allow moisture to dry out.This doesn’t mean the benches will last forever, but it does provide the bench with an extended life, and looks good, too.Oh yeah, the trees were amazing, too. — Phil
For those of you who are upset that you missed this year’s tour, fear not, we are already hard at work planning one for next year.
Reddit Projects: Sweet Chair
You know the sensation when you’re mindlessly scrolling and suddenly something on your screen pulls you out of your stupor? Sometimes it’s heartbreaking, like Tiny Chef getting cancelled. Other times it’s wildly comedic, like someone choking on a kazoo. This week, it was for something beautiful. Redditor u/Hot_Bluejay_8738 is the talented woodworker behind this gorgeous ash chair. Just look at it! The grain, the joinery, the way it flows together — just a work of art.
Ash armchair. Finally finished this after many months of dithering.
byu/Hot_Bluejay_8738 inwoodworking
Out of Context Christopher Schwarz Quote
“Having lots of tools is like having 43 children. It’s a lot of work to take care of them all.”
Video of the Week:
Daniel of Danmade Woodworking has a small shop, and has released several videos about utilizing the space to its maximum potential. His latest video is about his workbench, which has some really creative solutions to keeping the bench footprint as small as possible. I especially like his alternative to a traditional vice that stores out of the way when not needed.
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.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
