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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 hand plane shavings, the hottest trend in woodworking, and a 100-year-old workbench.
Tool News Quick Bites
Dewalt Announces New Angle Grinders: If you’re a fan of power carving and DeWalt tools, this one’s for you. They’ve dropped several new angle grinders as part of their ATOMIC lineup (which features more compact tools). In addition to the traditional 4.5″ grinder, there’s also a 4″ grinder and two right angle die grinders.
Metabo HPT Drops New Siter Saw: In a world of dual-bevel sliding 12″ saws that cost at least $400, is there still a place for a straightforward saw? Metabo HPT seems to think so, and has just released a new 10″ single-bevel miter saw. I’m actually a fan; the saw only costs $140, and is going to be far more accurate and easy to set up than any slider or double bevel saw at that price.
Kreg Releases Updated Rip-Cut Saw Guide: Prompted perhaps by the launch of their new cordless power tool line, Kreg has updated their already great Rip-Cut Circular Saw Guide. Kreg claims the redesigned sled offers “even better compatibility and ease of use across an even wider range of tools.”
Local Oddity: Kezurou-Kai USA Plane Competition
Many of you have probably heard about Kezurou-kai plane competitions at one time or another, even if you’re unfamiliar with the name. It’s an event focusing on traditional Japanese woodworking tools and techniques, where woodworkers use hand planes to compete for the thinnest shaving. This video and this article go into a lot of detail about the competition, including technique and judging. What you may not know (at least I didn’t until recently) is that there’s an American version of the event as well. The 9th Annual Kezuroukai USA National Event will be held in El Cerrito, California on October 25 & 26. Like the Japanese event, there will be classes and demonstrations on traditional techniques, as well as hands-on opportunities for woodworkers to better understand how to utilize their tools. And of course, this event wouldn’t be complete without the planing competition to cap it off. Here are a few photos from past events.
Learn more and register for the 2025 event here.
Hot Trend: Harvest Baskets
Every few months or so, a trend takes the woodworking world by storm on social media. Usually it’s something seasonal — a candle votive around Christmas, or wooden pumpkins near Halloween. Right now though, that trend is harvest baskets. Sometimes called garden baskets, they are exactly what they seem to be — a basket for harvesting items from your garden. By nature of the breezy wire mesh, some people use them to store fruits and veggies as well. Check out these examples from Instagram and Reddit.
Garden basket? Yeah I did!
byu/Tiny-Albatross518 inwoodworking
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Have you built a harvest basket? I haven’t yet, but it’s the sort of thing my spouse would love.
Video of the Week: Workbench Restoration
I love seeing old items brought back to life — tools, furniture, and yes, workbenches. This is a bit of a twist though, instead of simply refinishing the bench to bring it back into service, this is a full rebuild. The bones of the bench are there, but by the time Marmota Works is done, it looks brand new, and ready for another 100 years of service.
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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