The Splinter Report: April 18th | Popular Woodworking

Posted April 18, 2025

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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 belt sander racing, the latest from Christopher Schwarz, and spirograph woodworking.

Tool News Quick Bites

DeWalt releases 20v 12″ Sliding Miter saw: Previously the only option for a battery-powered 12″ saw from DeWalt was a FlexVolt 60V. They also announced a 20V 10″ non-slider at the same time, for people looking for portability over capacity.

Blue Spruce is auctioning off custom-handled chisels: If you’re a fan of limited edition tools, then pay attention here. Blue Spruce Toolworks has made an ultra-limited edition run of the dovetail chisels with Pink Ivory wood, one of the “rarest species in the world.” Don’t think too long about it though, there are only 4 sets total, and the auction ends Sunday!

Updated Anarchist Tool Chest Book Coming Soon

The Anarchist Tool Chest is probably one of the most influential woodworking books to come out in the past 20 year. Former PW editor Christopher Schwarz has stayed plenty busy since then, between running Lost Art Press, chairmaking, and writing several more books. Lately, though, he’s gone back to revisit and revise the original tool chest and will be releasing an updated version of the book soon. You can follow along with the process on his Substack, as well as check out other articles past and present from him.

Local Oddity: Belt Sander Races at The Gaff in Port Aransas

Turns out there’s more to woodworking tools than collecting and using — you can also take them to the races. Yup, I’m talking about belt sander racing, where you take modified belt sanders and drag race them against each other, usually down a 75ft track. There’s no joke here; belt sander racing is enough of a phenomenon that there’s even a Wikipedia page. There are events all over the country, but one of the most widely known is at the Gaff Bar in Port Aransas, TX, which holds races on the 4th Saturday of each month. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event, which is still going strong after all this time.

Video of the Week: Spirograph Woodworking

I feel like every other commercial I saw growing up was for various creative toys, like Lite-Brite or Spirograph. Cory Rusch (Fortress Fine Woodworks on YouTube) must have been watching the same shows, as evidenced by his latest video, where he builds a giant spirograph jig for routing a design into a tabletop. It’s a very cool blend of modern and traditional woodworking techniques.

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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