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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 cordless sanders, religious experiences, and a new web video series.
Tool News Quick Bites
Grizzly Releases Sliding Crosscut Attachment for Table Saw: Ever get jealous of those European table saws with the sliding work table? Grizzly has just the accessory for you: a new sliding crosscut attachment for making accurate crosscuts and breaking down sheet goods. Works with select Grizzly or SawStop table saws and supports workpieces up to 4′ x 8′.
Festool Launches New Cordless Sanders: You might have already read about this in my Festool 100th Anniversary write-up, but if you haven’t, I’ll break it down real quick. Festool has a new cordless random orbital sander that features an integrated work light and some really slick design choices for better ergonomics. Keep your eyes open for our full thoughts on the sander at a later date.
Local Masterpiece: Thorncrown Edition
Christopher Schwarz was recently talking about Thorncrown Chapel on his Substack, and the impact it had on him.
The sun had set, so Thorncrown was wrapped in darkness. The light from the chapel didn’t reach the forest, so it was like being swallowed by a whale. I couldn’t see the trees, but I could feel them towering over the chapel, looking to the sky with a small glass box at their feet.
This got me thinking about my own visit there in April. While my experience wasn’t quite powerful enough to drive a conversion to the church of the tree, I did find the building and its location to be meditative in a way I can’t quite describe. I had only planned on popping in for a moment to see it, and ended up sitting peacefully for 20 minutes or so. If you’re ever in the area of Eureka Springs, AR, (very cool town by the way), you should check it out. Oh, and after you’re done at Thorncrown, make sure to visit Carmen’s Tacos for lunch. Trust me.
Video of the Week: New Web Series Launch
Finished is a new video series looking at wood finishes and finishing techniques, created by Shane Wiechnik, a woodworker based in Sydney, Australia. So far, only the first episode has been released, but Shane has set an incredibly high bar for himself with the valuable information and sharp production values. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for next video in the series.
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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