Popular Woodworking 2009-10 № 178, страница 55

Out of the Woodwork

BY PETE KNAFF

IWF 2059

Fifty years in the future, MDF will be a luxury 'wood.'

As

ks if all the new tools and technology shown at this year's International Woodworking and Furniture Show (IWF) weren't exciting enough, we decided to jump into the Popular Woodworking DeLorean, fire up its flux capacitor, and see what is going on at the Big Show 50 years in the future.

One of the biggest changes in woodworking was the recent lawsuit by PETT (People for the Ethical Treatment of Trees), which banned all commercial logging. Fortunately, genetic engineers have made it possible to grow a 200-board foot hard maple in a small apartment in three or four days. As a result, highly-figured wood is now used for junk, and aficionados now speak longingly about the enchanting look of MDF, collecting it and hoarding it for "just the right project."

New to the public is the Ludicrous Industries Laser Table Saw. Thanks to a petawatt (1,000,000,000,000,000-watt) laser cutting system, developed with the help of the Department of Defense, the saw is able to cut precisely down to about ¹/si922 ". Still, the comp any promoting it admits that it will require special wiring in most home shops, and despite the precise nature of the saw, most home woodworkers will still not be able to build an acceptably square box with it. Many woodworkers at the show reported that they were waiting for the saw to be fitted with a riving knife before buying. In the event of kickback, the high-power laser throws the workpiece out of the saw faster than the speed of light, causing it to strike the unsuspecting woodworker the week before.

Consolidation in the tool industry has continued, with the two remaining tool companies both showing exciting new tools at the show. Thanks to another lawsuit, Delta/ Porter-Cable/Milwaukee/DeWalt/Bosch/

Makita/Skil/BlackandDecker/Jet/Power-matic/SawStop introduced a new version of its Unisaw, which is a true Radial Arm Reciprocating Circular Scrolling Jig/Band/ Table/Miter Saw. This was in response to a civil matter claiming that it wasn't a uni-saw, unless it could perform the function of all other saws.

In addition to the Unisaw, the company also unveiled the latest version of its SawStop table saw. This version not only stops the saw's circular blade from cutting any errant appendages, but also resuscitates the user's eighth-grade shop teacher to give a really serious talk about shop safety. Sales for this item, however, look bleak because it has become so easy to replace fingers, thanks again to genetic engineering. Many woodworkers simply use their fingers to prevent chip-out, and get new ones at the end of the project.

The other remaining tool company, Fes-tool, released the final piece to "the system:" a complete line ofunderwear and socks, each of which comes in its own custom-fitted Sys-

tainer. Fans rejoiced at the announcement, noting that they can finally throw away the last thing left in their house not made by their favorite company, and distributed and stored in a convenient modular case. Fes-tool also hinted at things to come, talking obliquely about the Sysshop, Syshome, and Sysoffice; but insisted that people would need to come to IWF 2061 to see what that was all about.

Despite recent efforts over the past year by the industry as a whole to broaden its demographics, the key age group remained males between the ages of 100 and 150. Analysts hoped this would be the year that some of those people would be able to finally retire, and spend more time and money on their favorite hobby.

That's about all we can report for now. As Doc Brown would say, nobody should know too much about their future. You'll just have to wait 50 years to find out the rest.

A night and weekend woodworker in Polk City, Iowa, Pete enjoys new tools and starting whatever projects are necessary to convince his wife to let him buy them.

72 ■ Popular Woodworking October 2009

illustration BY Dave covERLY