Thursday, February 14, 2008

Power Tool Racing?


Here's a blast from the past - I've been going through everything I shot on film before I got my digital camera a year ago, and I found this! What is it? It's a belt sander drag race, of course! Doesn't everyone do that??

This is actually from a few years back - 2006 I believe - and I highly recommend that you listen to the NPR's Only A Game story here. The Winter Nationals are run by the New England Belt Sander Racing Association, and are held at Kenyon Woodworking in Jamaica Plain every winter. If you want to get in on the action, they are usually held the first weekend in February (sorry, we're too late to catch them this year), and get there early because it gets PACKED and you'll have to fight your way through a crowd. It's really an amazing experience, you've really got to see this at least once in your life.

People supe up belt sanders and send them screaming down a two lane race track (and occasionally off the track, so make sure you stand behind the line of death they mark on the floor!) in a single elimination style tournament. Did I mention that they also do some pretty awesome decorations on these suped up belt sanders? Check out the Central Main Power Tool Racing Association's 2008 Race Report, complete with video clips.

Who knew power tools could be so much fun??

2 comments:

BeanTownBoy said...

This looks like fun! I have a friend that owns a tool business, I'll have to ask him if he's ever heard of this.

Troop 1309 said...

That is too funny! Looks like fun!