Turning veteran and Fine Woodworking contributor Jon Siegel’s reinvention of the spur center-dubbed the “Badger”-is aimed at keeping turners safe by preventing accidental collisions and entanglements with the center’s sharp spurs.

The idea is simple. The Badger incorporates a spring-loaded safety guard that completely covers the spurs. It’s available in two models (Badger and Badger-Pro). The Badger-Pro offers removable spurs that can be re-sharpened. What’s more, you don’t need to worry about sharpening each spur to exactly the same specs. That’s because each spur is independently adjustable. The pro model also offers adjustable spring force. This allows you to beef up the force when turning heavier stock and back off a bit when turning lighter projects like chair rungs that might split under too much pressure.

Little Engine that Could

Siegel actually came up with the idea for the Badger about two decades ago, but it wasn’t until a recent chance encounter with Rikon that he was able to find a distributor with the expertise and funding required to bring his idea from the drawing board to the sales shelf.

The Badger and Badger-Pro will be available for purchase this Autumn. Look for the Badger to retail in the $30-$50 range, and the Badger-Pro to retail for around $80. For more information, be sure to visit Big Tree Tools.

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