As the first hints of warmer weather peek through, so too does that irresistible urge—to tidy, tweak, tune-up, and generally give the workshop a good spruce. There’s something about spring that makes even the dustiest corners cry out for a little love.
Top of the to-do list recently? Replacing the blade on our ever-faithful splitting machine. For those unfamiliar, imagine a bandsaw turned on its side, without teeth, designed to shave down leather with precision. This unassuming hero of the workshop had been running on the same blade for over a decade—which is impressive considering the machine itself hails from a completely different era.
Meet the Camog C300: a hulking green steel beast of a machine, built in Italy and discovered by us years ago through the magical grapevine of workshop gossip. No manual, of course. So, after some enthusiastic Googling and a few multilingual favours called in, we managed to track down the original manufacturer.
They were wonderfully helpful… until we asked about a mysterious, unlabelled black dial on the front panel. After a pause and some internal factory inquiries, we got a call back weeks later:
“The black dial? We have no idea. Everyone who designed and built the machine has sadly passed on.”
A sobering moment, but also a reminder of how enduring great craftsmanship can be. Even without a user manual (or dial instructions), the Camog lives on—solid, reliable, and still doing its job with stoic grace 70+ years later.
Thanks to Cutting-Systems UK, our venerable machine now boasts a fresh blade and a new spring in its step. A fine start to a promising year ahead—and a nod to the timeless charm of well-made tools.
