Clark 2003 Model Foam Planer, User Manual

REPLACING BELTS

The drive belt between the cutter motor and the cutter lasts surprisingly long.  They do,

however, eventually wear out.

To change the belt, turn the pulleys and guide the belt off the pulleys.  The only thing that

needs to be removed is the guard.  Never operate the planer with the guard off.

SHAPING TIPS FOR THE 2003 MODEL

Until the experienced shaper becomes familiar with any new planer they will have trouble

with accurate depth adjustment.

In our research we saw experienced, very productive shapers using planers that were hopeless

pieces of junk.  They were very familiar with their planer so thought it was perfect.

The lesson for the experienced shaper is that once they have trained their reflexes to a specific

planer it will be difficult to change to another planer without serious productivity and quality

problems.  Therefore, the experienced shaper should carefully evaluate any changes or adjust-

ments for it would be very, very easy to pass up an opportunity to improve productivity.

From novice to expert the best possible tip is to watch what other shapers are doing.

The angle of the rear handle of the 2003 Model planer requires that the blank and

lights be higher than when using other planers.  This is normally an advantage to the

shaper.  If the work is too low the hand gripping the rear planer handle might exhibit

fatigue.

(During our research we noticed than many shapers used pretty unorthodox shaping heights.

We recommend that all shapers be conscious of height for both accuracy and fatigue.)

Use sharp blades at all times.  A sharp blade increases the planer’s cutting power.  A sharp

blade also improves the quality and accuracy of the finished cut allowing the planer to be

used for more of the finish shaping work.

The 2003 Model depth adjustment mechanism has the most hand clearance of any power

planer used for surfboard shaping.  This allows an all-new range of options and adjustments.

Also, by having so much hand clearance, it will be more difficult to find reference points for

cut depth of the type found in other planers.