Operating instructions

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.