Anyone know where I can get a grit barrel for my Clark planner in the US?
No but if you find out let me know too.
Hi Tuna,
I can supply these to the U.S. from the U.K…If that helps. PM if you want to know more.
I can also supply a spiral version.
As I said PM me and I will be happy to help
TM
Tuna,
Try FG Hawaii. I talked with Dutch who I believe is at one of the Hawaii locations. The one I got was the spiral kind and comes with the bearings ready to install. I have 2 Clark’s and a Skil and use the Clark with the grit drum exclusively now.
Dave_D
Henry Frye in Texas has them, it require milling the base plate as the drun is very thin, that is part of the exchange
Aloha! The Pleskunas one for the Hitachi planer is the one. Two pieces that bolt on to the spindle, using the original bolts that hold the blade assembly on. No need to remove the whole thing, just remove the blade assembly, and bolt the parts right on. It’s a precision tool, perfect balance, and doesn’t heat up. I’ve used the thing for like 7-8 years now. I take all the big bites with my blade equipped planer, and do all my shaping with the gritty one. The thing was originally designed for shaping styro, and shapes the stuff like butter. Aloha…RH
Aloha! I’m trying to figure out the photo deal…Jackpot!!! Aloha…RH
…hey Rick, nice grit kit cause is not like the drum kit…i think…i never see one of these…
…man, youve got too much scratches in your tool…
Howzit?!? I’ve got well over 2,500 blanks with this machine. A killer tool… a couple of triggers, and a few sets of brushes. I put a few sets of bearings in it too. Seems like the bearings get extra wear from the grinding action on the foam. I think that I might have figured out the photo problem, and I’ll show everyone more pics of the complete system shortly. Aloha…RH
RH, do you know where to get one of those bad boys! Does Pleskunas have a web site? Thanks, Jim
Rick- I’ve always wondered about those blades! They are so pricey… It’s been hard to commit to buying a set! Cuts like butter you say? What about the stringer? The carbide grit sanding blocks always get torn up when you hit the stringer w/ them… Did those blades alter the cutting depth at all? Can you still rip out full passes at a brisk walk? I like to be able to cut deep through the entire process… do you recommend those blades? Thanks -Carl
Aloha! These things are super durable. I’ve had these for years now, and they’re still sharp. I think that they’re tungsten or something, not at all like the sanding blocks that do wear out fast over wood. I use cutting blades on my other machine to make all of my deep cuts, and on those big stringers like 3/8 and up. It’s more efficient to have two machines. The grinder ones act like a motorized surform. I go from the grinder ones to 100 grit paper and have no problem. It’s more a matter of shaping style I think. Some guys carve with blades and then use a sander. Too much fine dust for me. Both of my machines are vac equipped, and I never see dust until I’m block sanding with 100/150. The things do grind slower than the cutting blades, so making super deep cuts isn’t always practical. Really no problem on smaller wood, you just don’t want to overpower it. The things were originally designed for styro, shapes that stuff like butter, on p.u., it’s not quite the same, but really no problem. Like I was saying, thousands of blanks later… If you only have one machine, you’re probably better off with just the blades. I finally posted a few photos, if you can make it through my hack upload drill. Aloha…RH
Rick- Yeah thats my style, deep cuts w/ my planer, and then I jump over to the disk sander for finishing before I screen. I also use a vacuum system for my planer, and your setup sounds intriguing, do you have both tools hooked up to the same vac system? I would really like to ditch the extra dust that my sander makes buy either hooking it up to the vacuum somehow, or maybe switching over to a 2 planer system that you describe. Can you post some pics of your vacuum setup? Thanks -Carl
Oops, Sorry, I just saw your other post! -Carl
Howzit Carl?!? My machines are quickly interchangeable. With both the vac hose, and the cord on top of the tool, you can just plug/unplug the things right into one vac hose. There’s a couple of shots on the “RH planer pics” thread. For me, the system works unreal, and I’ve shaped thousands with it. Aloha…RH
Tuna:
Fiberglass Hawaii (Santa Cruz)- (831)476-7464 See Dave!
I have the grit drum on my Clark and love it. They also offer the tungsten carbide inserts to replace your Hitachi blades, assuming they are like what Rick H. posted. (probably a Pleskunas product)
Just a tip on some of the other fine products that Stan Pleskunas puts out, give one of his molded grit blocks a try. The smaller ones work great for those tight areas up on the nose of an EPS shape. This link doesn’t list all of the availale sizes: (http://surfsource.net/Manufacturing/Clark%20Foam/Clarkfoampage.htm)
Tom S.