anyone know of any other companies making them?
want to try one but the cost is putting me off.
or anyone have one for sale?
and can you cut the stringer with one?
thanks
paul
anyone know of any other companies making them?
want to try one but the cost is putting me off.
or anyone have one for sale?
and can you cut the stringer with one?
thanks
paul
Paul,
I have one that I got from F/G Hawaii on a Hitachi and one on a Skil from Shapers Australia. They cut stringers like butter. You can even cut cross grain. I think FoamEZ once had some Pleskunas carbide grit inserts that are used with the stock Hithachi drum. I love mine!
Dave_D
I got mine for one of my 100’s from Brad at Foam EZ. Just go to www.foamez and click Shaping/Power Tools to see it. It is amazing on EPS. However, without a vacuum system, it tends to melt foam particles between the brush and armature. This locks up the barrel and that is not a good thing.
I got mine from Shapers Australia two days ago. 395€ for the small (570 W) Hitachi planer factory-fitted with the barrel, and although the planer lacks some power, I have already shaped two boards with it: one 6’6" and one three-stringered 9’. No trouble at all with stringers, you just need to slow down a bit. I guess if fitted to a more powerful planer, it will do a perfect job:
Rough planing the bottom of the 6’6":
Deck of the 9’ after skinning:
Interesting, I just got back from SA where I had a chat with local shaper David Stubbs. He is big on the Polystyreen and Epoxy thing and swears by the Shapers Aus. barrel. I do wonder though, does it cut as quickly as a blade? I can see why it would not tear foam or break it but doe you get as deep a cut since you are in effect sanding the surface rather than cutting. Also, isn’t there more dust created?
I have a bosch planer so I can forget about such a barrel but stiil, my curiosity is peaked.
I have the Shapers barrel on one of my Skil planers and I find that it actually cuts just as deep as the regular blades. My other planer has a Fiberglass Hawaii barrel which does not cut as deep as the Shapers barrel. But both cut plenty deep enough.
These barrels are definitely a joy to use as they are quieter, cleaner cutting and when used with a vacuum system totally dust free. They are also the only way to go for EPS!
I’m hooked and have been for a few years now!
-Robin
Is the US barrel the spiral kind and the Australian one without spiral? Can you comment on how this affects performance on EPS. For me in the UK its a far better deal to get from Australia with exchange rate.
Thanks
Mark
Aloha WWMark:
Neither of these has a spiral, the FGH US one is completely covered with carbide while the Shapers one has strips of carbide so that there are areas where there is no carbide. The shapers one seems to run a lot cooler and is a lot better at ejecting the dust because of the channels.
I think FGH also has one now that has the channels with no carbide but I have not tried theirs.
BTW, the shapers one was also cheaper.
-Robin
Thanks Robin,I was going by the pictures on the 2 sites mentioned above but will now contact Shapers Aus.
I glassed my first EPS and RR Epoxy board recently and found it almost pleasant. Can’t be long before I shape one I suppose.
Mark
called shapers aus earlier to get postage info they are real nice even when you call them at 2am!! took my email and will email me on monday around about $40 aus postage and €180 for the barrel so alot cheaper than anywhere else though there was a guy on here earlier in the year (mason) who was selling them cheaper in the uk.
Worth factoring in the posibility of tax and duty which if charged will probably be 25% or so. You can possibly get them to declare a lower value and so avoid it…sometimes!
Mine’s 11 years and 5 planers old. I love it. GOt the pleskunas ones to fit a second planer, didn’t like those as much, went back to blades on that one. Just give 'em a good bath in laquer thinner or acetone twice a year to clear off the glue and good to go!!