Clarke planer thicknesser.

[johnny.t.]

I have been gifted a clarke 10" planer thicknesser, I've never used one before (I'm a woodturner and my flatwork is, shall we say limited, lol), I set it all up with the rollers levelled with the bed and proceeded to feed in my boards, it works OK and gives a flat, reasonably smooth surface but always bites into the last 3 or 4 inches of the board length. I've rechecked the rollers tried supporting the front of the board as it goes through the last bit, tried holding it down between the back roller and bed to insure it is coming out level and it still does it. Now is it me being a ham fisted fool, something that just happens, something in my setting up or the fact that it's a clarke and therefore a bit poo?

 

[RogerP]

It's called "snipe" and is common on all thicknessers.

Very difficult to eliminate entirely and I just live with it by thicknessing only long boards and sacrificing the last couple of inches.

 

[wizard]

I had that problem when i had a Clarke bought a better machine and problem solved

 

[RogerP]

Steve Maskery has a helpful video here ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHfjSatKITQ

 

[johnny.t.]

Steve Maskery has a helpful video here ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHfjSatKITQ

Thanks, after watching that video another came up with a planer thicknesser of the same style(not as rubbish looking mind, lol) as mine, the guy in the video simply fed all the boards he was doing through end to end together, that is holding the start of next one against the end of the one currently going through so as to not give the planer and end to snipe, he used a short piece of scrap at the end (which did get a snipe).