Hi John,

I use a Makita electric planer for quick material removal followed up with the beltsander and finish by hand.

With this approach it takes about 10 minutes to put the rolling bevel on the shear clamps. Works well for trimming the deck to size and does a heck of a job on scarfes. Yep, does a quick job - can also do "damage" just as fast.

A good router has a couple of uses for cutting openings and cleaning up edges - can be a bit scary on curved surfaces though. I made a "template" for cutting the cockpit opening with the router.

Safety is a concern when using these tools "free hand" instead of solidly supported like they were designed to be used. Take a minute to be sure that the work area is free of obstructions and control the power cord that it does not snag on anything and interfere with the control of the power tool. Don't let yourself be distracted - even for a second - when the power tool is ON.

Hank