Bevels on a shooting board

[worn thumbs]

I wouldn't entirely write off shooting boards,but they do see very little use from professionals in my experience.I haven't seen one used since the early 1990's and that was the only example since about 1977.They do seem to attract the sort of woodworker who wears a very "technical" apron and check shirts in the process of making fine furniture-and amateurs.They come from an era when straightening the edges of hand ripped boards was done with a hand plane.There has been quite a lot of development of machinery to speed things up since those days and with the right equipment there isn't usually much to do to a machined edge,perhaps a very light dressing to remove planer ripples.If you don't use a planer and have lots of time they can be just the thing for cleaning up the edges of very thin workpieces.On the other hand,if those limitations apply,you probably aren't making a living at it.

 

[steve355]

I wouldn't entirely write off shooting boards,but they do see very little use from professionals in my experience.I haven't seen one used since the early 1990's and that was the only example since about 1977.They do seem to attract the sort of woodworker who wears a very "technical" apron and check shirts in the process of making fine furniture-and amateurs.They come from an era when straightening the edges of hand ripped boards was done with a hand plane.There has been quite a lot of development of machinery to speed things up since those days and with the right equipment there isn't usually much to do to a machined edge,perhaps a very light dressing to remove planer ripples.If you don't use a planer and have lots of time they can be just the thing for cleaning up the edges of very thin workpieces.On the other hand,if those limitations apply,you probably aren't making a living at it.

Correct, it’s a hobby for me. Or rather, a not very healthy obsession.

 

[Trafalgar]

I agree in general that an over-reliance on lots of jigs isn’t a good thing, and indeed I’ve found myself ditching them as my skills and knowledge has improved. But a shooting board isn’t a jig, it’s a legitimate part of hand tool woodworking.

Unless we’re saying now that real woodworkers don’t use shooting boards

In fact I’ve been doing them again by hand recently, the “trick” is a fairly heavy set blade to try to hit the entire bevel in one final stroke, and achieve the crispness. But I can’t do the left hand. I really can’t. I am very right handed

I don't think anybody is writing off shooting boards, just the ones made with power equipment more accurate than the board will ever be. It's farcical. Silly on its face. Just run the bevel with your European tablesaw, and if you must, take a swipe or two with one of your dozen or so smoothing planes if it makes you feel like a "hand tool woodworker."