how to build a shooting board and what plane to use?

[Droogs]

I'm talking bench or pillar mounted machines with a large adjustable table and a T-track or simillar Derek, not hand held.

@badger99 have a looksie here

Bench Belt & Disc Sanders - Machine Mart

www.machinemart.co.uk

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I'm talking bench or pillar mounted machines with a large adjustable table and a T-track or simillar Derek, not hand held.

@badger99 have a looksie here

Bench Belt & Disc Sanders - Machine Mart

www.machinemart.co.uk

Droogs, I am aware of the machines being mentioned. This is mine ...

I am not a stranger to sanders. I own and use them .... but NOT for precision work!

I have a work shop full of higher end machines, but when it comes to the fine, precision fitting of drawers, joinery or other similar work, it is always hand tools that I reach for. I would rather use a shooting board over a sander any day of the week. I trust my work speaks for itself.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Hornbeam]

Given that Badger 99 has a limited budget and is just starting out to make a small number of frames I would go down the shooting board route. Will probably cost less than £5. has a lot more uses than just trimming mitres and you will improve hand skills doing it and using it.
Many very high level cabinet makers use the sander/linisher method but I dont think either are better than a shooting board. Definitely a bit faster but you will also make mistakes faster
Ian

 

[custard]

I wonder why many here yammer on about mitres? These are a tiny percentage of the use for a shooting board. I cannot see how one would use a guillotine to trim drawer fronts or sides to a piston fit. I cannot imagine using a disk or belt sander to do the same without rounding over edges and creating a wavy surface.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek, it's because mitres are what the OP asked about. Since selling my Morso I use a sanding disc for small mitres such as the OP is aiming to make.

For creeping up on a drawer front when hunting for a precise fit in a drawer cavity I use a shooting board, it's the chief application that stops me selling my LN shooting plane. But the intricacies of drawer making aren't on the OP's agenda so I'll say no more.

 

[paulrbarnard]

After running their stock through the £3K thicknesser
9'x200mm board thicknessed by hand ?. Few would even want to attempt that when the job requires 2 or 3 boards minimum.

It is fun doing it all by hand, but its also a real drag and theres buckets of sweat involved, and unless its hobby you're not really going to be able to charge what it costs in time.

Some of us don’t have a thicknesses either but yes it’s just a hobby for me.

Until I sectioned off one end of my workshop to use as an office I didn’t have mains power. I did have a solar panel, wind turbine, battery and led lighting.

Once I got the power the slippery slip started and I got a metal working lathe and a mill. Still no electric wood chewers though.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Paul Sellers just uploaded a YouTube video on this very subject.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Derek, it's because mitres are what the OP asked about. Since selling my Morso I use a sanding disc for small mitres such as the OP is aiming to make......

Ahh ... I lost track of that. My apology for my rant.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Peter Sefton]

Love using shooting boards as the finish from a sharp plane is so good for mitres ect. Can get a very good cut from a very sharp saw blade on the table saw or great finish from the disc sander, although my velcro disc sander doesn't give a flat finish on larger mitres. Used our right and left handed shooting boards for trimming down the ends of these tray rails. The finish from my Veritas shooting plane is excellent but you can do most shooting with a decent sized hand plane, for me a Jack or larger (long toe) is great. As long as you can use the lateral adjustment lever as not all plane sides are square to the sole.

 

[David C]

Shooting boards, very useful and easy to make.

The one change I have come up with, is a sacrificial fence, which sits against the fixed fence. It is held with one or two small toggle clamps.

The end can be set against plane sole for an almost zero gap. This ensures minimal spelch.

This removable fence may also be adjusted for perfect squareness, although I have always found shimming with paper to be a good method for achieving perfect squareness.

(Obviously I use my 5 1/2)

A mitred version will do the small picture frames, though it is best to have R & L fences.

David Charlesworth

 

[JonG]

Matt Estlea does a good one too. It is on a slight angle sinuses the whole plane blade rather than the same part over and over b

 

[johnnyb]

I always use a guillotine to get close(+.5mm) then a chute board to get it just right. mainly because I can do it right by the job so its quick. a saw a bit coarse tbh.

 

[johnnyb]

this is mine

 

[johnnyb]

many mitres on older painted joinery were basically done with a saw rough then filled with putty.

 

[Jameshow]

I may be simple but how do you top the plane blade digging into the shooting board???

Cheers James

 

[harryc]

Hi everyone,

I am starting to build picture frames, mostly small ones 30x40cm but some larger ones also. I have received lots of great advice from this forum so far. One-piece I would like to act upon is to build a shooting board to finish/refine the miters.

• Does anyone have links to tutorials (worksheets or videos) to build a shooting board?
• And can anyone recommend a plane? Would a general plane be ok to use, as I’m making no more than 15 frames a year, or is it best to get a dedicated shooting plane?

Thanks in advance.

I have always made picture frames with a table saw mitre sled.

Not difficult to Make and the mitres are always spot on.

But as others have suggested if you are looking to go into production then a guillotine is the tool you want.

 

[Ttrees]

You might have advanced the iron a bit far once, and possibly need it to take a shoulder plane to it, or whatever method you wish to take that track down a bit, as your blade may be protruding too much.

 

[johnnyb]

the plane may initially make a little shaving but the little bit of sole that makes a bench plane not a rebate plane stops it going any further. a rebate plane would do as you describe though.
there is a knack to them with regards to mostly pressing down onto the runway.

 

[Jacob]

I am not a stranger to sanders. I own and use them .... but NOT for precision work!
...

Depends on the sander. Belt not so good as they never seem quite as stable/solid/flat as a solid metal disc against a solid table. Disc can be very precise and very easy to use.
Conversely a shooting board can seem perfectly set up but still fail to do quite what you want, for no obvious reason!

 

[bp122]

I have seen a ton of tutorials, but this is the one I liked the most

 

[AFFF]

Matt Estlea made a "Rolls Royce" shooting board, very fancy! I will get round to making one of these someday ...