Shooting Board

[Birdhunter]

In my “doing it by hand” adventure, I’ve ordered a Lie Nielsen shooting plane and have been researching shooting boards.

Some show ramped plane paths designed to spread the cutting across all of the cutter. Some are all flat and look a lot simpler to build.

Some cut 45s and some cut miters with a jig called a donkey ear. All cut 90s.

I looked at a Vogt board already built. Neat product, but very pricy.

Veritas has an adjustable track that looks smart, but they won’t say it will fit the LN plane.

Bottom line, I looking for input. Truth is, I’d rather build than buy although the Veritas track looks like a very good idea.

 

[CirclDigital]

That’s going to be a great plane to use.... a plane and a shooting board will get you great accuracy when setup and used correctly.

In my opinion you should build your own shooting board and start simple.

A ramped shooting board might be just a tad better in use but a “flat” version is simpler to build and should be more than sufficient. You can simply add a 45 mitre extension when you need one, or even better build a dedicated board for that when you need it. But start simple with a board that is as accurate as you can get it.

I have build one myself, to be used with the veritas plane, but it’s a universal board that can also handle the LN or a smaller bench plane. Critital is that the fence is an accurate 90 degrees (or as close as you can get it) AND that the blade of your plane is parallel to the sole.

For your first shooting board I would use a good quality ply and simply glue two pieces together. Then use some wood to create the fence and make it (somewhat) adjustable by using screws. Lots of plans available if you do a quick search.

I did use the Veritas track (it should work with the LN as well) but you don’t really need it. Use some parrafin on the ply in combination with some hardwood for the side fence and it should run smoothly. The Veritas track only makes this part somewhat easier and it can be adjusted to precisely fit the plane.

Mine is a long one, you can also build it a bit smaller but I like this size so I can even plane some long grain when I like. The thing I would change is that the bottom ply needs to be a tad wider so that it extends past the screws for the Veritas track.... those now stick out and are a bit sharp.

It’s also usefull as a sanding board (with the Veritas sanding plate or a sanding block) for things like edges of veneer.

 

[derekcohen]

I began making specialist shooting boards about 15 years ago, and writing about them 10 years ago. There are articles on my website:

A general one: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/Setting Up and Using a Shooting Board4.html

The most famous shooting board is the Stanley #51/52 (the #51 is the plane and the #52 is the chute board). This is one I restored ...

The frog in the #51 is fragile and, for this reason, when I heard that LN was planning a #51, I said to Thomas Lie-Nielsen I would buy one sight unseen. TLN sent me one which he signed ...

Review of the LN #51: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/LN51ShootingPlane.html

For many years, prior to the #52, which has a skewed blade, I built ramped boards as I was using straight-bladed planes, such as the LV LA Jack.

These were copied by many, including Tico Vogt with his Super Chute. Here is one of mine with a LN #51 ...

The important feature of this and all boards with a #51 plane is the side fence ...

This was a feature of the Stanley #52 which I wrote about when discussing these planes. In fact, you simply cannot use a #51 without it since it will be poorly balanced by the rear handle.

Here is that same board with a Donkey's Ear for shooting mitres ...

I am happy to supply links for construction.

The thing is, you do not need a ramped board with a #51. All you need is a flat board ... because the skewed blade does the work of the ramp.

What you need is a simple flat board, as long as it has the side fence. This one is based on the LN recommendation (for their LA Jack, as kit can shoot both sides). Here it is with my Veritas Shooting Plane (which replaced the LN) ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[PreferrablyWood]

Interesting insights on the Shooting Board and the Shooting planes Thanks.

 

[Birdhunter]

My LN shooting plane arrived and I uncrated it (it came crated in a wooden box). It's a beast!

I need to learn how to set the blade so it is square and projects the correct amount.

 

[John1102]

Thanks for sharing the great reference photos.  I have been needing to build one of these myself.

 

[James Carriere]

I noticed today that Veritas has just come out with a shooting board. It comes in RH, LH,or you can buy the components separately if you want to have a modified version.  You can see it in the new woodworking tools section at Lee Valley. $199 for the complete set-up.  Might be a good fit for someone who needs something quickly or has no desire to build their own. 

 

[Birdhunter]

I ordered the Vogt shooting board with the 45 degree attachment and the donkey ear attachment. I easily adjusted it to fit my LN 51 shooting plane. I had planned to build a shooting board, but abandoned that plan after seeing the Vogt unit. The Vogt unit is obviously well designed and constructed.

I had contacted Veritas about their shooting board fitting my LN 51 shooting plane. They said they didn’t have a 51 so could not verify fit.

If you order the Vogt shooting board, the spray on cleaner/lubricant he sells really works well. I use it on the shooting board and on the cast iron surfaces of all my machine tools.

 

[HarveyWildes]

I noticed today that Veritas has just come out with a shooting board. It comes in RH, LH,or you can buy the components separately if you want to have a modified version.  You can see it in the new woodworking tools section at Lee Valley. $199 for the complete set-up.  Might be a good fit for someone who needs something quickly or has no desire to build their own.

You kind of have to look for it on their web site.  Searching for "shooting board" doesn't find it.

The miter gauge looks like an interesting addition.  I have a homemade shooting board that does 90 and 45 degrees great, but the ability to easily set other angles looks useful.

 

[ChuckM]

Because it is a new product, you have to go to the What's New:
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/WhatsNew.aspx

They usually update the search function shortly after the new products are announced.