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The Shooting Board
The following is a short discussion and description of the shooting board in its
various configurations. As much
as we work towards getting the perfectly square joint, it is often difficult to
achieve with the tools and machinery
we have at our disposal. One or a few bad adjustments can multiply and instead
provide us with a close but not
perfectly square joint or miter. The time- proven method to ensure that corners
and miters on smaller boards
are square is to use the shooting board. The shooting board was developed over a
century ago to address
this very issue. The shooting board is especially suited to thinner work which
cannot be hand planed easily
due to the narrow bearing surface. A good example of narrower stock is the
components of a small drawer
for a jewelry box or small cabinet. Another example is the face frame of a small
cabinet with thin, narrow
rails and stiles.
Shooting boards can be assembled to be as simple as possible or assembled with
a few extra features which
make it a greater pleasure to use. In the photo below there are two attached
levels of baltic birch plywood,
with the top level (baseboard) being narrower than the bottom. This creates a
lower runway at the right which
enables the side of the hand plane to have a surface to glide on and be guided
along from the front to the back
of the shooting board as in the second photo below.
You will also notice a fence which is installed onto the baseboard of the
shooting board. This fence provides
both a stop and bearing surface for the small piece we wish to square or miter.
The fence must be completely
perpendicular to the path of the hand plane sole, as this is what determines how
square the end of the board
is in relation to its' long edge. The fence is attached with screws and can be
adjusted in the future for wear.
The fence is also composed of a fixed , lighter part and the dark hardwood
face screwed horizontally to the
fixed component. This set up allows the adjusting of the dark hardwood face
enabling the fence to be
perfectly perpendicular to the edge of the shooting board runway, without
needing to remove the fixed portion.
You will notice a dark area at the junction of the lower runway and the edge of
the upper level (baseboard).
This will be discussed shortly and serves as the guide for the sole of the hand
plane surface.
You can decide to avoid a runway and simply use the bench itself as a surface to
glide the hand plane along.
If you decide this, ensure that the bench surface is flat. The runway provides a
guarantee that the hand plane
side will be gliding along a perfectly flat surface. The position of the fence
should be somewhere between the
end the middle of the shooting board, this to provide a continuous motion of the
hand plane well past the board
being squared. A cleat is also visible in the photo above which hooks the
shooting board onto the edge of your
bench , effectively using the bench to clamp the shooting board. The shooting
board can be oriented for left-hand
use by shifting the runway to the left of the shooting board assembly.
Approximate dimensions for this shooting board
Length - 18 inches
Width - 12 inches wide (including runway)
Runway - 3 inches wide
Fence position - 3.5 inches forward from rear
Fence - 1.5 inches thick X 1.25 inches high
Shooting board thickness - approx. 1.5 inches.
Below is the actual shooting process with a No. 6 hand plane being run along
the runway. There is a small
piece of cherry being squared in the photo. Any number of different hand planes
can be used for this operation,
but ideally a larger, heavier plane is better suited because of its increased
mass and stability. Once a momentum
is established, the actual shooting process is pleasant and simple. The depth or
adjustment of the blade should
be initially be minimally set with very small adjustments to get it just right.
We are striving for very thin shavings
off the end of the board. It will be harder to push the plane with thicker
shavings, and the hand plane will likely bind.
Another piece of cherry is being held in position against the fence below. The
hand plane is in the middle of the
operation here. The board is held against both the fence and against the sole of
the hand plane. Very light
pressure is necessary as the hand plane itself pushes the board against the
fence. The hand plane also only
needs light pressure sideways and any rocking of the hand plane is to be
avoided. The only real pressure in this
operation is the forward motion of the hand plane along the runway. I should
mention that hand planes with
larger wings or side surfaces fare better on shooting boards as they are more
stable and easier to keep square
on the shooting board runway.
An alternative photo below of the same shooting operation being performed with a
17 in. long wooden jack plane.
This wooden plane is particularly well-suited to this operation as the sides of
the plane have a large surface almost
as wide as the actual runway itself. A little more pressure is necessary with
wooden planes as they weigh less
and therefore develop less momentum going forward.
The wooden jack plane just passed the hardwood fence and is at the end of its'
travel. I next pull it back and
begin the next forward stroke. Upon every stroke, since there has been a shaving
removed from the board end,
the board needs to be advance slightly into the sole of the hand plane. This
operation becomes a part of the
process and after a while you can actually feel when complete shavings are being
removed. Complete shavings
are generated at the end of the shooting operation once the end of the board
is relatively square and flat.
Until this point, partial shavings are generated indicating the end of the
board is out of square.
A question which gets asked from time to time is how we manage to avoid planing
the edge of the baseboard
with the continuous forward motion along the edge of the runway. This is the
inherent magic of the shooting board.
Below you will notice a strip of blue tape on the lower part of the runway edge.
This is meant to highlight the
portion of the 3/4 in. edge which is never planed. The width of this ridge is
approximately 3/16 in. and coincides
with that portion of the plane sole with no blade protruding. When the hand
plane rides along its side, the edge
of the sole with no blade is the portion which contacts this lower area or ridge
(blue tape). The blade which
protrudes slightly then shaves everything else in the path above. Initially,
when the shooting board has been
newly constructed, gliding the plane along the runway will actually shave the
upper side of the runway and the
end of the fence. Once this has been performed, there should be no more shaving
until a board to be squared
is placed against the fence and along the sole of the plane.
The portion of the plane sole with no blade is highlighted below ( blue tape).
This also applies regardless if the
shooting board is set up for left or right hand operation, as the sole of the
hand plane is identical on either side.
This is the area of the sole which doesn't slice into the runway edge therefore
keeping the plane sole away from
the fence the exact distance the blade protrudes from the sole. If the blade
depth is increased another shaving
or two will likely be removed from the shooting board fence. Pulling back the
blade will also leave a very small
gap between the sole and the fence area of the shooting board. When alternating
between different planes you
will notice an extra shaving being removed if the blade depths are adjusted
differently. Also notice the cleat at
the front of the shooting board which serves to brace it to the bench edge.
Below, a hint of a gap between the fence and upper edge of the runway and the
sole of the hand plane.
This gap is typically the width of a shaving the hand plane will take, between 1
-3,000 / inch.
You can also see the edge of the blade shaving the cherry board while just
sliding by the fence.
The thickness of the components of the shooting board are optimally in the 3/4
in. range. This provides
sufficient bearing surface for the sole to glide on and to also keep from
rocking the plane. It is important
to keep from rocking the plane as this will take unnecessary shavings off the
fence area of the shooting board.
We need as much of the fence to remain square to the runway as the fence also
serves to eliminate tearout
of the board being planed. Tearout is the shearing of fibres at the back corner
edge of the board.
Below I am measuring how square the end of the small cherry board is using the
straight side of the board
as a reference surface for the engineers square. Make sure to create a straight
edge on board being squared
before shooting the end of the board square, as this is the reference surface
used against the fence of the
shooting board. Having both edges of the board straight and parallel enables us
to rotate the board to use
either edge as the reference surface providing a very accurately squared end of
the board.
Below is a photo of a miter jig for the shooting board. This jig will enable us
to both tune or true up a miter
created along the end of a board. Boards which are mitered this way are
typically used in small drawer,
small box or very small case construction. The miter jig is created from a solid
block of wood and a
45 degree ramp is cut at one side using the table saw. The 45 degree ramp needs
to be precise and it
is advisable to check it thoroughly afterwards. I use a protractor to confirm
the angle of the ramp is
accurately set at 45 degrees. The solid block has a backer board attached which
serves as a stop for the
board being planed. As with the previous shooting operation, there will be a few
shavings removed from the
block and backer board when the miter jig is initially used. The height, width
and length of the miter jig are
arbitrary and usually adapted to the size of the shooting board.
Above and below is a method of fastening the miter jig to the baseboard. A 5/16
in. threaded rod is used,
along with a 5/16 in. T-nut, metal and nylon washer, and a 5/16 in. locking knob
to keep the miter jig
against the fence and to keep it from sliding under pressure. The blind T-nut is
attached from the bottom
of the shooting board. The slot through the miter jig is slightly
oversized, approx 7/16 in., allowing small
adjustments to the miter jig along the face of the shooting board. Any
plastic, T-knob or star knob
can be used here making sure to locate it to prevent interference with a board
set on the ramp of the
miter jig. This setup permits adjustment of the miter jig both laterally and
against the fence.
Below a photo of the leading edge of the shooting board miter jig. The 45 degree
ramp can be clearly seen
along with the backer board. The L-shaped cleat at the front of the miter jig
serves to hold the jig in place and
to prevent it from sliding across the shooting board. Also partially visible is
the front cleat used to attach the
shooting board against the edge of the bench. This is simply a 1.5 inch
wide piece of baltic birch ply or
hardwood screwed and glued to the front edge of the shooting board.
Below is an overhead view of a small cherry board having its end planed to 45
degrees. The board is held in place
with my left hand while I glide the plane along the runway of the shooting
board. Notice the small gap between
the plane sole and the edge of the miter jig. This gap should be minimal as a
larger gap will contribute
to tearout of the board being planed. The shooting board miter jig is ideal to
define or tune the miter angle
on ends of boards, angles which have been previously cut on a bandsaw or
tablesaw. A longer, heavier plane
with large sides is ideal for this operation... as the increased mass helps to
develop sufficient momentum to
plane through thicker , wider boards.
Another overhead view of the shooting board miter jig setup as I begin to plane
a 45 degree miter at the
end of a board. It is important that all components of the miter jig are square
to each other including
the miter jig backer board and bottom surfaces.
Photo below of the shooting board miter jig in operation. The end of a small box
side is being planed for a
45 degree miter. All four sides of the box will be planed the same way ensuring
the miter joints fit correctly.
Light shavings are taken off the end with particular attention to keeping the
board firmly against the backer board.
This will ensure that the edge of the board we are tuning the miter on remains
square to the side of the board.
Below the front view of the shooting board miter jig and a cherry board we are
truing or tuning a miter on.
Notice the barely noticeable gap between the sole of the wooden hand plane and
the miter jig ramp,
whereas the cherry board is right up against the blade of the hand plane. The
gap is only slightly greater
than the original gap between the plane sole and the shooting board runway side.
The board being mitered
needs to be of uniform thickness across its width for the miter surface to be
accurate.
Below, confirming that the angle of the end miter is exactly at 45 degrees. I
use a calibrated protractor to
verify the angle. Make sure to check the angle across the complete length of the
miter for consistency.
Below, another attachment to the shooting board which enables us to trim or tune
face miters. The concept
is similar to the previous miter jig except the board end being trued lies flat
on the shooting board surface.
This attachment can be created from 3/4 in. scrap baltic birch plywood or MDF,
either of which provide
excellent dimensional stability. After cutting the piece, I also confirm the
angle is accurately set to 45 degrees.
Below is an alternative method to fasten the face miter jig to the baseboard. I
have used a 5/16 in. threaded rod,
and a 5/16 in. T-nut, metal and nylon washers, and a 5/16 in. locking knob to
keep the face miter jig against
the fence and also to keep it from sliding under pressure. The slot through the
miter jig is slightly oversized,
approx 7/16 in., to permit small adjustments to the face miter jig along the
face of the shooting board.
Any plastic, T-knob or star knob can be used in this application. The T-nut
created for with the miter jig
mentioned further above are also used in this application, making this a quickly
removable and adjustable
face miter jig. This setup permits me to adjust the face miter jig both
laterally and against the fence
with ease. Any other angle jig can be attached to the shooting board using the
same T-nut and slot.
Below a demonstration of the process to tune or true a face miter on a small,
narrow cherry board. The board
is held against the miter jig which is in turn held firmly against the shooting
board fence or stop. This board
can be used as part of a picture frame, for small frame and panel construction,
or as part of a small face frame.
The hand plane is run up and down the runway of the shooting board, every pass
removes a shaving
until the miter joint is perfect and at the correct measurement (from a
previously marked line).
Below is another demonstration of tuning or truing a face miter joint with a
metal-bodied No. 6 plane.
This is a heavier plane with more mass which translates to greater momentum and
it is also noticeably easier
to shoot with this plane. I often lightly wax the sole of my hand planes for
reduced friction. A small block
of paraffin wax is ideal to be able to do this with.
Below I confirm that the angle of the face miter is definitely at 45 degrees. I
am using the same calibrated
protractor used in previous measurements. If the miter jig is set up correctly
and no deviance or movement
occurs while shooting the face miter, this edge should be very accurate.
Below are the components of the shooting board and the miter jigs we have been
discussing. There are two
lengths of threaded 5/16 in. rod, the shorter one for the face miter jig, the
other for the miter jig block.
Also visible are the locking knob , washers, and the T-nut embedded into the
shooting board. As mentioned
earlier, the holes in the miter jigs are slightly oversize to allow for lateral
and forward movement of the
miter jigs against the fence. The holes through the miter jigs are done using a
drill press to ensure they
are perpendicular to the base. Both a metal engineer square and adjustable
protractor are used throughout to
ensure all angles are correct along their widths and lengths. The dimensions of
this particular shooting board
are 12 inches wide and 18 inches long.
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Ottawa Ontario ON K0A 2P0 CANADA
Phone: (613) 821-5160 E-mail:
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