Shooting Board

Pete Howlett

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Replaced my old shooting board with this one. An enjoyable half hour tool making...

ShootingBoard_zps091eab6f.jpg
 
The plane will take a small shaving from the board (to the depth that the blade is set) but leave a bit at the bottom, as the plane blade doesn't extend across the entire sole of the plane. It stops by 1/8 to 1/4" (depends on your particular plane. So then the plane's sole runs against that uncut strip as a straight edge. Simple and elegant solution. If you look carefully at the hard wood runner on the picture of mine, you can see where the plane blade has taken a shaving.

Shooting boards can be made in countless ways and configurations. Besides a very long one that can do the back and top on Weissenborn style lap guitars, I made a small one to do the end grain for the butt joint at the tail block on the sides of the instrument. Makes for a spot on join so easy you'll wonder why it seems like such a best kept secret.

They can be made to other angles as well. Popular with box makers to do precise 45 degree joins. Another mate makes an adjustable one so that he can piece together multiple segments for segmented turning on the lathe.

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Nice one Allen.
I've tried your version (straight to the centre of the bench) and the sloped version (thus using more of the planes blade) and I prefer the thinner side of bench option like Pete's which enables me the option of being able to clamp the wood down for problematic figured woods. Really problem figured sets (like the set in my avatar pic) I sand true with the same action, just with a square length of 2x2 aluminium.

"Quick, everyone to thee Aluminium Falcon."

ps- Happy Australia day!
 
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A shooting board is not a straight-edge 'guide'... This is a mis-conception. I'll do a video to explain this next week.
 
God bless all you guys who can use a shooting board. While it works well some some woods I never had much success with it on figured woods. And I don't like sanding a critical joint. Here's my version of a shooting board, consisting of an under- bench mounted router and some wood scraps. One pass any it's a perfect joint every time. Saves me a huge amount of time. The straight edge is the key here. I think it was every bit of fifty bucks through Lee Valley, and worth it. (On second thought it could've been more.) And spiral bits are the only ones that will give a smooth cut.
 

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God bless all you guys who can use a shooting board. While it works well some some woods I never had much success with it on figured woods. And I don't like sanding a critical joint. Here's my version of a shooting board, consisting of an under- bench mounted router and some wood scraps. One pass any it's a perfect joint every time. Saves me a huge amount of time. The straight edge is the key here. I think it was every bit of fifty bucks through Lee Valley, and worth it. (On second thought it could've been more.) And spiral bits are the only ones that will give a smooth cut.

Nice set-up. Thank you for showing us that Chuck! :)
 
A shooting board is not a straight-edge 'guide'... This is a mis-conception. I'll do a video to explain this next week.

I am truly looking forward to this pending video. When I was a kid, my grandfather showed me how to use one to assure a clean and straight edge, as for a joint. Have I gone 30 years not doing what I thought I was doing?

Is this a matter of semantics?

Tobin Crooks
 
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Our "jointer" works the opposite way around, which is probably wrong for a lot of reasons but it works...
The plane is an old wooden smoothing plane that I bought from a ship builder a long time ago. I think it was for planing the floors and decks. It's 620 mm long, i.e. just over 2 ft.
Anyway, I decided it was too big and heavy to be shooting it along the edge of a shooting board so I turned it around. The plane is clamped down and there's a flat spacer board on the table in front of it. You simply pass the piece (or pieces) to be jointed along the plane edge. I normally do them one at a time, as I find I get a better match that way.

P1030274_sm.jpg P1030276_sm.jpg

BTW, what you see above the plane is our "Spanish clamp" arrangement and two work boards that are clamped on top. These are unclamped and set aside when we want to use the jointer.
 
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Anyone else use a sprung joint???-
That's how I was shown how to do it.
Sprung joint is having a *tiny* bit of light showing in the middle while the ends 'squeak' when rubbed together. All clamps together tightly of course- I do it the the simple set up in the pics

Chuck- where did you buy that spiral bit???- Good, smart set up BTW-A good straight edge and router bit way is cheaper then a decent jointer plane.

irw 018.jpgGlenwood Adventures 016.jpg
 
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Jointers won't give you a smooth cut. Spiral bits will. They come from Eagle.
The idea came from Jack Clark in an old ASIA magazine. The joint however will only be as good as your straight edge. I keep the edge waxed to protect it from the elements.
 
I use an Everlast Micro-5 80 tooth 10" table saw blade with a blade stabilizer. I have been working with my own veneers, which happen top be within the same range as uke/guitar plates, for more than 10 years now. First, I cut close to the final cut, then take a very thin shave off. The joint is held to the light to check tightness. This works only works with boards with parallel edges, cut, half sides need the jointer plane. I use tape for gluing up, no need for any clamping jigs. Since beginning to use HHG, I no longer see the glue line clogging belts on the wide belt sander.
 
I use tape for gluing up, no need for any clamping jigs. Since beginning to use HHG, I no longer see the glue line clogging belts on the wide belt sander.

ChrisH and anyone else- Is it true HHG as an inherent clamping action of its own???- i.e it pulls/draws things together for a super strong fit? Your tape only method suggests as such.

I'm not sold on the whole 'HHG not clogging belt sanders' line. How much glue is on a centre join- 0.001"-0.002"??. I clean all the excess glue off with scraper, but just the centre line glue couldn't be a noticeable factor surely.

On my wish list is this LN Jointer plane but at the moment i'm using a $50 #7 plane I got at an antique store. Gives me a good flat surface once I trued it all up.
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=7
 
Beau, I cannot answer your first question for sure, but I almost said something to that effect, I swear that HHG is giving me better joints, yes I think I see it shrinking, drawing together. I have glued with tape for years with other glues.

If you want to be 'a customer' of the idea of HHG not clogging belts, take 2 sets of plates, join one with LMI white glue, or titebond, and one with HHG, run them through a fresh belt, say 120 grit. You should immediately get your answer. I had never noticed that the glue was loading my belts, but it does. HHG, at least, is not nearly as bad. I first read it in one of Rick's post, didn't doubt it, but couldnt confirm it, just didn't listen, as I was not joining pl;ates with HHG. Then I paid attention to an LMI glued plate, sure enough it loaded enough that the next pass through, on a brand spankin new belt, the glue loaded belt was leaving a high line where the glue loading was occurring. My first attempt at joining plates with HHG was a bust, it was mixed too thick, not enough in the squeeze bottle, and I had not put a bunch of stainless nuts in the bottle as a heatsink. Lately, the HHG pot has been fired up every dasy, and I am using it for more and more tasks, just general use in addition to the uke building. I still do not have the guts to glue kerfing with HHG, but I just lined 4 bodies with the A4 kerfing that Ryan guitars sells, I like it, I ordered more. I think it is a perfect candidate for HHG, it is so fast and easy to install. It goes on all the way without clamps, and stays long enough to maintain pressure where needed while clamping. Also, the design of the kerfs holds a lot of glue. HHG yes, and not looking back...
 
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