Favorite Planes for Shooting?

[Stew Denton]

Hi All,

I have been thinking about shooting boards and planes.

What are your favorite planes, sizes, etc. for shooting? My assumption is that some of you use more than one size, depending on the application. I am pretty sure that I have read that some folks even use relatively small block planes for shooting on small projects.

Also, what are good articles or books, etc., that have a lot of basic information on shooting boards?

Thanks and regards,

Stew

[Matt Lau]

What are you shooting?

I mainly work on guitars, so my needs are different from yours. I started out with a LA jack, but I now very much prefer the Veritas Small Bevel up smoother. I got both as factory seconds.

Others can comment on the Infill planes, miter planes, and specialized shooting planes---should be excellent, but too rich for my blood.

Ps. Reread your post---Derek Cohen has the best info on shooting boards and shooting with a plane. Check out his website inthewoodshop.com

[john zulu]

Depends on application. Which boards are u referring to?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I used to use my Veritas low angle jack, and it works beautifully, especially since you can switch blade angles, although of course I typically use a 25 degree. I bought the Veritas shooting plane on the first day of issue, and if you have the $ and if you do enough shooting to justify a dedicated shooter, let me say this is the best one out there. It is well-made, very heavy construction, easy to use, and heavy. I love heavy planes for shooting.

[Greg Berlin]

I had the veritas shooting plane and I might be the only one that doesn't particularly care for it. I found just using a LA jack plane, I'm able to do everything the shooting plane does. The shooting plane seemed finicky to get the the blade perfectly square with the skew and I don't think it did any better than the low angle jack plane. I'm going to pick up a LA smoother from Lee Valley soon to use for smaller work and shooting as well and I have a feeling I might even like that better being a little smaller. I have a BU Smoother that I tend to reach for the most out of all my planes, a close second being the LA Jack plane, but it doesn't have square sides like the LA Smoother, so you can't shoot with it. Maybe it's just me, but I just like being able to pull out of the shooting board under my bench and put the LA jack plane right on the board that I just used to joint the long edge and then shoot the end grain with it instead of having to set the jack plane down to then pull out another plane to shoot a board and then have to clean it up and stick it back under the bench and then pull the jack plane back out. I'm nitpicking, but I can find other ways to spend $350 than on a dedicated plane for shooting when I don't feel it does it does it's dedicated job any better than the standard plane I have sitting on my bench currently. Just my .2 cents for what it's worth.

[Daniel Rode]

I prefer the sharp one. Assuming a sharp iron, I like #5. Sometimes the extra mass of the #6 is helpful but I find the #5 just about right most of the time. At the same time, a smoother or even a block plane will get the job done. I've never tried one of the BU planes for this, so I don't know how they compare.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi All,

I have been thinking about shooting boards and planes.

What are your favorite planes, sizes, etc. for shooting? My assumption is that some of you use more than one size, depending on the application. I am pretty sure that I have read that some folks even use relatively small block planes for shooting on small projects.

Also, what are good articles or books, etc., that have a lot of basic information on shooting boards?

Thanks and regards,

Stew

Hi Stew

Here are a few articles on shooting boards:

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/Setting%20Up%20and%20Using%20a%20Shooting%20Board4 .html

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/Advances%20in%20a%20ramped%20shooting%20board.html

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/RunningFencefortheShootingBoard.html

... and reviews of shooting planes:

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/LN51ShootingPlane.html

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/ShootingPlanesCompared.html

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/LVShootingPlane.html

Well, you did ask .. :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

Hi All,

I have been thinking about shooting boards and planes.

What are your favorite planes, sizes, etc. for shooting? My assumption is that some of you use more than one size, depending on the application. I am pretty sure that I have read that some folks even use relatively small block planes for shooting on small projects.

Also, what are good articles or books, etc., that have a lot of basic information on shooting boards?

Thanks and regards,

Stew

See Derek's post above for about all you need to know.

As far as planes and sizes go, that depends on you and your needs. Most planes can be used for shooting. Standard bench planes work fine but do not leave as nice a surface as a low angle plane.

My reason for using the LN #62, low angle bevel up jack, is because of a shoulder injury suffered many years ago. A low angle plane requires less effort to get through end grain.

I have used a block plane. The mass of a bigger plane helps, especially with bigger work.

One thing to consider is the platform of a shooting board. During the first use of a shooting board there is a running strip made at the bottom when the plane trims a bit of the platform's edge. The thicker your work supporting platform, the more of the plane's blade going unused.

jtk

[glenn bradley]

Lee Valley Low Angle Jack here. I have a few irons for it at differing angels. Many have their favorites but, the weight and length on this one do well for me. As mentioned above, a smaller plane if you do a lot of smaller work may be desired.

298927 . 298928

[Frederick Skelly]

#6. So far its done every shooting job Ive asked of it. It works so well Ive been able to resist buying a dedicated shooter. :)

YMMV.
Fred

[Greg Berlin]

I like that hot dog attachment! Did you make that yourself?

[glenn bradley]

I like that hot dog attachment! Did you make that yourself?

Thanks. Yes. It is a scrap of walnut I had in the bin. I tapped a hole on the no-show side and use a 1/4" x 20TPI set screw to give it a bit of friction although just shoving it on fit pretty snug. I'm just a belt and suspenders kinda guy ;-)


#6. So far its done every shooting job Ive asked of it. It works so well Ive been able to resist buying a dedicated shooter. :)

YMMV.
Fred

Sounds like its perfect to me ;)

[Paul Sidener]

I just use a low angle #5.

[Harold Burrell]

I once had a Groz that I felt like shooting, but didn't want to waste the lead on it.



Oh...wait...that's not what you meant, is it...

[Greg Berlin]

Haha I was thinking the exact same thing^^

[Rob Luter]

I use my LV Low Angle Jack with the 25 degree blade. Depending on the wood I hit the end grain with a little mineral spirits first and it winds up smooth as glass.

[Scott Stafford]

Okay, I use my shooting boards a lot.

I have a Lie-Nielsen 51 and I love it. I think what I like the most is the mass of the plane. It weighs near nine pounds and that weight carries it right through the stock.

It did take me a day or two to get accustomed to the handle angle but now it's natural.

It was a tough pill to swallow when paying for it but I have no regrets.

I wonder if Lie-Nielsen will ever come through with the promised #52 shooting board?


Scott in Montana

[Russell Sansom]

When I started serious hand work many decades ago, I only had a big old Bed Rock #8. It was a little awkward to hold, but after a year or two I no longer even noticed. Now with two full cabinets of magnificent state-of-the-art planes, I still grab that same old #8 for most of my shooting chores. And since I work mostly by hand, I shoot everything...edges, ends, and chamfers.
I would commend the big plane to anyone for almost any shooting. The two critical variables for me are the mass and the sharpness. The LN #8 has become a good second choice in my shop. I've tried little planes when I saw them suggested here on SMC ( It would never have occurred to me to use a small plane for shooting ), but they just don't feel right to me. What feels right to me is that very high inertia working as a low-pass filter to cut down on chatter. A low-angle blade would lower the impedance somewhat, but I still want that high mass.
I guess one down side is that the #8 wants a darned long shooting board bed to run on and this is one place where the LN #9 has an advantage. But wood for shooting fixtures is fairly cheap in the grand scheme of things and I just prefer the advantages that a long "wheel base" has over a short one.


I can see that this suggestion might seem ridiculous to some of you. It's probably a function of what you're trying to accomplish. In making harpsichords one has to joint many 6-foot long strips of 1/8" spruce. For a guitar there's a 2-foot joint of 1/10" spruce! The slightest blip of the jointing plane along its 6+ foot trip down the shooting board will leave a tiny divot and, therefore, a tiny imperfection with unknown long-term consequences. In my work I feel that this same kind of perfection isn't wasted on every day cabinet making.

[Graham Haydon]

A regular bevel down plane works really well. Wooden Jack or No 6 is nice but I can also use a No 4 just fine.

[Frederick Skelly]

A regular bevel down plane as works really well. Wooden Jack or No 6 is nice but I can use a No 4 just fine as well.


Youre right of course. I have too. From what Ive seen, a well tuned 4 does many things well.

[Shawn Pixley]

I use a LA Jack or my #7.

[ken hatch]

A vote for the LN #51...it's hard to beat a dedicated shooter.

ken

[Jim Koepke]

A vote for the LN #51...it's hard to beat a dedicated shooter.

ken

For many it is hard to afford the cost of a dedicated shooter. At the time of my purchase of an LN #62 the LN #51 wasn't available. As it is my mostly dedicated to shooting #62 comes in at about half the cost.

jtk