shooting plane

[Tom Bussey]

I was at the WIA show last week end and I saw a lot of shooting boards and planes. I noticed the #6 plane size was mostly used. What size do most of you use?

[Jeffrey Martel]

I use a Veritas Low Angle Smoother. But I demoed their dedicated shooting plane earlier this month and it was significantly easier. Wish I had the money.

[Alan Lightstone]

I use the LN 51. Lot's of weight. Quite easy to use. Real pricey, though.

[Prashun Patel]

Veritas LA Jack - but only because it's the biggest plane I have with square sides with an angle good for end grain cutting.

I'd LOVE more mass and a more ergonomic handle.

[Brian Holcombe]

#7 bevel down.

[Graham Haydon]

Hi Tom

I like my wooden Jack. Low friction, comfortable to hold and the shape gives it a really planted feel.

322373

[ken hatch]

LN 51. Some of the best money I've spent on tools. Like most things in life there are many ways to do something but almost without fail a single purpose tool will make the job easier.

ken

[Jim Koepke]

My main shooter is an LN #62, LA Jack.

Before that a #6 bench plane or a #65 block plane.

The #6 works great at shooting. With an old shoulder injury, a low angle plane helps to prevent bringing on the pain.

A little extra mass helps with shooting.

The LA planes also tend to leave a cleaner edge on end grain.

jtk

[Allan Speers]

I mostly use my HNT Gordon try plane. I like something long, and the handle can be inserted so it sticks "up" while shooting, which is nice.

I do wish it had taller sides, though, for more bottom registration when shooting. I like Tom's idea above. maybe someday I'll try to re-purpose one of my unused woodies. (Not that I have a huge collection of unused planes, or anything! Oh no, not ME. :o )

I'd also love to have a skewed blade. And a bevel up design. Well, some day .....

[Tom M King]

LV shooting plane for me. One that works in a track is really easy to use. It's the only new plane I own out of a couple of hundred. It not only works great, but is the best bargain out there for a shooting plane.

[Allan Speers]

LN 51. Some of the best money I've spent on tools. Like most things in life there are many ways to do something but almost without fail a single purpose tool will make the job easier.

ken

Must be sweet to use that thing !

[ken hatch]

Must be sweet to use that thing !

Allan,

It is. A tool that works is a thing of beauty.

ken

[Paul Sidener]

I usually use a LN low angle jack. Sometimes I use a #7. It depends what I am working on and what is out on the bench.

[John Crawford]

I use the plane that has its sides square to the base. My only one fitting in this category happens to be a #8. bigger than most would want, but works fine. I kind of like the extra weight.

[Ray Bohn]

LN #62 LA Jack.
I also use a Tablesaw Tom finessed 605 1 /2

[Pedro Reyes]

I have not built a shooting board with track for my Lee Valley shooting plane. Even without a track I sometimes use this, but most often I use a 5-1/2 Stanley and often my LN 62, honestly sometimes it comes down to whatever is close and sharp. I am still debating the value of a track on a shooting board, but this is based solely on how I taught myself to shoot.

Pedro

[john zulu]

I have the LV shooting plane. It is hefty and great for hard wood. I use it on the shooting board I built. It has a slight ramp. Works very well as it is. A LV LAJ works well too. I just use it for soft to medium woods

[Kees Heiden]

#6 fore plane.

[Daniel Rode]

I mostly use the #5 (K5) I bought from you specifically for shooting. The size and mass are a nice combination for shooting thinner stock and pine. For larger and harder wood, I sometimes use my #6 for the extra mass.

[David B. Morris]

+1 for the LN #62 low-angle jack (with the "hot dog" attachment).

[Jim Koepke]

+1 on the LN "hot dog."

It is easy to make one for any other plane. There is one made for my Stanley/Bailey bench planes when something with a little more width than an LA Jack is needed.

jtk

[Dave Anderson NH]

I used to shoot with either a #6 or a #7. Last year I treated myself to the LV-Veritas left handed shooting plane. Sweet.

[Curt Putnam]

Veritas shooting plane and track. Undecided about mitering - especially picture frame moldings.

[Allan Speers]

The Veritas looks quite functional, but I dislike the styling, which actually matters to me. The thing looks like a giant penis.

Someday I hope to own the LN.

[Mike Cherry]

The Veritas looks quite functional, but I dislike the styling, which actually matters to me. The thing looks like a giant penis.

Someday I hope to own the LN.
Well, that went sideways quick.

[Allan Speers]

Well, that went sideways quick.

I was being serious !

As a hobbyist, the way my tools look & feel is important. The LV shooter looks a bit ridiculous to me, as do their newest block planes.

To each his own, I guess.

[Tom M King]

One main advantage of the LV shooting plane is that the iron reregisters perfectly where it was, when you put it back in after sharpening, and the adjuster works flawlessly. I'm not fond of the plane looks either, but that matters little to me, since I'm getting paid to get work done. Also, for the woods I work daily, O1 is my first choice for cutter steel.

[Andrew Gold]

Tom,
I'm glad you've specifically called out the registration element to the LV shooting plane, as I hadn't really caught that detail on the web. I have to admit, I'm in the camp that likes the looks of the LN better than the LV, though it sounds like you think there is a clear design advantage to the LV.

Little things like this really highlight the value of forums like this, thank you!

[Tom M King]

The particular advantage of the registration return on a shooting plane is that you won't dig into your board readjusting it after putting the iron back in. Snap it back in and go back to work. If you took enough off sharpening to matter, the adjustment forward is still dead on.

[Mike Cherry]

Tom, might I ask what stock you use that you feel O1 is a better fit? I am contemplating getting the plane but I'm not sure what blade would be best. I know that O1 can take a keener edge but I'm not sure if the pmv-11's abrasion resistance would be more advantageous.

[Tom M King]

I mostly work recycling Heart Pine, and White Oak, with occasionally Walnut and Maple-mostly heart pine. O1 and I are old friends.

[Ron Patrick]

I have the LV shooting plane and love it. As far as the shape is concerned, it reminds me of a sports car (guess I just don't have a phallic mind), but then, some people think sports cars are phallic symbols. The LN reminds me of a Scion, all blocky, all business with no style. But then, each to his own.

[Pedro Reyes]

Veritas shooting plane and track. Undecided about mitering - especially picture frame moldings.


Curt, I have the LV Shooting plane, sadly when I get home tonight I won't be able to look at it the same way.

In any case, I don't have a shooting board with track, and I've been contemplating building one, but the way I learned to shoot does not lend itself to a track.

What I basically do is set the board out, by a hair and then plane until the plane cuts no more. SO the shooting plane starts off from perpendicular to a board's edge (start cutting at the front until the plane ends perpendicular and you have a cut across all the endgrain). A track does not allow this, you have to constantly push (feed) the board towards the sole of the plane. In my current way, the board is fixed all the time, in fact my shooting board has one of those toggle clamps to secure the board.

Maybe I am in the minority with that approach, so not sure if I will love the track approach.

/p

[Tom M King]

With a track, the only pushing you do is the plane forward. Say you have the iron set to take a thousandth shaving. You hold the piece against the fence, butting the plane sole in front of the iron, push the plane forward, and you have taken a thousandth off perfectly aligned with the way you have the fence set. You can take as many passes as you need by just pushing the piece to the plane sole before each pass. I used it for fitting hundreds of inlays on a floor. No piece was ever clamped, and it takes little pressure to hold it against the fence even. I really liked it for that, and use it a lot more than I thought I would when I bought it. The bevel up, low angle, skewed blade will cut any angle you want to on end grain perfectly cleanly, and perfectly straight, with no skill required.

Nothing wrong with a Miter Jack, but this way works great too.

[Allan Speers]

Oh man, now I really want a track board! It sounds like one of those 'non essential luxuries" that because almost essential once you use it.

I'm also starting to formulate planes for a board surface with a sliding top & a lead screw adjustment. :)



And then a power feed for the plane,
and then an LED warning light to tell me when I've reach my desired stock length,
and then ..... :eek:

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I've got the LV shooting plane with a PM-V11 blade. I like the adjustable tote and mouth, although I did have a bit of a tussle initially getting the blade alignment right with the three set screws. I built a 4' long shooting board with a rail to simulate a track and lined the bottom of the track with a 3" wide slick strip from Woodcraft. Works great. Originally I was going to purchase the LN, but the features and more than $150 price difference (with free shipping) convinced me to get the LV.

[john zulu]

Here is the build I did for the LV shooting plane
https://www.flickr.com/photos/36427803@N04/13008132405/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/36427803@N04/13008321263/

Design was taken from Derek. I actually did not use the plane until I build the shooting board. Helps a lot. The first picture was a piece of resak wood. Hardwood in Malaysia