Question: Lie-Nielsen #51 shoot board plane or sled

[Dean Lapinel]

I've always wanted the Lie-Nielsen #51 and think this might be the time to buy it...if it can be used.
I have a 4 ft long 15" wide 3/4" sapele that needs some edge touch up. The 2 properly dimensioned boards that were joined ended up just a bit under a 16th off in length. Now I have to square both sides and cut down the other side of the carcase to match.
I have a small shooting board and use the lie-Nielsen #7 (perfect 90 degree body) for small boxes and generally smaller boards. I think though that the heavier 51 with the skew would be more appropriate in this situation but I've never seen the 51 used on a large shooting board for large planks.
I think though, that making a large shooting board might be easier than trying to make a new larger sled for my table saw. I would also prefer to use the plane.
Has anyone here used the 51 for large dense planks on a shooting board? I'm not even sure that a sled would work for this size plank.

[Mike Cherry]

Well, the quick answer is that you can shoot this edge with the 51. If it were me, I would prefer to strike a line around all four sides and secure the plank vertically. Chamfer the far end down to your line ( or clamp a sacrificial piece on the far end) to avoid spelching. Then just plane down to your line. I would recommend a low angle Jack plane, but I have successfully used a regular angle smoothing plane. If all you have is the #7, then use that. You could, with proper technique, use a block plane for this.

This is is one of those operations that I think can be an eye opener for guys that just start to dabble in hand tools. Working to a line is the basis for all hand tool work and can be done many ways. The key is sharp tools and proper marking. If you can see the line you can cut the line. There's a sort of freedom that comes with that. Best of luck to you!