View Full Version : Donkey's ear vs miter jack
Dave Cottrell
01-25-2018, 2:09 PM
Not having a vast experience with shooting, I want to make accurate box corners easily and cleanly. In your experience, is there a difference between angling the cutter or angling the workpiece? Does one setup have any advantage over the other?
Patrick Chase
01-25-2018, 4:45 PM
Not having a vast experience with shooting, I want to make accurate box corners easily and cleanly. In your experience, is there a difference between angling the cutter or angling the workpiece? Does one setup have any advantage over the other?
I've built both, and IMO the donkey-ear fixture is easier to make. It's what I did first. It's also more less technically demanding to use: If you can shoot then you can use a donkey's ear.
The Miter jack provides much more positive work-holding as it's basically an angled vise, and can handle a wider range of part geometry IMO, including work that's too large to shoot in a single pass (if your jack is big enough). On the minus side it takes some practice and technique to use a miter jack without damaging the surface around the workpiece.
For simple rectangular box corners I think that the donkey ear is more than adequate, and probably the lowest-effort option.
Dave Cottrell
01-26-2018, 8:53 AM
Thanks that's good advice!
lowell holmes
01-26-2018, 12:01 PM
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/ShootingBoard2.pdf
I used to know what a donkey's ear was, but i had to go online to refresh my memory.
Old age is for the birds, but it sure beats the alternative.
Jim Koepke
01-26-2018, 1:10 PM
It is easier to make slight adjustments when needed with a donkey's ear.
Here is one made for making a 22-1/2º cut:
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?157217-Eight-Eared-Donkey
jtk
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