Using The Veritas Shooting Plane

[Jim Koepke]

A Veritas Left Handed Shooting Plane arrived in my shop recently. My project today actually needed a bit of work on the ol' shooting board…

For quite a few years a Lie-Nielsen #62 Low Angle Jack Plane has served as my shooting plane. At the time it was purchased planes specifically for shooting were not being made. After trying the LN #51 at a Tool Event in Portland, OR my desire was kindled.

After comparing the specifications on the LN and the Veritas shooting planes my choice was to go with the Veritas. The price was better, but so were many other features.

The Veritas Shooting Plane has a lower effective angle of attack. This places less strain on the operator than a plane with a standard frog.

Another feature is three set screws for holding the blade’s lateral positioning:

432052

These hold the lateral adjustment setting when the blade is removed for honing. My set up had these a touch on the tight side. The lower screw in the image had to be loosened ~1/4 turn to remove the blade. The set screws use a small, flat blade screw driver.

The plane was ordered with a PM-v11 blade. It was fairly sharp out of the box. When it first arrived it was given a quick test drive using a scrap of ash. The blade is factory ground to 25º with a few degrees added as a secondary bevel.

A little time on my oilstones produced a good edge:

432053

It was a bit surprising to see the bristles of my brush left behind from brushing the wood dust off the plane.

Before starting it seemed a good idea to put a fresh coat of wax on the board:

432054

Anything to make the work a little easier.

One of my ‘round tuits’ may be to add a side rail guide to my shooting board. Until then it seems to work fairly well/easily with one or two gripping strategies:

432055

This has two fingers on the blade to press toward the center of the board.

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The casting has a rounded section for the adjustable handle. It is actually comfortable to wrap the pinky & ring finger around that part of the casting. This is fine for a little shooting. For a lot of shooting it is likely to be more comfortable with a guide rail.

The plane required little effort on my part to glide through some spalted holly:

432057

The results are wonderful:

432058

There is a pale streak across the center of the piece from a small flaw on the blade’s edge. It wasn’t deep enough to split the shaving. A trip back to the stones corrected this.

The skewed blade makes an appreciable difference over my #62. The impact at the beginning of a cut with a straight on blade can be rather jarring, especially with thicker shavings.

jtk

[Phil Mueller]

Yes, very enjoyable plane to use. I think you will appreciate a guide rail. It eliminates any effort to hold it against the work piece. Just easy forward motion using the handle only. My guide rail is made with slotted holes so any minor adjustments can be done easily.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

Jim, your description is making my tongue hang out a little. (Now, where would I put it......?)
Didn’t Derek show his rail in a recent post? It might be a design you could copy to make life easier.

[Derek Cohen]

Jim, add a side fence and save your fingers :)

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/LVShootingPlane_html_7190d3b2.jpg

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/LVShootingPlane_html_1e3465d.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Steve Mathews]

Wish I didn't see this post. After just purchasing a LN 51 (haven't received it yet) I now want to get the LV. Is it too insane to have both?

[Jim Koepke]

Wish I didn't see this post. After just purchasing a LN 51 (haven't received it yet) I now want to get the LV. Is it too insane to have both?

IMO, you need a right handed shooter and a left handed shooter. For me, my LN #62 will be used when needed for the right hand work.

jtk

[Tom M King]

This picture was from the first job I used the LV Shooting Plane on. We had hundreds of inlay pieces to fit on an old floor repair. They were all square, but being able to fine tune the fit was just the ticket for the Shooting Plane. I made this board out of Corian, but have since built a stack of others out of plywood, and they work just as well.

You may be able to see a smudge, where my thumb ended up, on the flat side of the hump. I ended up not using the tote for shooting, but my hand instinctively ended up on that hump. With a track, there is no need to hold the plane against the workpiece, as long as it stays down in the track.

I wouldn't want one without the track. It doesn't have to be anything fancy either.

Maybe if you worked thicker pieces, all the time, the tote might be the right place for the hand. I never think about those details, but just the work at hand, so may very well use the tote sometimes. All those flooring pieces were 1/4", and White Oak, or Mahogany, so it took little effort at all the slice the cuts, so the weight of the plane itself provided plenty of butt to get the cuts made.

I made that Corian board big enough to use both the right-handed, and left-handed version, hoping that a job would come up that would require me to buy the left handed version too, but so far, one has done everything I've needed one for.

[John Stevens]

IMO, you need a right handed shooter and a left handed shooter.

I bought both Veritas shooters and felt so guilty about such an extravagance. Felt much better after using both to re-do the trim in the powder room. Could get by with one for some of the trim but not all.

[Christopher Charles]

Jim,

Glad you're enjoying the plane. It is hands down a favorite of mine.

Tom, I too hardly ever use the tote either and rather hold the hump on the body of the plane. Whether that hump was designed for the purpose or happy luck, it's the ticket for me. I prefer the feel as can put some down pressure on the plane to make sure it's not tipping ever so slightly.

Best,
Chris

[Jim Koepke]

A guide rail was added to my shooting board today. At least one of my fingers still wants to park itself on the blade.

jtk

[J. Greg Jones]

You may be able to see a smudge, where my thumb ended up, on the flat side of the hump. I ended up not using the tote for shooting, but my hand instinctively ended up on that hump...

I do the same thing. I find gripping there gives me more control and is more comfortable than using the tote.

[Rob Lee]

I bought both Veritas shooters and felt so guilty about such an extravagance. Felt much better after using both to re-do the trim in the powder room. Could get by with one for some of the trim but not all.

Yeah - there is a bit of guilt involved with buying RH and LH versions of the same plane..... I just bought the the skew rabbet pair .... and had to think a lot about it....(and I get a discount.....!).

Cheers -

Rob

[Prashun Patel]

Thanks for the analysis, Jim.

I purchased this plane and the aluminum shooting track subsequently. The track was a splurge. I loved it at first. However, I have noticed that after a couple years, it has begun to delaminate. This doesn't affect the function so much as the feel. It now glides a little gritty. The coating is spotty enough that instead of trying to repair it, it seems easier to eventually just make my own track for it. I was pretty good about lubricating it with wax too.

[Tony Zaffuto]

This picture was from the first job I used the LV Shooting Plane on. We had hundreds of inlay pieces to fit on an old floor repair. They were all square, but being able to fine tune the fit was just the ticket for the Shooting Plane. I made this board out of Corian, but have since built a stack of others out of plywood, and they work just as well.

You may be able to see a smudge, where my thumb ended up, on the flat side of the hump. I ended up not using the tote for shooting, but my hand instinctively ended up on that hump. With a track, there is no need to hold the plane against the workpiece, as long as it stays down in the track.

I wouldn't want one without the track. It doesn't have to be anything fancy either.

Maybe if you worked thicker pieces, all the time, the tote might be the right place for the hand. I never think about those details, but just the work at hand, so may very well use the tote sometimes. All those flooring pieces were 1/4", and White Oak, or Mahogany, so it took little effort at all the slice the cuts, so the weight of the plane itself provided plenty of butt to get the cuts made.

I made that Corian board big enough to use both the right-handed, and left-handed version, hoping that a job would come up that would require me to buy the left handed version too, but so far, one has done everything I've needed one for.

What did you use for glue on the Corian?

I have a few pieces I've been tripping over for more than a decade and the other day, I moved them to the trash heap, but now it appears I have a use for them!

[Frederick Skelly]

The LV Shooter is one of the most enjoyable tool purchases I've ever made.
I didn't HAVE TO have it, but I smile every single time I use it.
Well done LV!
Fred

[Steven Harrison]

I upgraded from a homemade shooting board and Veritas low angle Jack to the shooting plane and board in February. I knew I wanted one, but after trying it out at the Woodworking Shows, I was in love. The low angle Jack always hurt my hand, probably because I never used a hotdog.

I actually spent a lot of time this weekend with it. I added a type of donkey's ear miter jig for some future box projects, and started working on an oak frame for a different project. I get happy every time I use it. Congrats, Jim, on the acquisition.
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[glenn bradley]

Jim, add a side fence and save your fingers :)

Yes, this.

[Tom M King]

What did you use for glue on the Corian?

I have a few pieces I've been tripping over for more than a decade and the other day, I moved them to the trash heap, but now it appears I have a use for them!

I think I just used Super Glue. All my solid surface glue has long since hardened in the tubes, and been tossed. I don't think I've fabricated anything with it since the '80's, but still have some pieces that were "too good to throw away" from the kitchen work back then.

I do have a number of specialty router bases that I've made out of it over those years. I also use it for shower shelves. Don't throw it away.

[Tony Zaffuto]

I think I just used Super Glue. All my solid surface glue has long since hardened in the tubes, and been tossed. I don't think I've fabricated anything with it since the '80's, but still have some pieces that were "too good to throw away" from the kitchen work back then.

I do have a number of specialty router bases that I've made out of it over those years. I also use it for shower shelves. Don't throw it away.

Thanks Tom-already moved back to the "project pile". Never occurred to me to use for a shooting board, and it will look deluxe, as this Corian looks like granite!

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, add a side fence and save your fingers :)

Regards from Perth

Derek


Yes, this.

Thanks, it has been done and does work great.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks Tom-already moved back to the "project pile". Never occurred to me to use for a shooting board, and it will look deluxe, as this Corian looks like granite!

Heck, tossing a 1/4"X1/2"X2" piece makes me feel guilty. It is easier in the dead of winter when it seems like a good source of heat for in the house.

One of my daughters teaches pre-schoolers. She used to take all my shavings for her kids to use as hare when making paper bag puppets. It got me to be more careful with through holes bored with forstner bits. They last piece could saved for making eyes.

My father must have given me some of his pack rat genes.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

Heck, tossing a 1/4"X1/2"X2" piece makes me feel guilty. It is easier in the dead of winter when it seems like a good source of heat for in the house.

One of my daughters teaches pre-schoolers. She used to take all my shavings for her kids to use as hare when making paper bag puppets. It got me to be more careful with through holes bored with forstner bits. They last piece could saved for making eyes.

My father must have given me some of his pack rat genes.

jtk

My issue is, I have saved so many things for "just in case", that when I need them, I cannot find them!

[Tom M King]

Yeah, I can't say how many hundreds of pounds of fasteners I have, but the easiest place for me to find what I need is in Ace Hardware.

[Jim Koepke]

My issue is, I have saved so many things for "just in case", that when I need them, I cannot find them!


Yeah, I can't say how many hundreds of pounds of fasteners I have, but the easiest place for me to find what I need is in Ace Hardware.

That can be a problem without some kind of filing method.

There are only a couple of places where hinges reside in my shop.

Screws, bolts, washers and nuts are kept in a few different places based on; SAE or Metric, material, type, sizes and their original purpose.

Tools and some other items also have a system. With some screwdrivers, tap & die sets, combination wrenches, etc. kept in a Craftsman rolling tool chest. Another Husky rolling tool chest holds socket wrenches, some electrical tools and plumbing tools, miscellaneous drill bits, punches and allen wrenches.

Oh, the woodworking tools are another mess and all over the place. Then there are a few yard tools and tree cutting tools.

It may not make sense to anyone and is as cluttered as my mind, but it works for me.

A few set screws were needed a couple days ago. They were in the first of my reused Altoid containers taken out of a drawer:

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There were about 7 set screws at the bottom of that mess. Only two of them were the size wanted.

Another one of my 'round tuit' projects is to make a hardware stand with drawers to keep more screw and nuts separated by their thread designations.

jtk

[John Stevens]

I added a type of donkey's ear miter jig for some future box projects, and started working on an oak frame for a different project. I get happy every time I use it.

Many thanks, Steven, for the pics of your donkey’s ear. I also have the Veritas shooting board (yes, the L & R pair, Rob) and during my recent trim project there was one piece of moulding I needed to bevel instead of miter—that’s when I began to think about how to add a donkey’s ear to the shooting board. Your pictures have inspired me and smoothed the path.

I also want to praise the Veritas shooting board for making it EASY to trim ends at angles a little more or less than 90 or 45 degrees. I used a ruler or shims to measure the deviation on the walls and then just transferred the measurement to the shooting board. The ease with which the fence can be moved and locked made the transfer effortless. The vernier scale was good for fine-tuning. For me, the cost was a good value—definitely no lingering guilt over that, either.

[Jim Koepke]

Many thanks, Steven, for the pics of your donkey’s ear. I also have the Veritas shooting board (yes, the L & R pair, Rob) and during my recent trim project there was one piece of moulding I needed to bevel instead of miter—that’s when I began to think about how to add a donkey’s ear to the shooting board. Your pictures have inspired me and smoothed the path.

John, there are a few posts on shooting different angles with donkey ears and other attachments > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?157217 < is an old post of mine on making a 22-1/2º donkey ear for an octagon bird house.

This one > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?244777 Is about making my current shooting board from an old one. It has a couple attachments for shooting angles and also has a post of someone else's shooting board with a donkey ear and a block for shooting 45º ends on their ambidextrous shooting board.

> https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?242236 < is a donkey ear experiment.

A lot of things can be accomplished with a simple shooting board.

jtk


jtk

[Steven Harrison]

Many thanks, Steven, for the pics of your donkey’s ear. I also have the Veritas shooting board (yes, the L & R pair, Rob) and during my recent trim project there was one piece of moulding I needed to bevel instead of miter—that’s when I began to think about how to add a donkey’s ear to the shooting board. Your pictures have inspired me and smoothed the path.

I also want to praise the Veritas shooting board for making it EASY to trim ends at angles a little more or less than 90 or 45 degrees. I used a ruler or shims to measure the deviation on the walls and then just transferred the measurement to the shooting board. The ease with which the fence can be moved and locked made the transfer effortless. The vernier scale was good for fine-tuning. For me, the cost was a good value—definitely no lingering guilt over that, either.


No problem, John. Glad you found them useful! The only thing better than one pair of the board and plane... is a second set.

[lowell holmes]

I did not know and I have been shooting with my #5 Stanley, oh well.

[Jim Koepke]

I did not know and I have been shooting with my #5 Stanley, oh well.

Before purchasing a Low Angle Jack Plane my shooting was done with everything from a block plane to a #7. They can all do the job. The lower the angle, the more like a slicing cut. The low angle planes leave a nicer finish on end grain. Some folks don't care about such things.

Here is the board with the added guide rail:

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A piece of scrap ash was cut, planed and drilled for the screw shank size. Then a 1/4" bit was used for the countersinking. The piece was then set in position to mark hole positions on the board and attached with #6 wood screws.

jtk

[John Stevens]

John, there are a few posts on shooting different angles with donkey ears and other attachments

Thanks so much for those links, Jim. Lots of great ideas and pictures.

[Mike Allen1010]

The LV Shooter is one of the most enjoyable tool purchases I've ever made.
I didn't HAVE TO have it, but I smile every single time I use it.
Well done LV!
Fred

+1 what seemed like an extravagance is now a necessity. in fact, I tend to leave the shooting board and plane set up on an auxiliary work surface so it's always available.

Cheers, Mike

[John Stevens]

I tend to leave the shooting board and plane set up on an auxiliary work surface so it's always available.
Same here.

[Derek Cohen]

The ultimate shooting set up using the Veritas Shooting Plane?

https://i.postimg.cc/nzfHX8m6/20CBF98F-C3A0-4B08-AB48-41724DE8EC3A.png

https://i.postimg.cc/Y0pMx1bR/A2114717-E037-469-A-8-F6-C-DCF1910-CB7-B3.png


Set up permanently in one spot ...

https://i.postimg.cc/KjXhWD8G/shooting-table1-zps6tkqxyjq.jpg
Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

+1 what seemed like an extravagance is now a necessity. in fact, I tend to leave the shooting board and plane set up on an auxiliary work surface so it's always available.

Cheers, Mike

My shooting board hangs on the back rail under my bench so it is alway handy.

jtk