Low friction plastic in shooting board

[Radu Tenenbaum]

I watched a couple shooting board videos that used a low friction plastic material for the plane to slide over, but they didn't identify the material. Nylon?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcVK5wLSPOw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4VsyqVr8Gc

[David Carroll]

It doesn't look to be Nylon to me, normally Nylon is a bit less opaque and more yellow than bright white, but would work. That material looks to be Delrin (Acetal) which is widely available, machines well, and has a very low friction coefficient. It's available in white and black, in blocks, profiles, and sheets. We use a fair bit of it at work. (It's also great electrical insulator. I design high voltage equipment for a living). We don't use thin sheets of it or I'd offer to send you some.

Small pieces of it are available through McMaster-Carr. It's pricey, but not as much as some other plastics.

There are other choices as well, High Density Polyethylene would work

To be honest, I think that waxed birch plywood wouldn't be noticeably different.

DC

[Kent A Bathurst]

......... material looks to be Delrin (Acetal) which .......available through McMaster-Carr..........

Looks to be, but it ain't. UHMW [ultra-high-molecular weight] is Delrin's local cousin - it inhabits our part of the time-space continuum, rather Delrin which eases the way for giant machines. etc.

Even better - it is much less costly, will do this job perfectly, and it comes in adhesive-backed tapes of many widths and thicknesses. You don't need to build up a screw-on platform, just use tape, I use the tape - over time it gets a bit torn, so I scrape it off and replace. No screws needed, so don't need it thick enough to accept countersunk fasteners

McM-C tape page:

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/adhesive-tape/material~uhmw-plastic/

If you want to use solid material, they have that also.

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/uhmw-polyethylene/slippery-uhmw-polyethylene-sheets-bars-and-strips/

[Tom M King]

I built one out of Corian but don't see a lot of difference over wooden ones. I ended up using wax on both types. Renaissance wax is quite slippery.

[Rob Luter]

It's UHMWPE. I have some tape from 3M made of the stuff. It's about 0.060" thick with adhesive backing. I lined my shooting board with it.

[Derek Cohen]

I watched a couple shooting board videos that used a low friction plastic material for the plane to slide over, but they didn't identify the material. Nylon?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcVK5wLSPOw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4VsyqVr8Gc

Radu, you do not need - or benefit - from special low friction material on a shooting board runway. All you need is wax.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

All you need is wax.

Sounds like a Beatles song. But it is true, candle wax, canning wax or bee's wax all work well.

jtk

[Stephen Rosenthal]

It's HDPE. I have some tape from 3M made of the stuff. It's about 0.060" thick with adhesive backing. I lined my shooting board with it.

Me too. I have 2 shooting boards - one Baltic birch for end grain and a Maple ply 4 footer with an adjustable fence for long grain. Both board’s tracks are lined with HDPE. Woodcraft carries rolls of self-adhesive 1 1/2” and 3” HDPE. Zero maintenance and functions like new after 15+ years. Is it absolutely necessary? No. But why deal with periodic waxing when a one time solution is available?

[Cameron Wood]

Me too. I have 2 shooting boards - one Baltic birch for end grain and a Maple ply 4 footer with an adjustable fence for long grain. Both board’s tracks are lined with HDPE. Woodcraft carries rolls of self-adhesive 1 1/2” and 3” HDPE. Zero maintenance and functions like new after 15+ years. Is it absolutely necessary? No. But why deal with periodic waxing when a one time solution is available?



A 4' long shooting board? Interesting- got a pic?

[Stephen Rosenthal]

A 4' long shooting board? Interesting- got a pic?

Got the idea from an article by one of the Walke-Moore guys. Can’t recall if it was in a publication or a blogpost. Customized it for my needs.
501791

[George Yetka]

I built one with the uhmw. Kind of a waste it does move very smoothly but wax on a board will have it moving pretty much the same

[Cameron Wood]

Got the idea from an article by one of the Walke-Moore guys. Can’t recall if it was in a publication or a blogpost. Customized it for my needs.
501791


Thanks!! (10 characters)

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Oops, George jogged my memory. The track is lined with self-adhesive UHMW, not HDPE. 3” roll purchased at Woodcraft.

[Jim Koepke]

I built one with the uhmw. Kind of a waste it does move very smoothly but wax on a board will have it moving pretty much the same

Why wax the board when waxing the plane is faster?

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks!! (10 characters)

10?

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

10 is nothing special.

jtk

Hint: hit return and type in spaces. Spaces on a separate line count as characters if you hit return at the end of the line.

[Derek Cohen]

I was thinking to myself, as I used this jointing shooting board this past weekend, that the planing was effortless. Just wax, a well-fitted support for the plane on the runway, and a heavy shooting plane for momentum …

https://sawmillcreek.org/blob:https://sawmillcreek.org/8c6dd5a3-1ac7-4acc-aa59-c081d18ef1ac
https://i.postimg.cc/vbtt5k1F/Sat6.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/fZXKRJDb/Sat7.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://sawmillcreek.org/blob:https://sawmillcreek.org/5302fcca-1d0c-40a0-b92d-e154ab6a203e

With a mitre attachment, it shoots perfect mitres as well ..

https://i.postimg.cc/nZzvVKrV/A5.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://sawmillcreek.org/blob:https://sawmillcreek.org/6a75efb9-e4c1-485a-8041-64a3409668a8

Mostly I use this one, which is iron-on-iron. Wax is necessary …

https://sawmillcreek.org/blob:https://sawmillcreek.org/f1c06fd8-98cc-470d-9fe3-2b4425907fe5
https://i.postimg.cc/qpBXwwnt/Sat8.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Lee Schierer]

Delrin or UHMW will both work and last a long time. Both can be machined with wood working tools. UHMW tape works well for many applications in the shop to make thing slide easier. It lasts longer than an application of wax. I used UHMW tape on the side of my miter bar to eliminate all the side to side movement while letting it slide easily in the slot. If it gets damaged or wears out, it is easily reapplied.

[andy bessette]

Formica is pretty slick too.

[Cameron Wood]

10 is nothing special.

jtk

Hint: hit return and type in spaces. Spaces on a separate line count as characters if you hit return at the end of the line.


Good to know...:)