Stanely #62- What a treat for shooting miters.

[Peter Daniels]

Ive tried cutting dovetails. Endlessly. And my skills improved. but usually not enough for a box I’d want to give away.
So I started cutting miters. Then made a donkeys ear to clean them up.
Ive used several planes to shoot these miters. Sometimes it goes well. Often it’s arduous and I finish a day w/ some impressive tear out and a blister on my palm.
So I looked at specific shooting planes. I’d like to say that the Veritas never even made it to my cart, but it did. Thankfully it occurred to me that I can only shoot w/ it in one direction, and couldn’t reverse it to use w/ the other hand.

And so fell down the sharpening rabbit hole. Which had me spending too much time wondering about angles of an edge.

And then, I started looking at low angle bevel up planes. Some eBay auctions didn’t go my way and I ended up buying a modern Stanley #62.
It arrived and looked fine, though the mouth didn’t adjust as it should. Since the threaded insert was stripped out. Some epoxy fixed that easy enough. certainly faster than sending the plane back and replacing it would have.
It’s square and (now) plenty sharp.

And I’ll be damned…. This thing is an absolute treat for shooting endgrain. It’s not like I didn’t believe all the folks that said the same thing, but I didn’t believe it would matter so much.
Much much less tear out. Clean edges. Smoother cuts.
It’s a treat to use.

-PD

[Tony Zaffuto]

Ive tried cutting dovetails. Endlessly. And my skills improved. but usually not enough for a box I’d want to give away.
So I started cutting miters. Then made a donkeys ear to clean them up.
Ive used several planes to shoot these miters. Sometimes it goes well. Often it’s arduous and I finish a day w/ some impressive tear out and a blister on my palm.
So I looked at specific shooting planes. I’d like to say that the Veritas never even made it to my cart, but it did. Thankfully it occurred to me that I can only shoot w/ it in one direction, and couldn’t reverse it to use w/ the other hand.

And so fell down the sharpening rabbit hole. Which had be spending too much time wondering about angles of an edge.

And then, I started looking at low angle bevel up planes. Some eBay auctions didn’t go my way and I ended up buying a modern Stanley #62.
It arrived and looked fine, though the mouth didn’t adjust as it should. Since the threaded insert was stripped out. Some epoxy fixed that easy enough. certainly faster than sending the plane back and replacing it would have.
It’s square and (now) plenty sharp.

And I’ll be damned…. This thing is an absolute treat for shooting endgrain. It’s not like I didn’t believe all the folks that said the same thing, but I didn’t believe it would matter so much.
Much much less tear out. Clean edges. Smoother cuts.
It’s a treat to use.

-PD

Make yourself a hot dog handle (look on LN site), get your hand closer to the mouth. It will be even easier!

[Rafael Herrera]

A bicycling glove helps prevent those blisters.

509416

[Eric Brown]

A little bit of denatured alcohol (or Everclear) diluted with a little water also makes the end grain easier to plane.

[Jim Koepke]

+1 on getting or making a hot dog for your #62.

509417

My choice was to purchase a LN#62 before anyone was making a modern shooting plane or Stanley released a modern #62.

My reason on this was my shoulder is a bit sore after a lot of shooting with a bench plane. On Veritas second at a price I couldn't refuse I ended up purchasing a left hand Veritas Shooting Plane.

jtk

[Peter Daniels]

Of course LN makes an add on handle.
Clever little gadget. Perhaps....)
(edit- $75!!? I'll just have a blister now and then.... No way I'd spend that. Though I might make one from a chunk of purple heart ive been wondering what to do w/)


But my 45 donkey's ear shooting board has two fences. So that I can shoot in one direction, then flip the piece over and shoot the opposite side using the other fence. This means I'd have to swap the hotdog to other side too.

Funny you mention the gloves- last fall I started using them. And then somehow forgot to use them recently. Funnier still- I spend more time on bikes than I do doing anything else besides maybe sleeping.
And so, my stutter step learning curve continues.

-P

[Peter Daniels]

A little bit of denatured alcohol (or Everclear) diluted with a little water also makes the end grain easier to plane.
This is insane to me. Ive never tried it but will tomorrow.
What does it do the wood that makes it helpful?

[mike stenson]

This is insane to me. Ive never tried it but will tomorrow.
What does it do the wood that makes it helpful?

Same reason they wet your hair when they cut it. It softens it.

[steven c newman]

Yes, I have the Wood River No. 62...and ..NO, I do not use a shooting board....

[John Kananis]

I used a LN62 as a shooting plane for many years and it was great. A couple years ago, I sprung for the LV shooting plane and I adore it. My 62 has a toothing iron installed in it now. I switch back to the original iron if I have a bunch of end grain to dress but never really use it to shoot any more.

[Richard Hutchings]

Yes, I have the Wood River No. 62...and ..NO, I do not use a shooting board....

What's this no shooting board thing!! You must be really really good with a saw.

[steven c newman]

Depends on the saw...
509454
Millers Falls No. 72c...

509455

[Richard Hutchings]

Well, that's one way to do it :-)

[Clifford McGuire]

Rob Cosmon just posted a YT video about the 8 Tools Not to Buy.

He listed the #62 as one of them. Why? He says that the #62 doesn't have enough of a side to use as a shooting plane. He prefers his 5 1/2. Since he doesn't shoot with it, he really doesn't have a use for it.

I'm just the messenger. But since I got a LV Shooting Plane in their Seconds Sale, I don't think I've reached for my LV LA Jack.

[Tony Wilkins]

I don’t use mine nearly as much. Sometimes I want the lightness and simplicity and reach for it.

[Richard Hutchings]

I mostly reach for my LA jack because it's so pretty. I'm trying really hard to ignore that which is why I started making my 5 1/2 work better. That LA does take a nice shaving.

[Jimmy Harris]

I made a hotdog handle of sorts, mine's more of a square beef patty, for my Stanley #5 and use it as my primary shooting plane. I also have LN 60-1/2 low angle block plane that definitely trims end grain better, but I make do with the #5 and just sharpen it more often. The block plane is often too small for a lot of the stuff I do.

I'll probably get a #62 one day, as I just don't use the shooting board enough to justify spending all of that cash on a dedicated shooting plane. Even when I do use the shooting board, it's usually just a couple of quick swipes, unless I messed something up.

[Jim Koepke]

I spend more time on bikes than I do doing anything else besides maybe sleeping.

It was a bad biking accident that messed up my shoulder that gets sore with a lot of shooting board work.


What's this no shooting board thing!! You must be really really good with a saw.

Even with great saw skills:

509497

A shooting board Can make end grain much better looking:

509498

It can also be helpful on angled cuts:

509499

This looked better after the blade was sharpened.

jtk

[Eric Brown]

This is insane to me. Ive never tried it but will tomorrow.
What does it do the wood that makes it helpful?

Like Mike Stenson says, it softens the wood fibers. Makes for a smooth cut. Alcohol by itself works, but it evaporates quicker than an alcohol/water mix. I use a squirt bottle with a small angled nozzle that feeds up a tube. A small spray bottle would also work but it might make the surrounding air uncomfortable.

[steven c newman]

IF one wants to show off end grain....which I try not to do..

[Peter Daniels]

So riddle me this (for making boxes)-
Let's say I have a not square plank of walnut. I plane it to the right thickness.
Then I plane one long edge as the edge so that all other edges are referenced against this.
After the board is cut into 4 pieces for the sides of the box- I use my donkey's ear to create perfect 45d miters. (Why don't I use a miter saw? Since they aren't accurate enough for a deep box. Though they are great for photo frame type sizing. I have used a miter saw/box, then used the donkey's ear to clean it all up)

So picture one side of this soon to be box- I use a plane to create a miter on one side.
How the heck do I then miter the other side? Well, if you have the skills, you can imagine that the edge opposite the base edge is perfectly parallel to the reference/base edge. But mine aren't. They're as close as a knife wall and planning can make it w/ my skills, but not perfect.
And so, when Im shooting that other side of a box wall into a miter, I don't use the non-base edge. My donkey's ear has a second fence that allows me to shoot this other edge using this second fence. And so- a #62 will flip over and then shoot using it's other side. Which a Veritas shooting plane will not do.
So- if you're using a Veritas shooting plane, how would you solve this riddle? If your donkey has one fence, and your plane has one direction it can shoot- what now?

Ole Bobby Cosman "has some great experience... he's been working wood for over 700 years..."
No matter what he thinks- Im still so happy shooting endgrain w/ that 62. But maybe his genius on that topic will make more sense in a few years.

Also- I tried the alcohol today- that's an impressive trick. I'll keep it handy for that especially tough endgrain.

[Jim Koepke]

IF one wants to show off end grain....which I try not to do..

If you got it why not flaunt it?

509502

Some end exposed grain can be an enhancement.

There is a lot of exposed end grain in the work of Greene & Greene.

jtk

[steven c newman]

To quote another poster..."End grain is like your belly button, and no I don't want to see either.."

509503
Maybe with dovetails...

[Jim Koepke]

Some people enjoy nicely done end grain, some don't.

Everybody doesn't have to enjoy the same thing.

My using a shooting board doesn't mean everyone should.

Someone not using a shooting board doesn't mean everyone shouldn't.

Many who use them find them beneficial in many ways.

Many who do not use them have no idea of how useful a shooting board can be.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

So riddle me this (for making boxes)-
Let's say I have a not square plank of walnut. I plane it to the right thickness.
Then I plane one long edge as the edge so that all other edges are referenced against this.
After the board is cut into 4 pieces for the sides of the box- I use my donkey's ear to create perfect 45d miters. (Why don't I use a miter saw? Since they aren't accurate enough for a deep box. Though they are great for photo frame type sizing. I have used a miter saw/box, then used the donkey's ear to clean it all up)

So picture one side of this soon to be box- I use a plane to create a miter on one side.
How the heck do I then miter the other side? Well, if you have the skills, you can imagine that the edge opposite the base edge is perfectly parallel to the reference/base edge. But mine aren't. They're as close as a knife wall and planning can make it w/ my skills, but not perfect.
And so, when Im shooting that other side of a box wall into a miter, I don't use the non-base edge. My donkey's ear has a second fence that allows me to shoot this other edge using this second fence. And so- a #62 will flip over and then shoot using it's other side. Which a Veritas shooting plane will not do.
So- if you're using a Veritas shooting plane, how would you solve this riddle? If your donkey has one fence, and your plane has one direction it can shoot- what now?

Ole Bobby Cosman "has some great experience... he's been working wood for over 700 years..."
No matter what he thinks- Im still so happy shooting endgrain w/ that 62. But maybe his genius on that topic will make more sense in a few years.

Also- I tried the alcohol today- that's an impressive trick. I'll keep it handy for that especially tough endgrain.

Cosman has skills far beyond I ever will, but remember he has tools he either makes (saws, chisels, etc.) or he represents, Woodcraft/Woodriver. Like all advice, if it works for you, great! If not, look for other methods.

[Richard Hutchings]

Ole Bobby Cosman "has some great experience... he's been working wood for over 700 years..."

This cracked me up. We really need Peter to make a video proclaiming the opposite. Only a 62 will do.:)

[Eric Brown]

So riddle me this (for making boxes)-
Let's say I have a not square plank of walnut. I plane it to the right thickness.
Then I plane one long edge as the edge so that all other edges are referenced against this.
After the board is cut into 4 pieces for the sides of the box- I use my donkey's ear to create perfect 45d miters. (Why don't I use a miter saw? Since they aren't accurate enough for a deep box. Though they are great for photo frame type sizing. I have used a miter saw/box, then used the donkey's ear to clean it all up)

So picture one side of this soon to be box- I use a plane to create a miter on one side.
How the heck do I then miter the other side? Well, if you have the skills, you can imagine that the edge opposite the base edge is perfectly parallel to the reference/base edge. But mine aren't. They're as close as a knife wall and planning can make it w/ my skills, but not perfect.
And so, when Im shooting that other side of a box wall into a miter, I don't use the non-base edge. My donkey's ear has a second fence that allows me to shoot this other edge using this second fence. And so- a #62 will flip over and then shoot using it's other side. Which a Veritas shooting plane will not do.
So- if you're using a Veritas shooting plane, how would you solve this riddle? If your donkey has one fence, and your plane has one direction it can shoot- what now?

Ole Bobby Cosman "has some great experience... he's been working wood for over 700 years..."
No matter what he thinks- Im still so happy shooting endgrain w/ that 62. But maybe his genius on that topic will make more sense in a few years.

Also- I tried the alcohol today- that's an impressive trick. I'll keep it handy for that especially tough endgrain.

It also works on difficult grain, knots, or even with the grain issues. Have fun.

[Frederick Skelly]

Like all advice, if it works for you, great! If not, look for other methods.

+1. Do what works for you.

[Rafael Herrera]

And so- a #62 will flip over and then shoot using it's other side. Which a Veritas shooting plane will not do.
So- if you're using a Veritas shooting plane, how would you solve this riddle?

Their solution was pure genius. Why sell a plane that can shoot in both directions when you can sell two planes, left and right, for twice the price.

Rafael

[Jim Koepke]

So riddle me this (for making boxes)-

…

So picture one side of this soon to be box- I use a plane to create a miter on one side.
How the heck do I then miter the other side? Well, if you have the skills, you can imagine that the edge opposite the base edge is perfectly parallel to the reference/base edge. But mine aren't. They're as close as a knife wall and planning can make it w/ my skills, but not perfect.
And so, when Im shooting that other side of a box wall into a miter, I don't use the non-base edge. My donkey's ear has a second fence that allows me to shoot this other edge using this second fence. And so- a #62 will flip over and then shoot using it's other side. Which a Veritas shooting plane will not do.
So- if you're using a Veritas shooting plane, how would you solve this riddle? If your donkey has one fence, and your plane has one direction it can shoot- what now?

The key to using a oneway shooting set up is to make sure your stock is as perfectly square with parallel edges as possible. This is an important part of making boxes whether one is using mitered corners, dovetails, half laps or tenons.

One way to learn and build skill in this is to make a pair of winding sticks and a straight edge.

Here is an old post of mine on this > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?290331

Of course one can purchase a well made pair of winding sticks and a straight edge that is guaranteed to be accurate to within a ten thousandths of an inch. Doing so does absolutely nothing towards building a personal skill.

My main shooting board is ambidextrous and a few others have been shown by other members. Mostly over the years shooting boards have been one sided with ways of shooting both sides of mitered corners from the same side.

Sometimes it just takes a little finessing or extra body language. Other times a few layers of tape in a strategic location can change the angle enough for a tight fit.

jtk