Best Shooting Board

[Steve Mathews]

I'm convinced that the best shooting board out there is the latest one made by Tico Vogt. Any care to disagree?

[Michael Todrin]

I think the one designed by John Ten Eyck is the nicest and most versatile I have seen. I know he did a write up about on this site in the last year or so.

[Jim Koepke]

Any care to disagree?

Mine is a minor disagreement. IMO, the best one is made by the user.

My reasoning is based on the learning one receives in building a shooting board that can not be learned by buying one.

For my own use, my shooting boards are made to accommodate the different sizes of material I will use.

Many of the apprentice level projects that some see as a waste of time, not only teach some important skills they provide an understanding of different aspects of woodworking.

jtk

[Cliff Polubinsky]

I think the one designed by John Ten Eyck is the nicest and most versatile I have seen. I know he did a write up about on this site in the last year or so.

Emphatic +1. John incorporated my suggestions to add Veritas shooting board tracks and the ability to shoot miters on either side to give me my perfect shooting board.

Cliff

[Derek Cohen]

I'm convinced that the best shooting board out there is the latest one made by Tico Vogt. Any care to disagree?

Steve, Tico makes (made?) good quality boards. His first design was acknowledged by Tico to have been a copy of mine, along with the accessories. He later changed the construction details, but the designs remained essentially the same. To be clear, all strength to his elbow, as I have never been interested in manufacturing and Tico put together a package at a reasonable price. I speak of Tico in the past tense as I was under the impression that he stopped building shooting boards. The only manufactured shooting board I am aware if is from Lee Valley (which looks good).

Rule of Thumb: ramped boards best for planes with square blades, and flat boards best for skewed blades. Of course, all work with each other.

I built my first ramped shooting board 20 years ago, and this was heavily influenced by Michael Connor, an Australian woodworker, whom I believe was responsible for the concept and must be credited. This is the last design I made, one of several I developed along the way ...

Along with a strike block plane I built ...

https://i.postimg.cc/26PMgKQG/Buildinga-Strike-Block-Plane-html-71a1e942.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

.. with Donkey's Ear ..

https://i.postimg.cc/SR5sVBwq/Buildinga-Mitred-Pencil-Boxwitha-Shooting-Board-html-m536ec68c.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mike Brady]

I'm convinced that the best shooting board out there is the latest one made by Tico Vogt. Any care to disagree?
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but did Tico Vogt not go out of business as the result of the devasting fires in California, where he was located?

[Patrick McCarthy]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but did Tico Vogt not go out of business as the result of the devasting fires in California, where he was located?

Perhaps, but i think it was Rob Hansen, dba Evenfall Studios, that was located in Paradise, CA at the time of the fire a few years ago.

Best, Patrick

[Dan Barber]

Looks like from his website he's located in Northumberland, New York.

https://ticovogt.com/

[Tony Wilkins]

Perhaps, but i think it was Rob Hansen, dba Evenfall Studios, that was located in Paradise, CA at the time of the fire a few years ago.

Best, Patrick
It was Rob. I have one of his adjustable shooting boards n

[steven c newman]

Hmmm.."Best" shooting board made? Stanley No. 51/52....or, IF you prefer...get a Lion trimmer

[Derek Cohen]

Hmmm.."Best" shooting board made? Stanley No. 51/52....or, IF you prefer...get a Lion trimmer

Agree, Steven. Having a #51/52 is the reason I stopped pursueing development of shooting board design. Here is the one I have, built in 1898 (from memory) ...

https://i.postimg.cc/bvtyYYZx/D83-DAC03-5341-4-E3-C-96-A2-6-BD1-FAD86075.png (https://postimages.org/)

The original plane has a weakness in it design (poorly attached frog), and when the LN came out, this was the replacement ..

https://i.postimg.cc/X7Z1NPgW/LN51-Shooting-Plane-html-m73102486.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Spectacular and effortless set up. The big take away from the design is the captured runway, which then subsequently ended up on shooting boards.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Steve Mathews]

The uniqueness and what I would consider an improvement over the 52 besides the ramp is the positioning of the miter fence and Donkey's Ear using locating pins. Also, the 52 does not have an adjustable fence that can be moved close to the cutting surface to prevent tear out. A chamfer on the back side works but it's an additional step. I see what Derek states about square plane blades work best on ramped boards and skewed plane blades work best on flat boards but isn't it better to have yet more of a slicing angle with a skewed blade on a ramped board? I can't see how it would hurt.

Also, Rob Cosman's shooting boards have a slight convex bow to the platform the plane rests on. I forget his reasoning behind it but it's a feature not found in the description with other shooting boards, at least none that I've found. Are there any merits to it?

[Derek Cohen]

The uniqueness and what I would consider an improvement over the 52 besides the ramp is the positioning of the miter fence and Donkey's Ear using locating pins. Also, the 52 does not have an adjustable fence that can be moved close to the cutting surface to prevent tear out. A chamfer on the back side works but it's an additional step. I see what Derek states about square plane blades work best on ramped boards and skewed plane blades work best on flat boards but isn't it better to have yet more of a slicing angle with a skewed blade on a ramped board? I can't see how it would hurt.

Also, Rob Cosman's shooting boards have a slight convex bow to the platform the plane rests on. I forget his reasoning behind it but it's a feature not found in the description with other shooting boards, at least none that I've found. Are there any merits to it?

Steve, the #52 shooting board has a cast iron fence, and you would not wish to close it up too much. Nevertheless it is fully adjustable in-and-out as well as for any angle between 0-90 degrees. This is the basic fence ..

https://i.postimg.cc/9099wgkn/LVShooting-Plane-html-96d40f8.jpg

You may note that there are slots and holes for bolts. I use mine with a hardwood sub-fence ...

https://i.postimg.cc/ZKPN1Pt9/Apothecary-Chest-Weekend8-html-33983c2c.jpg

With regard using a chamfer, this is still important, regardless of a zero clearance at the fence. All fence wear and then become non-zero clearance. In addition to preventing spelching, the chamfer also makes it easier to determine where to stop planing.

Siting and attaching a Donkey's Ear is done (on my boards) via an adjustable fence. I always built the fences to have micro adjustability in-and-out as well as angles. This then squares of the Donleys Ear as well ...

The centre bolt attaches ...

https://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/ShootingforPerfection_html_11842143.jpg

Levelling screws under the Donkeys Ear ...

https://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/Setting%20Up%20and%20Using%20a%20Shooting%20Board4 _html_2fa6eac0.jpg


Regarding the skew blade vs square blade, I wrote that both can be used ... just that shooting benefits from a non-square entry to reduce the impact being fatiguing. A ramped board does not impart a skew cut, only a progressive impact.

What is Rob Cosman on about with his bowed design? It is just sales-speak.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Steve Mathews]

Here are the 3 shooting boards I made. They all get the job done but I'm always looking for something better. I think the Vogt setup is a step in that direction but since they're no longer available I may make another. I thought before about making one using a flat aluminum plate as a base and Tercite for the plane to run on. I have a Bridgeport mill with a DRO that can accurately place pin locations for the miter fence and Donkey's Ear. Might be an interesting project.
512174512175

[Christopher Wellington]

What is Rob Cosman on about with his bowed design? It is just sales-speak. Derek,
It's a bit odd to conclude that the bowed design is sales-speak if you don't understand what it's about in the first place.

The slight bow is intended for shooting boards used with regular bench planes turned on their side. If the track is slightly concave, the plane will only touch at the heel and toe where the reference surface is very narrow and will easily rock side-to-side, ruining squareness in one direction. A bench plane on a slightly convex track will always touch in the middle of the plane where the side is much taller and provides plenty of width to prevent tipping.

Of course, a bench plane will not tip on a perfectly flat track either, but the idea is to make a board that leans towards the convex condition to avoid any chance of a concave condition. And of course this has no use if the board is to be used with a dedicated shooting plane with wide reference surface heel-to-toe.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Christopher

I have watched all of Rob's videos on building shooting boards. The bowed design refers to adding a hollow to the main platform's substrate (not the track), as I recall. I have built many shooting boards over the years, as have others, and none have a built-in bow. Strangely, they all work accurately. Ergo, the bow is unnnecessary, and I conclude a gimmick to say "ours is built better".

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Joel Gelman]

I need to re-do my Donkey's ear to make it a bit nicer. I want to add the microadjustability feature as shown on Derek's version. I was thinking threaded inserts into holes drilled through the wood as part of that unless someone has a better suggestion.

[Jim Koepke]

I was thinking threaded inserts into holes drilled through the wood as part of that unless someone has a better suggestion.

This could be a convenient way to make adjustments if Allen head set screws were used they could be adjusted with long Allen keys from above.

I just use business cards as shims, tape and a little finesse with the holding hand.

jtk

[scott lipscomb]

I wish Lie-Nielsen would make a #52.

I stumbled upon a perfect #51 a couple of years ago in a Habitat for Humanity and I really like it...been looking for a partner ever since.

[Derek Cohen]

Scott, LN did have a #52 on the drawing board at one time. The closest you will come to a new #52 is the Veritas shooting board with track and fence.

Be gentle with your Stanley #51. The frog is fragile and tends to break where it connects to the body. Mine, like many, has been braze repaired. That is why I purchased one of the first LN versions.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Charles Edward]

Making shooting boards with highly accurate tablesaws and/or chop saws makes no sense. They're already capable of making the cuts, directly, the shooting board is supposed to rectify (off a hand saw). If for some reason the cut off the expensive power tool isn't quite nice enough, make one fine pass with a block or smoothing plane. Yes, you can do it -- you can make a freehand plane pass on a machine-cut surface and the world won't be knocked off its axis.

[George Yetka]

Making shooting boards with highly accurate tablesaws and/or chop saws makes no sense. They're already capable of making the cuts, directly, the shooting board is supposed to rectify (off a hand saw). If for some reason the cut off the expensive power tool isn't quite nice enough, make one fine pass with a block or smoothing plane. Yes, you can do it -- you can make a freehand plane pass on a machine-cut surface and the world won't be knocked off its axis.

One of the best benefits of a shooting board is that they allow you to really sneak up on a cut.

[Tony Wilkins]

I’ve been thinking about getting one of those Lee Valley shooting boards. I have their shooting plane and having the track seems to be a benefit. My current one is a bit rough after 3 Army moves and I’ve got several projects on the list already (and I’m slow).

what’s everyone’s opinion of them?

[Gary Focht]

Tony,

I bought their track and fence and made a shooting board. Works really well. Fence seems accurate, but I haven’t done a lot of 45 degree miter work with it - just some small trim pieces. The track works well, but I would be just as happy had I made one out of wood.

[Mark Rainey]

Making shooting boards with highly accurate tablesaws and/or chop saws makes no sense. They're already capable of making the cuts, directly, the shooting board is supposed to rectify (off a hand saw). If for some reason the cut off the expensive power tool isn't quite nice enough, make one fine pass with a block or smoothing plane. Yes, you can do it -- you can make a freehand plane pass on a machine-cut surface and the world won't be knocked off its axis.

Welcome words of wisdom Charles. I have seen experienced woodworkers with high quality tablesaws. The cuts are usually dead on. On the infrequent occasion they are not, they will resort to machine techniques such as flexing the blade a hair to get it perfect.

[Derek Cohen]

Making shooting boards with highly accurate tablesaws and/or chop saws makes no sense. They're already capable of making the cuts, directly, the shooting board is supposed to rectify (off a hand saw). If for some reason the cut off the expensive power tool isn't quite nice enough, make one fine pass with a block or smoothing plane. Yes, you can do it -- you can make a freehand plane pass on a machine-cut surface and the world won't be knocked off its axis.

I have a Hammer K3 slider, which has a crosscut table. I built a micro adjuster, and it is possible to make really minute adjustments for accurate crosscutting. However, while the angle can be set off-square, it is not convenient to do this, and a significant feature of a shooting board is shooting off-square when fitting inset drawers.

A recent build involved two bedside tables. These featured a mitred case construction (maximising waterfall sides) along with a tiny drawer in the side at the rear. The mitred sides were cut to size on the K3, here using a parallel fence (and the micro adjust can be seen on the crosscut fence) ...

https://i.postimg.cc/2SQbc15d/E025-FEDA-060-E-4575-BFBF-2-AA932342-F52.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/nLns6nsy/D6-A53-DF1-4-D89-4-E3-C-BC53-4-B03-D0-EE69-FE.png (https://postimages.org/)

Now, as good as this set up is - and it is damn good. One can joint pretty satisfactorily off the saw - there are tiny saw marks which will affect the perfection of the corners.

The solution is to use a LARGE shooting board, here with added donkeys ear ...

https://i.postimg.cc/DZM8JsCh/F5-F64-BF1-590-B-4-BF9-B448-F5-D77974-D684.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/9f142sZr/AD3-BD045-B9-C8-40-B8-A05-F-0-F17-EA8-C8-E69.png (https://postimages.org/)

The result IS perfection ...

https://i.postimg.cc/8557zwmw/3-ADE3-D71-ECB0-4-DC0-944-A-023332006-DF3.png (https://postimages.org/)

Hand and power compliment each other.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Joel Gelman]

I have an extremely accurate table saw and miter saw. When making a kitchen island and doing the base trim, which included many 45 degree cuts on some very short pieces, I used my shooting board and donkey's ear. What a pleasure. I could not imagine trying to (safely) fine tune those small pieces (especially the one pointed out with the yellow arrow in the picture) with my miter saw!

512819512820

[Jim Koepke]

Making shooting boards with highly accurate tablesaws and/or chop saws makes no sense. They're already capable of making the cuts, directly, the shooting board is supposed to rectify (off a hand saw). If for some reason the cut off the expensive power tool isn't quite nice enough, make one fine pass with a block or smoothing plane. Yes, you can do it -- you can make a freehand plane pass on a machine-cut surface and the world won't be knocked off its axis.

Gee Charles, I don't have a table saw or a chop saw. My shooting boards were made out of scrap worked with hand saws and planes.

A shooting board isn't always used to rectify a cut, it can clean up the saw marks with a few quick swipes of a plane:

512826

This was my first trial with a new plane and the blade had a small nick that shows across the surface.

With a little imagination and finesse, a shooting board can be used to even make a round end smooth:

512827

No sandpaper used here, just a very sharp plane and a shooting board. (it's all in the wrist)

There is a lot more than just squaring up saw cuts to using a shooting board.

jtk

[Charles Edward]

Gee Charles, I don't have a table saw or a chop saw. My shooting boards were made out of scrap worked with hand saws and planes.

A shooting board isn't always used to rectify a cut, it can clean up the saw marks with a few quick swipes of a plane:

512826

This was my first trial with a new plane and the blade had a small nick that shows across the surface.

With a little imagination and finesse, a shooting board can be used to even make a round end smooth:

512827

No sandpaper used here, just a very sharp plane and a shooting board. (it's all in the wrist)

There is a lot more than just squaring up saw cuts to using a shooting board.

jtk

Gee Jim, my post was about people who make them with power equipment more consistently accurate than the shooting board will ever be.

I must be the only woodworker around who has to take a skosh off the heel or toe to make a miter fit a case that's not dead-nuts 90*. I'm less interested in how y'all make miter shoots than I am how your cases are consistently not even a half-degree off. Please, do tell.

If you flush up a perfect miter on a case that's not exactly square then there will be a gap under the molding. Some crown combinations are designed to hide this gap, but I don't like that gap, so I touch a file to the miter or maybe take the barest of material off with a smooth plane or chisel. The miter off a decent manual box is as close as you need to be before making little adjustments. If you shoot them dead on, you could be making more work for yourself.

[Jim Koepke]

Gee Jim, my post was about people who make them with power equipment more consistently accurate than the shooting board will ever be.

I must be the only woodworker around who has to take a skosh off the heel or toe to make a miter fit a case that's not dead-nuts 90*. I'm less interested in how y'all make miter shoots than I am how your cases are consistently not even a half-degree off. Please, do tell.

If you flush up a perfect miter on a case that's not exactly square then there will be a gap under the molding. Some crown combinations are designed to hide this gap, but I don't like that gap, so I touch a file to the miter or maybe take the barest of material off with a smooth plane or chisel. The miter off a decent manual box is as close as you need to be before making little adjustments. If you shoot them dead on, you could be making more work for yourself.

My shooting board is consistently accurate, or at least as accurate one can be with a try square and the human eye.

The key to making a consistently square case is in stock prep. Make it flat, make it square, make opposite pieces the same length. Squaring a piece is fairly easy with or without a shooting board. Making two or more pieces the same length is a simple task for a shooting board. Removing excess length of a "skosh" or less is fast work with little noise of an electric motor. Maybe even faster than firing up the table saw (if I had one).

I don't like gaps either:

512871

This was cut on a miter box by hand with a thin blade saw. The "saw fuzz" was removed on a shooting board. I like the wood grain to line up as much as possible on the vertical face of the miter. I guess on an electric power saw this would require switching to a thinner blade.

I have made a few of these small cabinets, so I am not sure if this one was dead on or required a little adjustment to come together without creating a gap. Small adjustments of a degree or less are fairly easy to do by hand & eye.

I have made simple, permanent accessories to shoot angles of as little as 2-3º off of square up to 22-1/2º & 45º. There have also been a few others for one off projects.

jtk

[Charles Edward]

My shooting board is consistently accurate, or at least as accurate one can be with a try square and the human eye.

The key to making a consistently square case is in stock prep. Make it flat, make it square, make opposite pieces the same length. Squaring a piece is fairly easy with or without a shooting board. Making two or more pieces the same length is a simple task for a shooting board. Removing excess length of a "skosh" or less is fast work with little noise of an electric motor. Maybe even faster than firing up the table saw (if I had one).

I don't like gaps either:

512871

This was cut on a miter box by hand with a thin blade saw. The "saw fuzz" was removed on a shooting board. I like the wood grain to line up as much as possible on the vertical face of the miter. I guess on an electric power saw this would require switching to a thinner blade.

I have made a few of these small cabinets, so I am not sure if this one was dead on or required a little adjustment to come together without creating a gap. Small adjustments of a degree or less are fairly easy to do by hand & eye.

I have made simple, permanent accessories to shoot angles of as little as 2-3º off of square up to 22-1/2º & 45º. There have also been a few others for one off projects.

jtk

I'd love to hear about how you handle large carcases -- ~8' tall 20"+ deep.

[Jim Koepke]

I'd love to hear about how you handle large carcases -- ~8' tall 20"+ deep.

Carefully, lifting with my knees not my back and a helper or two.

jtk

[Mike Shields]

Those are impressive cuts. What did you do to reinforce the miters for gluing? Do you any pics of the finished project?

[Jim Koepke]

Those are impressive cuts. What did you do to reinforce the miters for gluing? Do you any pics of the finished project?

Thanks for the kind words Mike.

The end grain on the miters may have a dab of Tite-Bond. The blue tape is holding down the glued shaving over the "blind nail."

There is this > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?232798 < post on "blind nailing" aka "invisible nails".

Here is the finished cabinet.

514051514052

That was among my first "tea cabinets." Kept learning along the way, then stopped selling things at the local farmers market.

jtk