Shooting in the Days of the Chopmaster

[David Weaver]

A question for you guys who shoot boards- I hadn't considered shooting anything except for when you want to trim an end to fit, or trim a piece to fit in something that's already made.

I understand the need to shoot the end of a board that has been hand sawn, but does it offer a real benefit on tight grained wood when something like a forrest chopmaster has done its thing, or after you've run a piece on a table with a crosscutting sled and a high-quality blade like a WWII?

Does it compact the straws at all and polish them so that the finish takes more uniformly with side grain?

[Dave Anderson NH]

A more important consideration than shiny end grain is how accurate the angle is David. Often angles which are off 1/2 to 1 degree will make miters look really bad and chop saws and even the miter gages on talbe saws will be abit off. The wider the miter is the more the gaps will show. Shooting boards will allow you to fine tune the accuracy and have a really nice smooth end grain.

[David Weaver]

Dave - I agree. I shoot all of my miters, but I build really slow, so I don't mind playing around with something until it fits tight.

I recall seeing someone suggest shooting the end of every board - like the ends you'd have if you did frame and panel construction and didn't miter the frame.

[Steve Beadle]

I recall seeing someone suggest shooting the end of every board - like the ends you'd have if you did frame and panel construction and didn't miter the frame.

I routinely shoot the ends of boards to make them more precisely square and to a precise length (to the knife line). IMHO, you have much more control than you do when trying to saw to a line, especially if you're just eye-balling it and not using a stop.

One more thing: I ENJOY shooting with a nice sharp plane!

Steve

[David Weaver]

I think I would do it for enjoyment. I've been using a good solid crosscut sled and to get to the cut line, trial fitting several times and using what I would call the "bend the blade" trick. I grip a piece of wood in a crosscut sled and put it against the teeth on a Forrest TK WWII blade (with the saw off), and I then push the piece of wood against the blade with the slightest amount of movement with the other hand, bending the blade a tiny bit - probably a couple thousandths. I then pull the whole assembly back away from the blade, turn the saw on, and push it through. I would rather just plane it, but I don't have a good shooting board or a good square plane yet.

The "bend the blade" trick is just something that a WW buddy taught me, and it works as well as planing.

After using the same WW buddy's LN #9 this year, I will be getting one for Christmas. I'd just get it otherwise, but the wife thinks I have enough tools.

At any rate, a good setup on the TS is super square, as long as the x-cut sled fits tight in the groove (and this one does - very tight). It just isn't a very fulfilling way to do it, though I can get pieces that can just barely be popped into place with a rubber mallet. It just takes 3 or 4 or 6 iterations after making the initial cut.

[John McArthur]

The real joy for me in using the shooting board is the ability to fine tune, with a positive sense of control. I used to use a LN shooting plane, but found I much prefer my home-made wooden plane for the purpose. The shooting board, whether for square cuts or miters, is one of the most powerful tools in my shop, it really helps me take the work to a higher level of quality.

[Marcus Ward]

I got my 60 1/2 tuned up tonight and I don't care how awesome your saw blade is, I've never felt end grain that smooth. Yes, I think a shooting board still has a place in the modern 'chopmaster' world.

[Greg Crawford]

Trimming to fit perfectly.