A Proper Miter Shooting Board

[Philip1231]

Finally got around to constructing a proper miter shooting board. As is normally the case, it takes longer than you might think, but the effort was worth it.

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[barryvabeach]

Phillip, nice work,  I like that you put in an ability to extend the sides as the edges get chewed up.

[Philip1231]

Phillip, nice work,  I like that you put in an ability to extend the sides as the edges get chewed up.

I'd love to take credit for that detail, but the inspiration for this feature came from John Teneyck
(jteneyck) who made a series of posts some time ago related to a shooting board he designed and sells.
Here is link to one of his posts:

https://forums.woodnet.net/showthread.ph...ting+board

[AHill]

Good job! Is that a LN No. 9? If so, they don't make them anymore - replaced by their No. 51.

[Philip1231]

Good job!  Is that a LN No. 9?  If so, they don't make them anymore - replaced by their No. 51.

That is indeed a LN No. 9 which is no longer made. The key thing about the no. 9 is that the side handle can be placed on either the right or left hand side, allowing shooting from either end of the shoot board shown above. The 51 is a one trick pony: my 51 is of the right hand variety so it can operate from left to right on the board above. You would need the 51 left hand version to shoot the opposite way.

Miter shooting seems simple until you introduce a profiled work piece, such as decorative trim piece installed using either inside or outside miters. I am exploring all the options to handle those occasions as we speak.

[AHill]

Miter shooting seems simple until you introduce a profiled work piece, such as decorative trim piece installed using either inside or outside miters. I am exploring all the options to handle those occasions as we speak.

I find a strip of sandpaper adhered to the fence keeps the workpiece steady.  Something like 120 or 220 grit.

[Tony Z]

I sold my LN #9 last winter for $650.00. To me, it was awkward to use. I have an LV miter shooting plane (no longer made) that is much more comfortable.

[Pedder]

Hi Phil!

I love to see bright clear pictures of tools in work. Especially such nice working tools as your shooting board!

Take Care,
Pedder

[Philip1231]

Hi Phil!

I love to see bright clear pictures of tools in work. Especially such nice working tools as your shooting board!

Take Care,
Pedder

Pedder:

I am glad you appreciate the "art" I try to create when I take these photos. I was trying to capture evidence of how well the plane sliced through the maple, leaving an onion-skin shaving. With an iPhone, anyone can look like a pro photographer!

Best

Phil

[Philip1231]

I thought it might be instructive to show some simple tasks that this shooting board can handle, and equally simple tasks that this shooting board can't handle. So far, most of the examples shown have used foursquare lumber and I have not encountered any particular challenges dealing with this simple configuration. Its gets more interesting when a profile is introduced. I had a scrap of molding in the scrap pile that shows a very simple profile: rounded-over on top. In the first example, lets look at an inside corner made with this stock:



Now lets look at how these parts are shot on the shooting board. Note that the entry point of the blade is on the face or money side of the molding, providing a nice clean cut. The exit is on the back of the workpiece which is fully supported by the miter fence, so no breakout is expected here: this is an ideal situation.



Now lets look at the same molding used for an outside corner. Should be a piece of cake, right. Well, maybe. Here is the molding configuration:



And here are the parts set up on the miter shooting board:



You can see that the blade will enter the cut on the back side of the part and exit on the money side: not good, particularly since so much of the profile is unsupported: you would need the negative shape of the molding profile backing up the stock in this configuration. Maybe if we flip things around a bit (after all, how hard could this be, right?):



So, no dice. We are still entering the cut on the back side of the stock and exiting on the money side, with the profile part still unsupported.

Looks like I will need a different shooting board configuration: a donkey's ear. Here is the jig and the C/D samples: you can see how these parts will be fully supported throughout the cut. The dual fence design enables shooting from either direction. I think I am well fixed for shooting boards at the moment: I think I will be able to shoot inside and outside miters on applied moldings with ease.

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Shooting Boards: Build or Buy?  I have to say, based on the amount of time it has taken me to build these two jigs, you should seriously consider the buy alternative, unless you have lots of time to spare, and no other projects in mind.