Need Advice on a shooting plane

Re: Need Advice on a shooting plane

thomd

>All you really need is a plane that will index off your board (good 90 degree sides or something). With endgrain you will probably enjoy a lower angle blade, though a sharp normal pitch will work, and weight is often appreciated. For the real cherry on the top you can look for various handles that work when the plane is on it's side.

Re: Need Advice on a shooting plane *LINK*

Ian Smith (Sydney Australia)

>Hi Joe,

I haven't used one myself, but the HNT Gordon Planes are excellent planes. I reckon the Gordon Try plane that you highlighted from Japan Woodworker would be fine on a shooting board.

One plane that you didn't highlight but that might be worth considering is the Veritas Low Angle Jack (see link below). It is a good quality versatile plane that would work well on a shooting board. I reckon it would work better on a shooting board than the Veritas Low Angle Smoother you highlighted simply because the Jack weighs more.

Regards,

Ian S.


Veritas� Low-Angle Jack Plane

Re: Need Advice on a shooting plane *LINK*

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>The HNT Gordon try plane works great as a shooter, especially with that handle that sits up on the shooting board. In general, the woodies provide larger side exposure, which makes them more secure. And, btw, if you go to Mik International, that plane only costs $160 excluding VAT. Of course, shipping will be a bit, but worth a question to them. I bought several HNT planes there a few years ago and shipping wasn't that much more than within the use, maybe double.

Pam


Mik International

going orthagonal

Dave Thompson

>I agree with Tom on the necessary and preferred qualities of a shooting plane. There are many that fit the bill, and the rest is personal preference.

Keying off the comment regarding not having the means to tune a plane though.... You should be prepared, that you'll likely spend more on a sharpening system and time learning how to get the plane set right than you realize you're in for. Further, planing edge grain on a shooting board sucks to be frank, and not something I would want to be doing alot of while triming out a house. On the flip side, I find it personally rewarding to go down that path.

fwiw, a shooting board jig on a disk sander (if you have one) may be a suitable alternative for trim work.... though the saw dust and noise isn't as pleasant... Spending a good amount of time tuning a CMS can be rewarding too, depending on the CMS.

enjoy,

Dave

Re: Need Advice on a shooting plane

paul womack

>The budget solution would be an older Bailey #6, or #5 1/2 (David Charlesworth's favourite all-round size BTW)

The mass and size makes it an excellent shooter.

Whist the debate over the "optimum" plane for shooting is fun (I've partaken) the requirements are not (actually) that stringent, and a #6 with a sharp blade works very well.

If you're really trying to get the cost down, Sargent, Union and Millers Falls are every bit as good as equivalent Stanleys, but less collectable, and hence (usually) cheaper, assuming you're in the US.

BugBear

Planes for a shooting plane

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Which Plane for a Shooting Board?

The simple answer is that you can use just about any plane, however some are more comfortable and better suited for the purpose.

A low cutting angle slices end grain more easily, and the bevel up configuration has an advantage in this area. Below are some of my preferences from my experience (so note that this does not denote a "best of all planes" selection).

In my pre-bevel up days, my favorite plane for the shooting board was a HNT Gordon Try Plane. Its high cutting angle (60 degree bedding) managed to cut hardwood end grain well enough. It remains a choice if I am planing hardwood edge grain. I never really cared for a #7. It just felt too long and cumbersome. The HNT Gordon is about the same length as a #6, and this is about as large as I care to go. Length has little to offer a shooting board plane. Stanley's infamous #51 is 15" long, the same as a #5 1/2. A shooting board plane is not like a jointer The jointer benefits from a long sole for registration. The shooting board plane obtains its registration from the shooting board, per se.

After acquiring a Stanley #62 (low angle/bevel up jack), this quickly became a favorite. This is quite a light plane (think #5), but it remains my first choice when trimming softwood end grain. I like the delicate feel it provides. It does a pretty good job on hardwood, but there are better in that regard.

My top shooting board plane is the LV LA Jack. It is a heavy plane (think #5 1/2) and is designed for this purpose. Where the LV LA Jack is at a great advantage is that it is a heavy plane and carries much momentum through the cut, which is especially helpful with hardwood. The recessed "rings" on the sides are not decoration - they are finger grips.

The general bench planes (excluding the purpose made planes, such as the Stanley or LN #9 and the Record T5) lack the facility to hold them easily on the runway. The HNT Gordon is another that is held easily. The other plane that is excellent on a shooting board, and often forgotten in this capacity, is the LV LA Smoother (#4 size bevel up plane).

As noted earlier, length is not important on the shooting board, so the LAS is not disadvantaged by its relative shortness. It is a very comfortable plane to use. It, too, has fingergrips on the side. And just to emphasize that size and weight are not fixed factors in choosing a plane for the shooting board, the other plane I occasionally use is a little LN #60 1/2 Block Plane or a slightly larger/wider Stanley #65 knucklejoint block plane. I find these preferable on very small pieces where delicacy is especially needed.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Thanks for the info

Joe Piotrowski - Chicago Burb's

>thanks for all the suggestions. I am at a cross roads. either I get setup to make my miters as perfect as possible or fill in the gaps with wood filler.

I will probably post a few more questions. once again thats for all your help.