# Update: New shooting board to go with my Philly Plane



## Ironballs (3 Mar 2009)

Are pre-gloats allowed?

Getting excited because I'm about to take delivery of a new tool from one of the countries leading plane makers, it's a standard item but with a slight addition/modification to make it work more easily in its intended application.

The only downside is that I'm out for the next 2 nights, so playing and gloating opportunities will be small


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## Waka (3 Mar 2009)

It doesdn't count as a gloat unless there's pic's :lol: :lol:


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## Philly (3 Mar 2009)

Hmmm...pre-gloat?? You missed out on an oppertunity there, Waka :lol: 
Cheers
Philly


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## woodbloke (3 Mar 2009)

Philly":32l2602f said:


> Hmmm...pre-gloat?? You missed out on an oppertunity there, Waka :lol:
> Cheers
> Philly


Yebut Philly, Waka knows a thing about 'post-gloats' :lol: - Rob


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## Waka (3 Mar 2009)

woodbloke":23fl04cr said:


> Philly":23fl04cr said:
> 
> 
> > Hmmm...pre-gloat?? You missed out on an oppertunity there, Waka :lol:
> ...



I refuse to be drawn into ths idle banter, by the way what's a gloat?


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## bugbear (3 Mar 2009)

Ironballs":13fhqf8v said:


> Are pre-gloats allowed?
> 
> Getting excited because I'm about to take delivery of a new tool from one of the countries leading plane makers



Holtey?

Carter?

Darryl Hutchinson?

Ray Iles?

or (of course) our own Philly?

BugBear


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## PAC1 (3 Mar 2009)

This is not a gloat. This is a tool tease.

A gloat would tell us what is being awaited (with pictures, web link etc)


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## Karl (3 Mar 2009)

I agree - stop the teasing and get the pic loaded. 

Cheers

Karl


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## Ironballs (4 Mar 2009)

Got back tonight to find that postie had kindly stashed my package out of the way, got in, unwrapped it and found a very well made piece of English craftsmanship. I need to have a little practice at assembly to get it working right and I'll also be asking for opinion on the best place to site the modification.

No pics yet as I got in at midnight. More to follow.....


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## Waka (4 Mar 2009)

Ironballs":1c0p4a3h said:


> Got back tonight to find that postie had kindly stashed my package out of the way, got in, unwrapped it and found a very well made piece of English craftsmanship. I need to have a little practice at assembly to get it working right and I'll also be asking for opinion on the best place to site the modification.
> 
> No pics yet as I got in at midnight. More to follow.....



Ths is just not good enough, keeping us all in suspense is a crime :lol:


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## lurker (4 Mar 2009)

Ironballs":1n6dca5n said:


> very well made piece of English craftsmanship.
> ...



Not Hotley then as he is in Scotland
Philly is a taffy isn't he?

Bill Carter ???


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## Aled Dafis (4 Mar 2009)

Ironballs":20ylkrof said:


> I need to have a little practice at assembly to get it working right and I'll also be asking for opinion on the best place to site the modification.



Surely modifying a Cartier / Phillyplane / Hutchinson / Ray Iles is a crime in itself.

I'm intrigued!

Cheers

Aled


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## Ironballs (4 Mar 2009)

Well here is a little clue as to the maker







Actually it isn't a clue, it's blatantly obvious, but you get the drift


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## Ironballs (4 Mar 2009)

Came with one of these little devices too






Fairly poor picture but it's a lovely tool, a nice asymetrical shape that sits very well in the hand. I think this may well double up as a fret hammer when I come to do the fretting


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## Ironballs (4 Mar 2009)

It is indeed a fine product of Philly Planes, one of Phil's excellent skew mitre planes (cheque went in the post today Phil).






Finally decided the lack of a shooting board was holding back the accuracy and finish of my work, so looked around for a good plane for shooting and that swine Karl suggested a Philly Plane  

Thinking about how you use a shooting plane lead me to ask Phil about an addition to his standard plane that might help and as luck would have it he had been working on the very thing. No prize to be awarded for the first correct guess 8)


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## MikeG. (4 Mar 2009)

A handle?


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## Ironballs (4 Mar 2009)

Indeed, first prize goes to the forum's Plane Moral Conscience

This is what it looks like:






Nicely crafted, with a screw hole at each end for me to attach to the plane and it would be possible for me to attach it on either side. I would assume that for the appropriate fee Phil would sell as an aftermarket item for folks who already have one.

The final question remains, where to place the handle? Might get the double sided tape and have a few practice "thrusts" to see what feels best in the hand. All thoughts appreciated though and here are a couple of pics to how siting options











Just need to decide on the design for the shooting board now, choose the timber and make it. Expect it to be complete sometime in late November then.....


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## Paul Chapman (4 Mar 2009)

I would say position it as in the first picture. In the second picture it's too far back - the pressure from your hand needs to be approximately near to the cutting edge. But try it out with double-sided tape first :wink: 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul

PS nice looking plane and handle 8)


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## Ironballs (4 Mar 2009)

I was erring towards the forward handle, feels better and you can place your other hand on the rear of the plane. Plus the LN #9 and Record T5 have their handles there


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## Karl (4 Mar 2009)

Damian - that looks like a real cracker. The handle will be a useful addition - i'm gonna pm Philly for one (unless of course he reads this!).

Cheers

Karl


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## Ironballs (4 Mar 2009)

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Karl. Think the plane will go well with a nice mahogany shooting board


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## Harbo (4 Mar 2009)

The handle on a LN 9 is nearer the middle







Philly's handle looks like a useful addition and I am sure he has tried it out?
But one thing comes to me is that is raises the CofG much higher and that might increase the danger of pulling the plane over from vertical?
The LN hotdog sits very low.

Rod


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## Tom K (4 Mar 2009)

Ironballs":12ecanxa said:


> Indeed, first prize goes to the forum's Plane Moral Conscience
> 
> This is what it looks like:
> 
> ...



Was the handle intended to be fitted that way round doesnt look too comfy?


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## Waka (5 Mar 2009)

Very nice indeed, Philly certainly knows how to put them together.


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## Philly (5 Mar 2009)

Glad you like your plane, Damian!
Karl - one is on its way :wink: 

The grip is really for the thumb - the rest of the fingers wrap around the edge of the plane into the throat. I've tested it out on certainly local toolheads and it got the thumbs up. Personally, I prefer to use theplane without, but then I've been using mine for years and I'm comfortable with it.

Enjoy,
Philly


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## Blister (5 Mar 2009)

Is that it :? 

A week on tender hooks :? 

Its a piece of wood 

not jealous at all [-X 

no not at all 

only one thing wrong , its not in my workshop :lol: 

8) 8) 8) 

hope you enjoy it :wink:


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## John. B (5 Mar 2009)

IT'S A PLANE :roll: no it's not, it's a bird :? It's not I tell you, IT'S A PLANE #~*% ARE YOU SURE :-k 
Yup!

John. B


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## bugbear (5 Mar 2009)

Ironballs":1zoneo61 said:


> Indeed, first prize goes to the forum's Plane Moral Conscience
> 
> This is what it looks like:
> 
> ...



You're going to want it well up on the plane body. 

Remember that the plane needs to be pushed ALONG (to do the cutting) DOWN (to keep it seated on the track) and IN (to keep it seated on the fence).

If the handle is too near the sole of the plane it will be very difficult to keep the plane seated on the fence.

BugBear


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (5 Mar 2009)

Both Philly's and BB's comments are in line with my own. A handle/hotdog for a shooting plane has to do two things similtaneously - push the plane body into the board and drive the plane forward.

Here is a LV LA Jack with hotdog ..






And an HNT Gordon Trying Plane with handle ...






The Stanley #51 is different in that it has the #52 to guide it, so all the tote must do is drive the plane forward. It is set further back on the plane.






Regards from Perth

Derek


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## Karl (5 Mar 2009)

Philly":32912ed3 said:


> Karl - one is on its way :wink:


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## Chris Knight (5 Mar 2009)

bugbear":u5xbgbfv said:


> Remember that the plane needs to be pushed ALONG (to do the cutting) DOWN (to keep it seated on the track) and IN (to keep it seated on the fence).
> 
> If the handle is too near the sole of the plane it will be very difficult to keep the plane seated on the fence.
> 
> BugBear



Just have a care when keeping the plane into the work/fence. Remember when using a standard shooting board, it is actually guided by a sliver of uncut shooting board below the edge of the plane iron. Too much inward pressure and it is easy to overcome the downward pressure and it "rocks" over the sliver causing an angled cut. This is an easy thing to avoid as long as one is aware of the potential problem.


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## Ironballs (5 Mar 2009)

Thanks for the tips chaps, having never used a shooting board I'm allowed to ask obvious/daft questions. So.... do you plane one handed and hold the piece with the other or do you clamp and plane two handed?

Whether you plane one or two handed will have a big influence on location of the handle.

And in reply to one of the earlier comments, yes I did think it looked a little uncomfortable straight out of the box (the handle), however when you place on the body of the plane Philly is right. It's just there to hook your thumb around, your palm is one the corner and your fingers wrap over the sides, as a consequence it feels very comfortable


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## Karl (5 Mar 2009)

Single handed - using the other hand to slide the workpiece upto the sole of the plane after every shaving.

Ever seen David Charlesworths DVD on shooting planes? You can borrow mine if not - PM me your address.

Cheers

Karl


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## Ironballs (5 Mar 2009)

Might well take you up on that, thanks Karl


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## shim20 (5 Mar 2009)

very nice enjoy it


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## swagman (5 Mar 2009)

Philly":3ozzwc2e said:


> Hmmm...pre-gloat?? You missed out on an oppertunity there, Waka :lol:
> Cheers
> Philly




Ok Philly, can you explain this phenomenon to me. Why is a Taffy not a Pom.

swagman.


very well made piece of English craftsmanship.
...

Not Hotley then as he is in Scotland
Philly is a taffy isn't he? :


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## Escudo (5 Mar 2009)

Say, Derek I like the look of that handle for your LAJ.

I use my LAJ as my plane of preference for shooting and have often thought that a handle would be a good adaption.

Did you make the handle yourself? How is it attached?

Very interesting.

Cheers, Tony.


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## Philly (6 Mar 2009)

Stewie
I am indeed Welsh, and as I come from South Wales, known by the Evil English as a Taff. :lol: 
Fortunately I can speak their language so can move about amongst them incognito :wink: 
Cheers
Philly


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (6 Mar 2009)

Hi Tony

The hotdog is one of mine. There are two articles/tutorials on my website:

Using solid wood and a mortice chisel:
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/A Hotdog for the LV LAJ1.html

Laminating:
http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/Building the Hotdog Mk II for the LV LA Jack pics.html

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## bugbear (6 Mar 2009)

Philly":qp21q4h8 said:


> Stewie
> I am indeed Welsh, and as I come from South Wales, known by the Evil English as a Taff. :lol:



Doesn't that mean I can shoot you "by accident" when practising with my longbow ? :twisted: 

BugBear


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## Paul Chapman (6 Mar 2009)

Ironballs":ulr8ouxs said:


> .... do you plane one handed and hold the piece with the other or do you clamp and plane two handed?



Never clamp the wood - you need to move it along after every shaving, so you hold the plane with one hand and the other supports the workpiece Take up Karl's offer if you've not used a shooting board before - DC's DVD is a good one.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## woodbloke (6 Mar 2009)

Plenty of excellent info hereabouts on shooters. If you've got one of Philly's specials a shooting board is a must have accessory - Rob


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## swagman (6 Mar 2009)

Philly":3goe64rg said:


> Stewie
> I am indeed Welsh, and as I come from South Wales, known by the Evil English as a Taff. :lol:
> Fortunately I can speak their language so can move about amongst them incognito :wink:
> Cheers
> Philly



Hi Philly.

Thanks for the explanation.

Take care not to get in the way of Bugbears longbow.


Stewie.


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## Ironballs (6 Mar 2009)

You should hear what we can do to Aussies if they stray across our path 8)


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## Vann (6 Mar 2009)

Ironballs":14j1tz6r said:


> You should hear what we can do to Aussies if they stray across our path 8)


Because this is a woodwork forum, shooting Philly may only be done with a plane (put away that longbow - especially if it's fibreglass) on a shooting board.

Fortunately us Kiwis were never convicts, so I look forward to safe passage next trip to Blighty. :wink: 

Cheers, Vann.


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## bugbear (11 Mar 2009)

Ironballs":d6fac6jl said:


> All thoughts appreciated though and here are a couple of pics to how siting options



I have found my one-and-only reference to shuteing planes, in the 1919 Preston Catalogue







It's hard to know how accurate the illustrations are - certainly the perspective of the smaller one is woeful - but it's all I can find, so take what you can.

I do find the sheer size of them a little surprising - 22" long (all models) up to a 3" wide iron, and extensive plating (optional). Skew mouths are much in evidence, for those prepared to pay.

It looks like Preston were catering to people doing industrial amounts of shooting.

BugBear


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## Ironballs (4 May 2009)

Just thought I'd post an update, my Philly plane is now fettled and has seen some action though I've yet to screw on the handle - but I do know where it's to be sited.

However, what use is a shooting plane without a shooting board? I finally got round to making mine, originally I was going to use ply or MDF but too much studying of Derek's site turned me to a nice stable hardwood.

Whilst at Mr T's offcut sale a few weeks back I picked up a forlorn irokok board for a couple of quid and married it with some mahogany offcuts I had plus some slightly more expensive mahogany I had to get. Board is made from the iroko with mahogany fence and bench stop, mitre and donkey's kn I mean ear are from mahogany. Bit of a faff when you're having difficulty convincing your tablesaw to cut at the advertised angle. Still, lots of hand planing and measuring so a good lesson in accuracy and use of hand tools, just need to put it into use now - elm box on standby...


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## p111dom (4 May 2009)

I've been dying to ask for ages but as I don't yet have a shooting board, I puzzled by one thing. What stops the plane from plaining away the shooting board itself rather than just the stock? I would have thought this would be more of a problem on a wide board. All SB's seem to have a lip or ledge which I up to now have presumed the plane runs along but is this not the case? I had thought that a shooting board was to get the edge straight but is it more that a shooting board is to get the face more square than straight or both?


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## Ironballs (4 May 2009)

Dom, have a look at the top pic where you can see I've run in the shooting board with the plane. First time you use the board you will plane away a thin sliver, however after that the plane will run on the edge that is sited below the blade - which is why you never use a full width blade/plane on a shooting board.

Alf's site gives a nice diagramatical explanation


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## p111dom (4 May 2009)

Ok, that makes sense. So you effectively let the plane make its own rebate before you use it propper. Its just on most of the pics, its hard to see this rebate which is why I couldn't figure it out. Thanks for that.


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## woodbloke (4 May 2009)

Ironballs":6qub6onu said:


> Dom, have a look at the top pic where you can see I've run in the shooting board with the plane. First time you use the board you will plane away a thin sliver, however after that the plane will run on the edge that is sited below the blade - which is why you never use a full width blade/plane on a shooting board.
> 
> Alf's site gives a nice diagramatical explanation


...that's provided you don't tip it. Difficult with a Phillyplane or LN No9 but stranger things have been known to happen - Rob


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## Escudo (4 May 2009)

Hello fellas,

I have also been working on a new shooting board. Here are a few pics. 











Here you can see the wearing strip insert just sticking out.






A close up of the insert and my basic handywork.  

The board is made from a sample piece of floor covering I stumbled on at the homebase. It only cost £4, in effect it is a veneered piece of mdf with a lacquered finish. I also made some pieces to trim the edge and make it look nice.

To overcome the problem of the blade cutting the board edge I made an insert which just protrudes by a mm. This was Robs idea and a jolly good one as well. I hope I have interpreted the idea correctly.

I haven't decided how to attach the fence yet. I'm not sure I need to make this adjustable. I also haven't decided if I should leave an option to be able to remove the wearing strip for periodic replacement?

A nice project and useful upgrade to go with my new iron mitre plane.

Cheers, Tony


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## Ironballs (4 May 2009)

Nice board and nice plane, I also pondered whether I should make the fence adjustable. Decided that it would be extra hassle to make and something else to adjust, as others have said you can introduce paper shims if you find yourself going out of square.

Re your wear strip, as long as you use the same plane you should never need to replace it

PS - that's not Tom's old plane is it?


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## Paul Chapman (4 May 2009)

Very nice, Tony. I don't know whether that's the finished size you were planning to have the fence, but I would reduce the height if it a bit. At the moment it it sticks up further than the plane blade. You are unlikely to ever shoot pieces that thick on a shooting board.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Escudo (4 May 2009)

I also don't think there is much point in making the fence adjustable. I was wondering whether to have a fixing point at 45 for mitres. Alternatively I can make a triangle to attach. Not sure.

Your quite right paul the fence is too high. I was mulling over lowering it a bit and adding a chamfer. This would make it a bit easier to grip when holding pieces.

I think I will somehow make it so the wearing strip can be removed just in case it needs replacing, although I accept it should last for a long time, particularly given that the blade doesn't touch it.

The iron mitre plane is an excellent addition to my arsenal (I nearly used the c word then). I managed to acquire the plane at the recent tool auction in Bedford. 

I will post some more pics when she is finished.

Cheers, Tony.


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## Paul Chapman (4 May 2009)

Escudo":113nn1yy said:


> I was wondering whether to have a fixing point at 45 for mitres. Alternatively I can make a triangle to attach. Not sure.



Might be better to make a separate shooting board for 45 degree mitres. If you were making, say, a picture frame, where you have a mitre at each end of each piece of wood, you might want to make the board so that you could use the plane on the left or the right side of the board. The alternative is to make two 45 degree shooting boards - one left-hand and the other right-hand, which is what I'm doing.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Ironballs (5 May 2009)

I went for the separate triangle option. Forgot you got the Bedford iron mitre, bit of a bargain you had there  

Still wondering if my donkeys ear is a bit big


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## Escudo (5 May 2009)

Gosh Paul three shooting boards. That is excellent. Left and right handed a matching pair, as you say perfect for picture frames. 

On another note are you planning to go to the hand tool event at West Dean, early in June? It is another long trip for me, but I have some business in that area if I could arrange it to fit.

Tony


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## Paul Chapman (5 May 2009)

Escudo":rwcfw5x7 said:


> On another note are you planning to go to the hand tool event at West Dean, early in June?



Yes, I'll be there - be nice to meet up again  

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Escudo (5 May 2009)

yes IB it was a good buy. 

Donkeys ears always seem big. I guess thay have to be by design. Funny term as well.

Tony.


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## Ironballs (5 May 2009)

You try explaining to anyone else, so why is it called a donkey's ear, well because it er sticks up a bit and is furry


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (5 May 2009)

The Donkeys Ear does not need to be as high as you have made it. You only need _sufficient_ registration. Here is one I built ..

















It is also possible to make a double-sided one - 45 degrees and 60 degrees. That would also shorten it.

Regards from Perth

Derek


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## Ironballs (5 May 2009)

Cheers Derek and thanks for all the info on your site, very useful in making my board


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## woodbloke (5 May 2009)

Paul Chapman":s6j1i4cf said:


> Escudo":s6j1i4cf said:
> 
> 
> > On another note are you planning to go to the hand tool event at West Dean, early in June?
> ...


...as will I - Rob


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## woodbloke (5 May 2009)

Escudo":anni6ee5 said:


> Here you can see the wearing strip insert just sticking out.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tony - looks good, that's the idea...in theory it ought to stop the edge of the upper section of the shoot being worn away if the plane ever tips...not that it's likely to with a No9 - Rob


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