1950s LCC Shooting Board

[Smudger]

When I gloated about the T5 (have I told you about the T5? Oh. OK) at school, Andy the Wood first of all cursed me, and then turned up in my classroom with a big lump of wood. "As you've got the T5 you might as well have this" he said. It's a 1950s vintage LCC (London County Council) Shooting Board, as seen in Planecraft:

It's a wonderful bit of work. It's 25" long by 8" wide, hardwood (any guesses?) with the plane running board joined to the underside of the top with 3 mortice and tenon joints.

The stop is held with a sliding half dovetail.

I don't think it had been used as there was no sign of the plane grooving the side of the top.

And the knob-as-handle works a treat! Thanks, Bugbear.

The downside was that there was a bit of wind to be sorted out but that didn't take long. Though I got a bit carried away and planed the top as well and put a few scores in it, but a bit of work got most of them out.

Well chuffed.

 

[Paul Chapman]

That looks good, Dick I like the idea of a tapered wedge for the planing stop and use them on my shooting boards now (although not with a half dovetail). The advantage of them is that if the end gets a bit worn or damaged, you can just plane a bit off the side, knock it in a bit further and shoot a new end.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Smudger]

Which I've already done.
In practice it isn't great, as it tends to turn around the dovetail. Really the dovetail needs to be at the 'first contact' side of the stop. Even better, a full dovetail.
The stop was a quick add-on - I think I might make a slightly larger one for a tighter fit.

 

[Paul Chapman]

This is how I do mine, Dick.

It's made from MDF with a hard wood planing stop. The piece of MDF behind the stop was glued in because I routed the slot too wide for the stop. However, having done it I found that it gives such good extra support for the stop that I glue in an extra piece on others that I make - a happy accident

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Smudger]

Looks neat. Does it stand up to pressure? Mine tends to rotate about its length. I might just screw it down!

 

[Paul Chapman]

Mine's OK (particularly with the extra piece of MDF behind the wedge) but, if necessary, just put in a screw or two from underneath. Or you could use a machine screw and wing nut. Or you could keep that one as an antique and make another

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[bugbear]

Nicely scanned and worked!

Hmm. Interesting design. Cupping in the width is reduced, since the three transverse pieces resist it. Further, the overall width is actually two pieces, not one, reducing the need to find large baulks of timber.

I prefer the White Mountain "false face" stop design though.

http://www.fineboxes.com/ShootingBoard.htm

BugBear

 

[Paul Chapman]

Another good idea I saw last week when Rob (Woodbloke) and I visited Pete (Newt), was his use of a thin, flexible cutting mat (available from places like Tesco) fitted to the base of the shooting board

It's stuck down with double-sided tape. There's also a thin piece fitted, upright, in a groove for the sole of the plane to run against.

The surface offers virtually no resistance when running the plane along it (and will also tend not to wear as quickly as wood or MDF). I was so impressed, I'm going to incorporate the feature in future boards.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Smudger]

Bugbear - I understand your point, I think. The old board is actually quite difficult to use as you are shooting along the bench and you can't put your body behind the plane. After a few minutes my shoulders hurt! It is slightly easier to push forward standing square to the bench. The narrow stop is also a bit tricky - it would be nice to have a larger bearing surface.

But on the other hand it was free! It also suits the plane, having been made for schools & technical colleges (and presumably for use by LCC chippies). Come to think of it the LCC must have made loads of them, probably in-house, and bench hooks and other useful bits. A job for the apprentices on slack days, perhaps.

Any idea what the wood might be?

 

[cornishman]

Interesting, I'm in the thinking stage of making a shooting board to use when I'm making dolls house stuff.
Got more ideas now!

John

 

[Racers]

Hi, Smudger

Just screw a cleat across about 2/3s of the way down and hook it over your bench, thats the arrangement I use on my home made one.


Pete

 

[Smudger]

Unfortunately there is a long rib/stop n the base. It can run alongside the bench, or be clamped in the vice (the intention) but it can't rest flat on the bench. As such it works very well, if you are used to it, I expect. I'll just have to get used to it. To be fair the planing I was doing wasn't shooting but straightening the running board and top.

 

[DaveL]

there is a long rib/stop n the base. It can run alongside the bench, or be clamped in the vice (the intention)

Sounds just right for putting in the tail vice, could even be a good reason for buying another vice if you don't have a tail vice. :twisted: :wink: