Donkey's Ear Shooting Board

[woodbloke66]

One of these has been on my tuit list for at least two decades so I reckoned it was about time I made one This design, in my very 'umble opinion, is the best one out there by several light years but it's not mine: it's based on one I pinched from Mitch Peacock's UToobing channel; see here

It's fully adjustable in both planes, firstly by slackening off and pivoting the frame about one of the coach bolts and secondly by a cunning system of adjustment on the top track using a couple of packers to set the exact angle.

The tracks were lubricated with a smear of...

...Alfie Shine. Not too difficult to make and it worked spot on first time - Rob

 

[LancsRick]

Lovely looking plane!

 

[SammyQ]

Good enhancement of the original Wearing design. Nice.

Sam

 

[woodbloke66]

Good enhancement of the original Wearing design. Nice.

Sam

Thanks Sam. I've got Wearing's book somewhere and did have a leaf through it but couldn't find his original design, so I reverted to UToob where there are quite a few different options. Mitch's adaptation was, I thought, the best of the lot but I simplified it by using only four bolts. I also had a delve into one of my many plastic containers and managed to find my last remaining 8mm domed headed nuts, which is a nice finishing touch - Rob

 

[custard]

I'm puzzled how that design of shooting board can work in conjunction with the LN shooting board plane?

I have the same plane, it's a lovely tool, but it's very restricted in that it needs to run in a track. If it isn't in a tight fitting track then the iron rises out of the cut due to the fact that the handle is set well back so isn't applying any inward/downward pressure over the actual cut.

 

[SammyQ]

I'm back in God's Own Country presently Rob (on a parental MoT check) but I'll look it up Monday evening when I get back to Geordieland. I'll put some images up here; it's a good design, which I think you've improved on.

Sam

 

[woodbloke66]

I'm puzzled how that design of shooting board can work in conjunction with the LN shooting board plane?

I have the same plane, it's a lovely tool, but it's very restricted in that it needs to run in a track. If it isn't in a tight fitting track then the iron rises out of the cut due to the fact that the handle is set well back so isn't applying any inward/downward pressure over the actual cut.

Maybe as you use it Custard but I can assure you it works fine on this shooting board and I'm sorry, it doesn't need to run on a track. I've been using it on my ordinary shooting board for years with no issues whatsoever.

I'm back in God's Own Country presently Rob (on a parental MoT check) but I'll look it up Monday evening when I get back to Geordieland. I'll put some images up here; it's a good design, which I think you've improved on.

Sam

Thanks Sam...there can't be any less of the wet stuff in NI than we've currently got in Salisbury. I've just cycled back from town on the velocipede and got back drenched - Rob

 

[SammyQ]

Feel for you. Had an alleged 80mm in 24 hours in Northumberland the day I flew here, preceded by close to that in the 24 hours previous. Can't believe Trump denies Global warming; he must have too many Texas Oil shares....

Adieu.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Looks good Rob, I have been prototyping a couple of shooting boards again based on the old Wearing design. Hadn't seen Mitch's one before.

Interesting comments from custard, I haven't got a LN but just bought a Veritas to test, I will have to see if it suffers the same problem.

Cheers

Peter

 

[woodbloke66]

Looks good Rob, I have been prototyping a couple of shooting boards again based on the old Wearing design. Hadn't seen Mitch's one before.

Interesting comments from custard, I haven't got a LN but just bought a Veritas to test, I will have to see if it suffers the same problem.

Cheers

Peter

Thanks Peter; I suspect that the Veritas shooter will work equally as well as the slightly more up-market :lol: LN version. In other words, it will be fine and there won't be a 'problem'. The design of Mitch's shooting board though is pretty good; when you see the video the adaptations that I made to his already good version of Wearing's original design are straight forward...maybe you can see further improvements?- Rob

 

[Peter Sefton]

Rob I have made what I would hope to be improvements and a few extras, still a work in progress and playing with a few different materials as well. We have been making a standard 90 degrees for some time so this is a pimped up version of that

Cheers

Peter

 

[Glynne]

I'll look forward to the improved "improved" version.

I have the Veritas shooting plane and it is probably one of the best tools I have ever bought (never mind the LN rubbish!)

Just to go from the sublime to the ridiculous (i.e. mine), I knocked up a Donkey's Ear from some old shuttering ply I had lying around for a quick job I had on hand - with the intention of upgrading it in due course (ha!).

Despite it being really rough and ready, it is actually very accurate and hence I haven't got around to updating it. As an example, here is a box under construction using figured ash.

I'll be really interested in the latest design because I do cringe every time I use mine.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I made Bob Wearing original (I have him to thank for my interest in jigs generally). It needs remaking now, as two years in a barn did it no favours, but it worked fine with an ordinary bench plane. I lined the little groove in which it runs, and the top runner, too, with formica. I bet if it had been kept dry and warm it would still be perfect today.

 

[woodbloke66]

Rob I have made what I would hope to be improvements and a few extras, still a work in progress and playing with a few different materials as well. We have been making a standard 90 degrees for some time so this is a pimped up version of that

Cheers

Peter

Thanks Peter, that's going to be interesting to see - Rob

 

[woodbloke66]

I have the Veritas shooting plane and it is probably one of the best tools I have ever bought (never mind the LN rubbish!)

When I got my much posher LN version, the Veritas shooter hadn't been introduced and was still in development. Were I to choose between the two today however, three tosses of a coin would decide it 'cos I don't think there's much between them...apart from nearly £200 (hammer) :shock: - Rob

 

[Steve Maskery]

I've often thought that it would be a nice tool to have, but when I saw them at the Newark show a couple of months ago, my mind was made up for me. Not enough change out of £500 for a packet of crisps.

 

[Glynne]

I've often thought that it would be a nice tool to have, but when I saw them at the Newark show a couple of months ago, my mind was made up for me. Not enough change out of £500 for a packet of crisps.

And as an added bonus, if you get one that is less “posh” you don’t have to get a top hat as well!
I did have to upgrade my flat cap to a Peaky Blinders one though.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I did have to upgrade my flat cap to a Peaky Blinders one though.

I've got one of them, too. I love it!

 

[woodbloke66]

I did have to upgrade my flat cap to a Peaky Blinders one though.

I've got one of them, too. I love it!

So have I but I couldn't resist the topper at Cragside :lol: - Rob

 

[Glynne]

“Peaky Blinders” cap - the headgear of choice for today’s posh woodworker / cabinet maker. Sounds good but I can’t see it catching on - because you do have to be a certain age to carry it off. I’m certainly of the age, but still look a bit daft if I’m honest, like the Hovis kid but in retirement.