I have made a couple of shooting boards from instructions on YouTube but instead of a satisfying swoosh it results in an unsatisfying thunk on all but the thinnest wood. The plane is very sharp and works perfectly in “normal” use. Any ideas as to what might be going wrong?
Shooting board doesn’t work properly.
- Thread starter Steve1947
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
Some photos of your boards may help people diagnose. I’m a shooting board novice but have found them to be finicky to set up, with larger timber needing a super fine cut set on the plane and the timber advanced only fractionally past the fence.
Rubbing the end grain with alcohol helps softening the fibers. For me the thicker the wood, the more problematic is to get good results with shooting board. I am currently shooting 50 mm boards and it is hard to get acceptable results. But reducing the depth of cut also helps not hitting the wood instead of cutting it.
Also I tighten more the cap screw, because if it is loose it may throw off lateral adjustment when you take a heavier cut during shooting
Also I tighten more the cap screw, because if it is loose it may throw off lateral adjustment when you take a heavier cut during shooting
Last edited:
Ollie78
Established Member
Sounds like you might be trying to take off too much in a single pass.
The blade must be very sharp for nice results.
A proper shooting plane has a skew blade which will help and might be why those youtube guys get such nice smooth swoosh noises as they cut.
Don't know what design of board you have made but if you add a slope to the bed it mimics the shear action of a scew blade a bit.
There is a certain knack to it as well, it is important to keep the nose of the plane "down" or more correctly in towards the board, as gravity is not helping the front can try and jump away from the cut.
Ollie
The blade must be very sharp for nice results.
A proper shooting plane has a skew blade which will help and might be why those youtube guys get such nice smooth swoosh noises as they cut.
Don't know what design of board you have made but if you add a slope to the bed it mimics the shear action of a scew blade a bit.
There is a certain knack to it as well, it is important to keep the nose of the plane "down" or more correctly in towards the board, as gravity is not helping the front can try and jump away from the cut.
Ollie
Bod
Established Member
Photos of the shooting board and the wood that is being worked will help greatly.
Not all wood works nicely.
Bod
Not all wood works nicely.
Bod
ey_tony
Established Member
A shooting board is simply another useful tool in the woodworker's arsenal which costs little to make but is very important if exposed end grain is a feature.
If you get a clunk when the plane meets the leading edge of the piece of wood being trimmed in a shooting board and the plane blade is sufficiently sharp then simply reduce/retract the blade as has already been suggested and continue reducing the blade exposure to minimise how much is taken off during every stroke.. Do not try to take off too much in one go otherwise as you are likely to experience what you describe which also will most likely break the back edge of wood being 'shot'!
I was an organ builder in my younger days and a shooting board was always on hand. Every bench hand had their own.
Even now if I need to square the end grain of a piece of timber precisely using a shooting board then I use a 22" steel plane ( often referred to as a jointer) and nothing shorter. It's a bit heavy when pushing but at the same time the weight also helps with the cuts once the plane is moving. which aids the cutting and reduces chatter and due to its length, the plane is less likely to rock out of true as the plane blade is pushed over and past the timber being cut.. That is why it's important to make a shooting board which is sufficiently long enough to use a longer plane. Use a bit of French chalk on the side of the plane if it isn't sliding freely.
I also precisely mark/scribe around the piece of wood with a marking knife so as to avoid any break away and I mitre off any excess down to the knife line on the waste side of the line on the distal/back edge to avoid the possibility of break out which can ruin the look of the job.
If you get a clunk when the plane meets the leading edge of the piece of wood being trimmed in a shooting board and the plane blade is sufficiently sharp then simply reduce/retract the blade as has already been suggested and continue reducing the blade exposure to minimise how much is taken off during every stroke.. Do not try to take off too much in one go otherwise as you are likely to experience what you describe which also will most likely break the back edge of wood being 'shot'!
I was an organ builder in my younger days and a shooting board was always on hand. Every bench hand had their own.
Even now if I need to square the end grain of a piece of timber precisely using a shooting board then I use a 22" steel plane ( often referred to as a jointer) and nothing shorter. It's a bit heavy when pushing but at the same time the weight also helps with the cuts once the plane is moving. which aids the cutting and reduces chatter and due to its length, the plane is less likely to rock out of true as the plane blade is pushed over and past the timber being cut.. That is why it's important to make a shooting board which is sufficiently long enough to use a longer plane. Use a bit of French chalk on the side of the plane if it isn't sliding freely.
I also precisely mark/scribe around the piece of wood with a marking knife so as to avoid any break away and I mitre off any excess down to the knife line on the waste side of the line on the distal/back edge to avoid the possibility of break out which can ruin the look of the job.
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. The plane Is a #4 which might not be heavy/long enough. The wood is 1/2 inch pine. The plane is sharpened up to 1000 grit which might not be enough?
time to call in the mitre saw?
time to call in the mitre saw?
Jacob
What goes around comes around.
Quite difficult to plane a little piece like that unless it is clamped tight.
Cabinetman
Established Member
Not so difficult Jacob, I just don’t think he’s got his plane set fine enough, personally I never use a shooting board I just stand it in the vice, it’s pretty rare to get breakout, if it’s being difficult I come at it from both ends and then take the middle off, but it must be sharp and set very fine. Ian
TheTiddles
Established Member
Pine is hard to cut cleanly due to it being soft and stringy, got to have a fine sharp blade.
So it all looks fine to me other than your blade might be a bit rough at 1000g and possibly too sticky-out, you can’t cut much at a time on pine
So it all looks fine to me other than your blade might be a bit rough at 1000g and possibly too sticky-out, you can’t cut much at a time on pine
Peri
Established Member
I rarely sharpen past 1000 and never have any trouble. As for planes I'll grab whatever's on the shelf, 4,5 or 6. The only possible reasons I can think of you'll get a 'thunk' are either the blade is out too far, or the front of the plane is hitting the stop...... what else is there?
Ttrees
Iroko loco!
I've only used the no.4 on the shooting board for very large blocks, say 3"
but only for holding the work, as it the plane not riding in the track.
I have a 5 1/2 for work like that.
Sometimes I find grain orientation can be troublesome, as in flipping the work around
makes the end grain cut much nicer/easier.
Another tip if one has some offcuts, if you can find a deck of cards sized block
and use this for testing long grain so the edge doesn't get battered.
Good to keep incase one might think the lateral adjustment may have got a knock.
I've often thought of making a flippable dual purpose shooting board,
one for rough heavier cuts, and the other for light ones.
If you have taken a heavy cut into it already, then the work needs to extend too much beyond the unsupported edge.
Some use another squared stick on the non feedable edge shooting board like you have, to counteract spelching. (a bevel on the back of the stick is worth doing)
Worth noting that the longer plane can be easily used to make sure that the track what should be square to the stop is still accurate.
Tom
but only for holding the work, as it the plane not riding in the track.
I have a 5 1/2 for work like that.
Sometimes I find grain orientation can be troublesome, as in flipping the work around
makes the end grain cut much nicer/easier.
Another tip if one has some offcuts, if you can find a deck of cards sized block
and use this for testing long grain so the edge doesn't get battered.
Good to keep incase one might think the lateral adjustment may have got a knock.
I've often thought of making a flippable dual purpose shooting board,
one for rough heavier cuts, and the other for light ones.
If you have taken a heavy cut into it already, then the work needs to extend too much beyond the unsupported edge.
Some use another squared stick on the non feedable edge shooting board like you have, to counteract spelching. (a bevel on the back of the stick is worth doing)
Worth noting that the longer plane can be easily used to make sure that the track what should be square to the stop is still accurate.
Tom
thetyreman
Established Member
I have noticed you need even sharper blades than normal for end grain work, the edge wears down fast, it has to be even sharper for softwood endgrain. It must be surgically sharp.
Last edited:
Peri
Established Member
Its hard to tell from the photo, but it doesn't look like the edge the plane rides along actually has any type of rebate, it looks smooth.
Cabinetman
Established Member
If you mean the piece of wood that the shaped side of the plane runs/ rubs on why would it be rebated? Ian
Peri
Established Member
The bit of wood the blade removes as it travels down the board.
google-pic (Although that one does look a bit extreme)
google-pic (Although that one does look a bit extreme)
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
You need to have a little strop now and then, that'll get it sharp enough.
Don't forget to stamp your feet too.
Don't forget to stamp your feet too.
it is smooth, there is no rebate. I wasn’t aware one was necessary.
Adam W.
A Major Clanger
The plane blade cuts a little rebate when you first use it, to account for the blade not being the full width of the sole.
