Shooting board plane

[Harbo]

I cut the 45 on my TS but a router would do.
The White stuff is some pieces cut from a cheapo nylon chopping board - the plane runs against the vertical edge.

Rod

 

[bugbear]

The key issue is that there are two issues that really determine mitre accuracy,

1. The quality and accuracy of the cut itself
2. The accuracy and repeatability of cutting the length

Most people seem to focus on the first and ignore the second.

Heartily agreed. If the lengths are out, the corners won't fit properly, even if they're a perfect 45°.

BugBear

 

[custard]

Woodbloke, interesting, I've been thinking about a 51 instead of the 9 for some time. Can the 51 be used on both sides of a shooting board or, if you were shooting veneer or long grain thin stuff, from right to left as well as from left to right? Do you know what the 51's pitch is?

 

[bugbear]

Woodbloke, interesting, I've been thinking about a 51 instead of the 9 for some time. Can the 51 be used on both sides of a shooting board or, if you were shooting veneer or long grain thin stuff, from right to left as well as from left to right? Do you know what the 51's pitch is?

I don't think any skew plane is nicely bidirectional.

You need a pair

BugBear

 

[custard]

Woodbloke, interesting, I've been thinking about a 51 instead of the 9 for some time. Can the 51 be used on both sides of a shooting board or, if you were shooting veneer or long grain thin stuff, from right to left as well as from left to right? Do you know what the 51's pitch is?

I don't think any skew plane is nicely bidirectional.

You need a pair

BugBear

I get that, I was wondering if there might be something whizzy on the 51 like a flippable frog? The 9 of course (or indeed any bench plane) can work both sides of a shooting board (you just have to swap the 9's hot dog handle to the other side), or shoot veneers right to left as well as left to right.

 

[bugbear]

Woodbloke, interesting, I've been thinking about a 51 instead of the 9 for some time. Can the 51 be used on both sides of a shooting board or, if you were shooting veneer or long grain thin stuff, from right to left as well as from left to right? Do you know what the 51's pitch is?

I don't think any skew plane is nicely bidirectional.

You need a pair

BugBear

I get that, I was wondering if there might be something whizzy on the 51 like a flippable frog? The 9 of course (or indeed any bench plane) can work both sides of a shooting board (you just have to swap the 9's hot dog handle to the other side), or shoot veneers right to left as well as left to right.

The #51 would also need a flippable body, and a rotatable mouth. Sounds expensive

BugBear

 

[woodbloke]

The No 51 can only be use right handed and it's a perfectly normal LN frog and iron that's cunningly mounted in the casting so that the blade exits at a 20deg skewed angle in the vertical section. The handedness is one of the things that I picked up on in the review but Derek J, the ed at F&C was going to make enquiries with TLN to see if a LH version is in the pipe line...I don't know how he got on.
It's over twice the weight of the No9 and that, coupled with the skewed action of the blade, makes it fantastic to use on a shooting board - Rob

 

[custard]

The No 51 can only be use right handed and it's a perfectly normal LN frog and iron that's cunningly mounted in the casting so that the blade exits at a 20deg skewed angle in the vertical section. The handedness is one of the things that I picked up on in the review but Derek J, the ed at F&C was going to make enquiries with TLN to see if a LH version is in the pipe line...I don't know how he got on.
It's over twice the weight of the No9 and that, coupled with the skewed action of the blade, makes it fantastic to use on a shooting board - Rob

Thanks for that.

Is there anyone out there, better at geometry than I, who can say if skewing the blade like this alters the effective pitch? Or is the 51 still a 45 degree angle iron (or of course higher with a back bevel)?

 

[Jacob]

The No 51 can only be use right handed and it's a perfectly normal LN frog and iron that's cunningly mounted in the casting so that the blade exits at a 20deg skewed angle in the vertical section. The handedness is one of the things that I picked up on in the review but Derek J, the ed at F&C was going to make enquiries with TLN to see if a LH version is in the pipe line...I don't know how he got on.
It's over twice the weight of the No9 and that, coupled with the skewed action of the blade, makes it fantastic to use on a shooting board - Rob

Thanks for that.

Is there anyone out there, better at geometry than I, who can say if skewing the blade like this alters the effective pitch? Or is the 51 still a 45 degree angle iron (or of course higher with a back bevel)?

It lowers it.
Bloody expensive the LN51. It's not going to perform much better than a bog standard 5 1/2, which also has the advantage of being reversible.
Strictly for tool enthusiasts and perhaps one or two people in the world for whom it might improve productivity enough to pay for itself.

 

[Paul Chapman]

It's not going to perform much better than a bog standard 5 1/2

You obviously haven't used one or you wouldn't be saying that.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Jacob]

It's not going to perform much better than a bog standard 5 1/2

You obviously haven't used one or you wouldn't be saying that.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Have you?
I have used a 5 1/2 for shooting and it performs perfectly. What could be better than that?
The 51 could be useful for someone who does loads of shooting on regular basis. Some sort of production line of stuff made by hand.
A beginner might easily imagine that using a shooting board is not possible without a special shooting plane, so it's helpful to point these things out.

 

[woodbloke]

It's not going to perform much better than a bog standard 5 1/2

You obviously haven't used one or you wouldn't be saying that.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

IMHO a No 9 is significantly better than a standard No 5 or 5 1/2, simpley because it's a low angle plane. However, the 51 is significantly better than the No 9, because of the mass (double) and the skewed action of the blade (which is in itself not skewed)

When I did the review, I tested it on some of Waka's Indian rosewood which was about 24mm thick, just about the limit for shooting any sort of timber on a board, let alone such a hard and brittle wood like that. The No9 would have struggled...the No 51 sailed through it 8) - Rob

 

[Benchwayze]

A Mitre-trimmer/guillotine. The first 'luxury' tool I ever bought. Expensive too in 1965 (£8.12 shillings. :mrgreen: When I got around to buying spare blades, they were dearer than the original tool! ) A mitre-trimmer certainly resolved the problem of preparing smaller stock, across end-grain. For mitres, especially, you need a means of setting the fences at exact angles though, so it pays to have a quality Engineer's Square. Or you could keep on trial-cutting on offcuts!

For larger stock use a shooting board, but you need a plane that is quite heavy. A Record or Stanley 5-1/2 is quite adequate, but it MUST be sharp. Don't try to take too much off in one go.

What follows is my personal opinion, of the special shooting-board planes.
So.:

I am sure these planes are useful and efficient. Having never used one though, that's all I can say. To me, they are a luxury item, that I wouldn't often use. I just fail to see the real need for them.

When I prepare stock to make a dovetail, the Jack-plane will give me a good enough finish for marking out. In fact, a good TCT table saw blade will do exactly the same. After all, the joint is usually cleaned up afterwards anyhow, so why seek perfection just to aid marking out? What matters most is that the stock is square, and the grain is smooth enough to take pencil marks. So for shooting, a sharp 5-1/2 has always done the job for me. For table ends, I either plane in the vice, towards the centre from each side, or I trim with a router and then maybe sand. One plane I couldn't do without in hand-work, is a bevel-up smoother (or a No. 62.) Since I bought my 62, I haven't needed sand-paper! Which I hate anyway. Never liked bullying the timber into submission!


HTH

John

 

[Jacob]

I borrowed a mitre cutting guilllotine once for a job with lots of architraves and it was really handy.
I suppose it'd be an essential item for picture framers, but a bit limited for bigger stuff, box makers etc.

 

[LuptonM]

If your doing allot of shooting than a plane with an appropriate handle for planing sideways will make a large difference. If you grip the side of the casting too hard you may damage the nerves in your thumb. Its taken 6months for the feeling in my right thumb to return!!!!!!!!

 

[Paul Chapman]

It's not going to perform much better than a bog standard 5 1/2

You obviously haven't used one or you wouldn't be saying that.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Have you?

Yes.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[bugbear]

If your doing allot of shooting than a plane with an appropriate handle for planing sideways will make a large difference. If you grip the side of the casting too hard you may damage the nerves in your thumb. Its taken 6months for the feeling in my right thumb to return!!!!!!!!

Ta da!

http://cornishworkshop.blogspot.com/201 ... ciple.html

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

If your doing allot of shooting than a plane with an appropriate handle for planing sideways will make a large difference. If you grip the side of the casting too hard you may damage the nerves in your thumb. Its taken 6months for the feeling in my right thumb to return!!!!!!!!

Ta da!

http://cornishworkshop.blogspot.com/201 ... ciple.html

BugBear

Yes, or even simpler is to wear a riggers glove. Certainly no need to spend £430 on a plane!

 

[Noel]

Must admit I do find it incredible that some would spend shockingly mad amounts of money on such a thing. Have I used one? Nope. Would I like one? Nope.

 

[Karl]

Each to his own I suppose Noel.

I don't do cancer sticks - that is truly mad.