I use my LV Low Angle Jack with the 25 degree blade. Depending on the wood I hit the end grain with a little mineral spirits first and it winds up smooth as glass.
Contributor
I use my LV Low Angle Jack with the 25 degree blade. Depending on the wood I hit the end grain with a little mineral spirits first and it winds up smooth as glass.
Sharp solves all manner of problems.
Member
Okay, I use my shooting boards a lot.
I have a Lie-Nielsen 51 and I love it. I think what I like the most is the mass of the plane. It weighs near nine pounds and that weight carries it right through the stock.
It did take me a day or two to get accustomed to the handle angle but now it's natural.
It was a tough pill to swallow when paying for it but I have no regrets.
I wonder if Lie-Nielsen will ever come through with the promised #52 shooting board?
Scott in Montana
Contributor
When I started serious hand work many decades ago, I only had a big old Bed Rock #8. It was a little awkward to hold, but after a year or two I no longer even noticed. Now with two full cabinets of magnificent state-of-the-art planes, I still grab that same old #8 for most of my shooting chores. And since I work mostly by hand, I shoot everything...edges, ends, and chamfers.
I would commend the big plane to anyone for almost any shooting. The two critical variables for me are the mass and the sharpness. The LN #8 has become a good second choice in my shop. I've tried little planes when I saw them suggested here on SMC ( It would never have occurred to me to use a small plane for shooting ), but they just don't feel right to me. What feels right to me is that very high inertia working as a low-pass filter to cut down on chatter. A low-angle blade would lower the impedance somewhat, but I still want that high mass.
I guess one down side is that the #8 wants a darned long shooting board bed to run on and this is one place where the LN #9 has an advantage. But wood for shooting fixtures is fairly cheap in the grand scheme of things and I just prefer the advantages that a long "wheel base" has over a short one.
I can see that this suggestion might seem ridiculous to some of you. It's probably a function of what you're trying to accomplish. In making harpsichords one has to joint many 6-foot long strips of 1/8" spruce. For a guitar there's a 2-foot joint of 1/10" spruce! The slightest blip of the jointing plane along its 6+ foot trip down the shooting board will leave a tiny divot and, therefore, a tiny imperfection with unknown long-term consequences. In my work I feel that this same kind of perfection isn't wasted on every day cabinet making.
Member
A regular bevel down plane works really well. Wooden Jack or No 6 is nice but I can also use a No 4 just fine.
Last edited by Graham Haydon; 10-27-2014 at 7:51 AM. Reason: Spelling!
Contributor
Originally Posted by Graham Haydon
Youre right of course. I have too. From what Ive seen, a well tuned 4 does many things well.
Contributor
I use a LA Jack or my #7.
Shawn
"no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."
"I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"
Member
A vote for the LN #51...it's hard to beat a dedicated shooter.
ken
Contributor
For many it is hard to afford the cost of a dedicated shooter. At the time of my purchase of an LN #62 the LN #51 wasn't available. As it is my mostly dedicated to shooting #62 comes in at about half the cost.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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