Benchcraft Miter Jack

[Frederick Skelly]

What stops the faces of the mitre jack from being planed away?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Come on Derek, we know you're just itching to build one of these and find a way to improve it so that it doesn't wear at all. That kind of project has your tool-making skills written all over it. And by the time you're done, it will be a work of art, all hardwood and brass. You can't resist this challenge, Sir!

Fred

[Derek Cohen]

You never know ....

[Mike Cherry]

What if you placed a hardwood strip 1/8" away from the jaw. You could use the to register the side of your plane and it would wear like a shooting board

[mike holden]

You are overthinking this. The plane blade ONLY comes across the workpiece, the front and rear of the plane ride on the miter jack. Yes, the area immediately adjacent to the workpiece get a bit chewed up, but less than you might think.
I learned on one with thin cardboard on the faces, but after looking at antique miter jacks, I came to the conclusion that cardboard or veneer was unnecessary.
Mike

[James Pallas]

Very nice Keith. I have thought about building a mitre Jack and almost pulled the trigger on the Benchcrafted parts kit but could not quite justify it. I just couldn't figure out how and when I would use it. Keith, where in your work are you planning to use the mitre jack?
Jim

[Derek Cohen]

Jim, I cannot speak for Keith, but one of the attractions of this accessory is to pare coplanar tenon shoulders.

This is how I dealt with it when squaring shoulders on curved rails ..



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kees Heiden]

Yes the mitrejack is also usefull when paring with a large chisel. Another option is sawing with one of these French veneersaws, when they are set on one side only. Don't the Japanese have something similar too?

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[Steve Voigt]

Yes the mitrejack is also usefull when paring with a large chisel. Another option is sawing with one of these French veneersaws, when they are set on one side only. Don't the Japanese have something similar too?

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I would lean toward a big paring chisel--no problems with planing the jig that way--but the veneer saw is also a great idea. Never thought of that!

[Kees Heiden]

I heard this from th eguy who sold me his mitre jack. He is an avid collecter of old Dutch tools. He showed me several of these saws, and I still call myself an idiot because I didn't offer to buy one from him.

[Keith Mathewson]

James,
The reason I built it was for the reasons others have described. Some time ago a bought a vintage one but it was too light duty to use and the glue joints had failed.