How to shoot a board?

[Brian Sommers]

How do you shoot the end of a board?

all the videos make everything look so easy. I can't get anywhere

[Normand Leblanc]

Could you be more explicit?
- type of plane used
- type of wood
- What is the problem?

I like to use a WoodRiver no.4 plane for small pieces and a LeeValley LA jack for ticker/harder material.

Normand

[Brian Sommers]

I'm using an old #4 Stanley I think.
I would love to be able to get a good plane.

Could that make a difference?

hard maple. It just skips or gets stuck

[Curt Putnam]

IMO, you can square a board freehand by sticking in a vise vertically. This is NOT the preferred method! Have you built a shooting board? Have you verified that it is square or actually matches whatever angle you are trying to cut? Once we know that you have an accurate shooting board then we can discuss plane issues, if any. Again, IMO from a relative newb.

[David Eisenhauer]

Given that you have a shooting board (big given), the key to shooting end grain is a sharp-sharp, very sharp blade and tiny bites. If you are getting stuck, it sounds like too thick a cut is being tried. Extend the blade of the plane such that it will only take a very thin cut (3?4?5? thousands, but just guessing) when planning on face grain. Place your plane positioned sideways against the long fence of your shooting board and run your end grain board placed against the cross fence of the shooting board out to just touch the sole (bottom) of the shooting plane (specifically not against the extended blade of the plane). Then reposition the plane back to the starting point and push through the stroke. You will have to continuously re position the end grain board against the plane's sole as you plane the end grain down to the desired surface. The guys on the videos look like they are just thrashing away, but they are readjusting the end of the board as they plane away. Slow down and check as you go. It may help to wear a rubbery type glove on your gripping hand to prevent the end grain board from moving. A sharp #4 will work, some folks prefer a larger/heavier plane to get the mass moving, but it is not a requirement.

[Normand Leblanc]

Brian,
If it skips it's because it's not sharp. Then you probably adjust for a deeper cut and the plane get stuck. Am I right?

The other possibility is that your plane is not tuned up. By this I mean that the blade might not be seating properly on the frog or the frog is not seated correctly in the sole. With an old Stanley I would bet it's the latter.

You are working with hard maple. You should try with something softer don't you think?

For sure, a premium plane comes well tuned-up and it does make a difference but in all cases (new or old planes) you need to know if your sharpening is adequate. A good test is to plane soft pine end grain and check if you're getting a very nice surface.

[Patrick Chase]

How do you shoot the end of a board?

all the videos make everything look so easy. I can't get anywhere

It depends on the size of the board, but you may need shotgun slugs (preferably 10-gauge, 12 will do in a pinch) to make much of an impression. High-powered rifle bullets are no good as they just sail right through.

You should make absolutely sure to polish your casings with JNats first, though.

[Prashun Patel]

Due respect, Brian, show us your set up. I doubt you need us to start from scratch with you. Need more specifics to be specifically helpful.

[Warren Mickley]

I have shot end grain in a vise for over fifty years. I like to score the board deeply all the way around with a knife and make a small chamfer with a chisel at the far end. Then plane to the line.

If you are having trouble planing end grain with a #4 plane, it could be taking too heavy a cut, or it could be poor sharpening. Like not sharpening enough to get rid of the rounded wear on the edge, or sharpening at too steep an angle. If the iron is not too sharp you may not be able to take a light enough cut.

There is one advantage to getting an expensive plane; the owner tends to look for problems with his technique rather than blaming the plane.

If the board is very thin, like less than 1/4 inch, or very narrow, like less than two inches wide, a shooting board may be helpful. Otherwise shooting in a vise is a lot less clumsy.

[Josh Nelson]

Sharpness is a huge factor as well as set up in general (board and plane). In my experience a skip is either too much cut or not enough sharp.

[Brian Sommers]

In have a shooting board and its square. I'll check it again to make sure. I want to make another one that is sloped.

I did have my plane set up by a local Amish woodworker in town. Maybe it could use some sharpening but I think I'm taking to large of a bite, but when I pull it back I don't seem to get much at all.

i know I can't blame my tools, but I would love to try it with a veritable LA jack plane then if it doesn't work I know it's me! LOL

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Brian

In my opinion, BD planes need to be monitored for sharpness more than BU planes. The latter have the advantage of a lower cut angle (generally 37 degrees) compared the the BD, which commonly has a standard angle plane (such as the Stanley #4). All this does is place even more emphasis on using a sharp blade, and that a Stanley #4 needs to be kept ultra sharp all the time. You are going to struggle if the blade is not ultra sharp.

While I own and use some fancy shooting boards, these are used for thin boards only, as Warren noted above. Otherwise I simply clamp the in a vise, knife the marks, and plane to these. Still, a low cutting angle works best on end grain regardless of whether a shooting board is used or not.

One of the features that you need to check on your #4 is the flatness of the sole. A sole that is low around the mouth area will not take a fine shaving, which is one of the symptoms you reported. The blade needs to be extended a little further, and then it is difficult to control - blades flex more under these circumstances. A similar situation occurs when the toe and the heel are lower (and the mouth area is higher). The plane then will rock on the high area, and the blade will rock up and down as well. To check the flatness of the sole, without special equipment such as feeler gauges, glue a sheet of fine (600 grit) wet-and-dry sandpaper to a piece of flat glass, and just gently push the plane across it. The high spots will show up as shiny.

Once the plane and blade are considered good, the rest is technique. The main factors here are:

1. finely set blade.
2. start the cut at the edge of the board and push forward firmly and smoothly - NO run up and bashing the end.
3. Push the plane into the side of the runway while simultaneously pushing it into the runway - hands around the mouth area.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Robert Engel]

Few things to consider:

1. You may find much of your issues come from the condition of your plane. As Derek mentioned, plus also whether the sides are square to the sole. If they are not you can adjust the blade to cut square. Check sole flatness by rubbing on sandpaper mounted to a dead flat surface like a table saw. Make marks with a Sharpie to guide you. Be sure the blade is tensioned and retracted.

2. As mentioned, sharp blade - let me be clear - razor sharp (as in will shave hair!).
3.. Iron set for very thin shavings.
4. Adequate side/down pressure against the guide fence when planing.
5. Be sure the blade projection is even. I test this with a thin board take a shaving on each side of blade and adjust accordingly.

Let me also suggest although you can shoot with a #4 you will find a heavier plane will work better.
You will also find a plane with the thinner irons will not perform as well for this task.

Personally, I use either a low angle jack with a hotdog handle or a #6.
Note: I actually prefer the #6 on thicker wood because the mass of the plane helps.

[James Pallas]

Brian one thing that may help is to remember that your board is a precision instrument. If the iron is sharp and the board is working you may have to look to see if you are getting a shaving. The shaving may be very small, one tiny corner. You won't even fell the plane cut. The temptation is to deepen the cut. As you take more cuts it will become apparent that the plane is cutting.
Jim

[Mike Berti]

I am working with a similar board now. The maple is relatively very hard. I would try first with softer woods like pine or poplar. If that works fine, do as others suggested and reduce the shave to minimum possible.