Using 45d shooting board

[Jerry Thompson]

I just build a 45 d shooting board. I am trying out two bench planes with it and am having a frustrating time.
Using a Stanley jack plane with a Hock blade and chipbreaker I cannot shave off anything. The wood is maple and I cut it @ 45d on a saw first. If the plane does make it cut it pulls the piece out and sticks part way through the cut. No shavings just sawdust. I just sharpened the blade using a guide and it has a micro 30d bevel done with an 8000 grit water stone. I next used a LV BU jack plane. This was maginally better. At least shavings came off but it would still hang up as the other one did. I have adjusted the depth of cut many times. It seems that the best time is when almost nothing comes off. I have read about all of this and watched DVDs but I have never heard nor seen what is happening to me.
I also have the work piece pull out of my hand several times throwing everything off. I do not have the strength to hold it firmly without it moving.
I am at a loss to what I am doning wrong.

[Mike Cutler]

Jerry

Just a stab here.
It sounds to me as if you are pushing the piece of material ever so slightly into the plane as the plane is passing over it. Causing the plane to "bite more".
Any way to clamp the material so that you can operate the plane with both hands to allow you to rule things out. It's a pretty straight forward task.

If possible, post a pic of your setup. There may be something causing the problem that isn't obvious.

[Ken Werner]

Could you post a picture of the shooting board?

[Jerry Thompson]

I also built a 90d shooting board. Both planes take shavings from the same board end grain. So I feel they must be sharp. I will try clamping the piece tomorrow and see what gives.
It seems a if I take little or nothing off the 45 d or if I adjust the blade I get too big of a bite.

[harry strasil]

I have only used a bevel up low angle stanley block plane. so I have no idea other than you are trying to cut end grain with to steep an angle, forget the bevel up stuff and go with a regular bevel down plane so it will slice it off instead of acting like a scraper.

[Derek Cohen]

Are you cutting with the grain? Easy to get this wrong on a angled cut.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jerry Thompson]

I am still having poor results. I tried using a Stanley jack plane and I had a terrible time. I either cut nothing or it grabs and pulls the piece out. I clamped the piece and hit it with all of the force I could muster with both hands and a piece came off.
I used the LV BU jack and it was much better. I still cannot get between no cut and a bite that pulls the piece out of my hand. I can clamp it and give it a good one and a shaving comes off.
I see no point in continuing. It would be usless to think I could construct, say a square frame, with 45d miters. I could do better and faster on my table saw.
It seems to me that one should be able to make a pass with the plane and get a very fine shaving from it. I have looked at shooting boards over and over on the net and see no difference in mine.
Until I find someone who knows about these things and can do a hands on with me I am sticking with my table and miter saws.
It also poses the question that I have never seen asked, how do you keep all the mitered pieces the same length when using a miter board?

[Mark Stutz]

Jerry,
I share in your frustration. More than once I've tried everything I could do, having read all I could. I usually took a picture to see what I was doing wrong. If you could post a picture of your set up and pictures in progress, I'm sure somebody can help.

Mark

[Ted Owen]

Try applying some coarse-medium sandpaper to the face of the 45d fence. That helped greatly after I was experiencing the same as all of you.

Also take a VERY thin shaving, and get up the speed so the plane has momentum to follow through the workpiece.

Best, Ted

[Jerry Thompson]

I will try the sand paper on my next endeavor. The plane is going full tilt boogey woogey when the blade hits the wood. The LV BU plane took one nice shaving off. It made me fuzzy all over. By golly I've got it. Then back to the same old stuff.
My problem is I find it next to impossibel to read instructions, plans, how to put things together etc. If someone is there and shows me I am off and running. My wife has to read the plans for me to construct anything. Once I do it then I can read the plans. I even tried to take a course in reading plans. I lasted two weeks and the instructor told me that there was still time to get my money back and that is what he would do if he were me.