It’s our Deluxe, Basic Plus and Basic Shooters made available in “Chute Style” for the LN 51 shooting board planes.

While we have mentioned similar news of this recently, and have been offering chute adapter kits to be used as an upgrade to our shooting board line, it just made sense to give this series it’s own identity, and make it easier to order.

The LN 51 is a premier plane when it comes to shooting, and many woodworkers are selecting it as their choice for the shooting board. It made perfect sense to give the 51 a great Chute Board for it’s purpose. This shooting board is a precision tool.

The ’51’ Shooter is Artisan Made like all our tools, sharing all the features and specifications of our other shooting boards and tools. It can be ordered from The ’51′ Shooter Page in the Evenfall Studios Woodworks Store.

If you already have a Shooting Board of ours and would like to retrofit it to work with the LN 51, we still offer a Chute Adapter Kit that will turn your Deluxe, Basic Plus, or Basic Shooter into a ‘51’ Shooter. It can be ordered from the Shooting Board Accessory section in our Store. Once you receive it, simply install the kit, adjust it to fit, and wax both the chute and your plane. Welcome to shooting heaven.

It is also important to note that this chute rail is not only adjustable, but reversible with two sides flattened on certified granite. It’s removable as well, so you can still use nearly any plane with our shooting boards, if that is what you wish or need. And if you ever damage or wear out the rail, we offer replacements in the Shooting Board Accessory Section in our store.

We welcome the ‘51’Shooter to our Shooting Board line up. We now offer seven different styles of shooting board in all.

More good things are coming!

Happy Woodworking!

Our new Planing Stop is the jointer planes helper, engineered to be a complete planing stop, meant to be easy to set up and use. When you wanna plane, you wanna plane! When you are done planing, simply lower the screws and it’s flush to the bench top. Always ready.

Why would we want to use a planing stop?

The main reason to use a stop when planing is that it offers no cramp to the board. By cramp, I mean clamping the uncorrected board so that some of the wind and twist may become compressed. When you clamp a board that isn’t flat before you attempt to true it, you can flex the wood fibers against a natural wind and actually plane more problems into it than out.

This means that clamping boards between the end vise and bench dogs can make it harder to flatten a board if we wrench things into more wind than is already there, and that is all too easy to do. What works best is a stop to plane against and a few wedges under the board to keep it from rocking. This way the board is flattened while all it’s fibers are at rest.

Flatten the top, flip and thickness the other side flat to match. Once faces are flat, chuck in the vise and chase the edges. Then saw the ends to length and shoot. No need to worry about marks in the end grain from the stop because you’ll shoot the ends after. Of course if you are too late, this stop will work with a board between the stop and the work just as well.

The cool thing is that this design looks tough on the bench, and is tough on the bench because it eliminates the short grain breakage issues that are common with the sliding stops most commonly used.

Kari Hultman, from the Village Carpenter Blog outlines some of the limitations of traditional planing stop variations, Here. Our hope was to see if we could overcome them, and we think we have. The screws have excellent holding power, better than planing into a vice or a bench dog, and this offers variable width and height versatility.

What it is.

It’s a fixture that usually mounts on the left end of the bench nearest the edge the face vise is on. Of course if you’re using a left hand bench this would be opposite. It is always 12″ long 1-3/4 thick. Depth or width, depending on how you look at it is optional in three sizes. Small: 1-3/4, Medium: 2-3/4, or Large: 3-3/4 inches.

It mounts firmly with two or three 3 x 5/16th lag bolts, which are recessed flush into counterbores, and has a series of six 1/4-20 flat head cap screws spread over a 10 inch range in 2-1/2 inch intervals that have 82 degree countersink tops which can be quickly and easily raised and lowered to stop any board you would like to plane. Just mount the top of the stop on plane with the bench top or alternatively slightly below the bench top surface.

The tops and sides have a small chamfer on them, so there are no sharp edges where people will usually contact it. The bottom edge has a decorative cove cut into it to help dress up the stop and it’s appearance on the bench. We finish it with Teak Oil. Teak Oil is an amber finish that pops grain and it wears like iron.

We make these planing stops available in three different sizes and four different woods; Ash, (shown) Cherry, Hard Maple and Walnut.

How is it installed?

This is a pretty straightforward install. There are two to three 5/16 holes in these depending on the model. There are counterbores for the bolt heads so everything is recessed into the stop. Nothing protrudes from the fixture to catch on your clothes.

Layout for mounting is optional. As mentioned, the stop can be mounted on plane with the bench top, or slightly below to compensate for future bench flattenings. It can be positioned right on the corner or inset a bit, as based on personal preference.

Once it is positioned where you like, take one of the supplied lag bolts and use it to punch the center points for the 1/4 inch diameter mounting holes. Then drill the holes squarely to edge of the bench approximately 1-1/2 inches deep. If you need help squaring up this drill hole, our Medium Drill Squaring Guide works great for this.

Your favorite socket and ratchet fit right in the counterbore for a straightforward install. It goes on the left end of the bench and near the edge with the face vise. Simply drill two or three 1/4-inch holes (again, depending on the model) into the end of the bench about 1-1/2 inches deep and bolt it on.

How it works.

Lay your board up on the bench as you usually would, inspecting for twist and wind. Prepare to shim the board so it won’t rock as you flatten it.

You can choose any two or three of the flat head cap screws, which are spaced from 1-10 inches apart. Raise them between 1/8th to 3/16th above the bench top with the hex key that stows in its holder on the end of the stop.

Position the board against the stop and plane away, planing the high spots first and work your way down to flatness. The stop is tough, so push as you would with usual planing force. It can handle the pressures of planing. It is equally adept at working with both thick and thin stock because it doesn’t take much height for the stop to hold the work and the cap screws always remain below the plane iron. No damaged blades here!

Adjustments are quick and easy! Simply grab the hex key out of it’s keeper on the lower right side of the stop and use it to quickly raise a couple of the cap screws that seem appropriate for the width of the board and the stop is ready. We find 2-1/2 to 3 full turns on the screws is all that is needed for stopping any board.

It’s an affordably priced upgrade to any bench, that works great and offers planing versatility that a vice often can’t match when jointing and flattening is the task. Please see the Planing Stop product page in our Store to order.

Happy Woodworking!

During this same time, we have developed other jigs for helping take woodworkers further in other aspects of the craft. We listen to what woodworkers talk about when they discuss what they feel is difficult for them, or could be more efficient, and what they wished were easier.

Many woodworkers say they want to spend less time making jigs. Some say that they don’t have enough spare time, others don’t have the tools. We listened. Free time these days for most people is limited and precious, so when there is time for woodworking, most people want to maximize their outcomes making great cabinetry and furnishings.

One might wonder why we would develop tools over a period of time and not release them. It was a tough decision but a good one. It seemed odd to us to have a line of shooting boards and one widget. So we continued to develop more tools as time permitted. The original store on our website had no way to branch into categories, nor any shopping cart. Our clients had to email us to place an order and in all, it was neither a good showcase nor purchasing system. We had to upgrade it.

We developed the Evenfall Studios Woodworks Store into a new store with Shopping Cart Capabilities and Product Pages for every product. It’s easy to see, navigate, and place orders. It was exactly what we needed to showcase all the new categories in our product line. Our growing line of artisan made woodworking tools and jigs are designed to bring capability, ease and speed to the woodworker, helping them make their woodworking dreams happen, by making the most of the tooling they already have. So without further adieu…

First, we introduced the ‘Picture Frame Shooter’ late last year.

This shooting board is specialized for accurate flat mitering where a distinct profile will prohibit turning the work piece over to shoot angles for either direction. Twin Chutes right and left, two calibratable 45 degree fences for dead accurate miters, and a 90 degree fence which can be made either left or right-handed. These also have a detachable fence face for backing both short and tall materials and moldings. It is as accurate and versatile as we can make it.

Please see the ‘Picture Frame Shooter’ page for more details.

Second, we have developed the ’Lie-Nielsen 51 Chute Adapter Kit’.

The Lie-Nielsen 51 has been released and is a dedicated chute board plane. We checked into the nominal dimensions of the 51 and found that our Basic and Deluxe right hand model shooting boards can be adapted to create a ‘Chute’ in much the same way as the Stanley and upcoming LN 52 Chute Board has.

Our kit consists of two precision made rails, and stainless steel mounting hardware. The Rails are reversible; precision cut and drilled, flattened to 0.001 on each side for smooth glide, and are adjustable to compensate for manufacturing width differences. We provide two reversible rails, used one side at a time to compensate for wear which could occur over time. Store the spare for future use.

There are two ways to order. We can make this kit mount to your board with Stainless button head cap screws when you order. If you already own one of our ‘Basic’ or ‘Deluxe’ shooting boards and would like to upgrade, we can supply you to retrofit mount the rail kit similarly with machine screws, or with #10 wood screws depending on how you prefer.

If you need a very versatile and highly accurate chute style shooting board for your LN 51 shooting board plane, we have you covered.

Please see the ’Lie-Nielsen 51 Chute Adapter Kit’ page for more details.

Third, we developed the ‘Shooting Board Planing Stop’.

Safe ways of dimensioning thin stock and short stock are at a premium, and we believe hand planes are the king in this arena. As a bench hook goes, our shooting board is as strong as they come.

The shooting board planing stop was developed to help overcome the difficulties experienced when dimensioning short or thin stock. This is a 1/4-inch thick stop supplied with a pair of 1/4-20 flat head mounting screws. Simply remove the shooting board fence on any of our shooting board models and replace it with this stop. The mounting screws are countersunk and won’t interfere with your plane iron.

For dimensioning stock thinner than 1/4 inch, we recommend placing a piece of 1/8 hardboard on the shooting board base to lift the work up, allowing thicknessing from the 3/16th to 1/8th inch range.

Please see the ‘Shooting Board Planing Stop’ page for more details.

Fourth, we developed the ‘Bench End Planing Stop’.

We are really excited about this fixture! Traditionally, many woodworkers have fashioned a 3/4 – inch thick planing stop that bolts to the end of the bench, and raises into place when needed by sliding the stop up a pair of slots and tightening the mounting bolts. It works, but often fails because the slots create a weak, short grain situation in the stop that breaks due to forces applied from planing. This style of stop often looks less than attractive too, but the concept is handy, and convenient.

Our Planing Stop design approaches this challenge differently. It is a base made from 7/4 material that mounts to the end of the bench, with two to three lag bolts (depending on the model). It has a series of flat head cap screws that are spread over a set distance that can be raised as any pair, to match the width of most any board. They only need be raised a little to hold back even the largest boards. They work great on thin stock as well. You never need raise them higher than the thinnest stock, and your plane irons stay safe.

They come in three sizes and four different woods, offer higher strength, work well on both thick and thin stock and look great! The hex key adjuster stows right in the end of the fixture.

Please see the ‘Bench End Planing Stop’ page for more details.

Fifth we would like to introduce the ‘Rasping Fixture’.

The Rasping Fixture is a bench fixture that is meant to help fixture the work being shaped with rasps and files, improve ergonomics for this process, and protect the bench from damage.

It is simple to use. Just slip it over the left front corner on the bench (if you are right handed) and either clamp it in place or use a hold fast. It extends out past the edge and end of the bench.

Once in place, simply lay the object you wish to rasp over the semicircular cut out in the corner of the fixture. Gravity and finger pressure will hold the work, and then go to shaping. The angle is wonderful for the wrist and arm, and there are a lot of areas one can reach easily from this position.

The other important thing about the Rasping Fixture is that it protects the bench from slips that can cause damage. There are cleats under the edge and end of the fixture that not only help to locate it, but also protect the bench from damage. It is a wonderful accessory, particularly if you want to do work on saw handles, cabriole legs, or other work with compound curves.

Please see the ‘Rasping Fixture’ page for more details.

Sixth, we developed the ‘Disc Sander Shooter’.

The Disc Sander Shooter is a precision angle jig meant to be fitted to the tilt table of the 12 inch disc sander, enabling the sander to work 90’s 45’s and the 22.5 angles to both the right and left of center.

It allows non-square objects to lay on their flat side and be sanded on either side of 90 degrees. We increased the size of the table and the jig is calibrated with plastic drafting squares. Tilt the table down to whatever angle you need for creating compound angles.

The base measures 8 x 20 x 3/4 inches and is fixtured to the table with a miter bar and thumbscrew. It can be slid back and forth to distribute wear across the sanding disc. Like our shooting boards, all the fence mounting points are steel threaded, the fence faces are flattened to 0.001, and the thumbscrews, all three, are from Stainless and Brass.

Please see the ‘Disc Sander Shooter’ page for more details.

Seventh, We developed another jig for the 12 inch disc sander. The ‘Speedlathe’.

A lathe for a disc sander? Well yes, sort of. It is an old Patternmaker’s jig. I have spoken to several of the old patternmakers and they all agree this jig is something they all made and used the heck out of. Some of them referred to it as the Speedlathe.

What it does is make perfect circles on a disc sander. Yes a circle maker. Our speed lathe has 32, 3/16 diameter radius positions and a fine adjust lead screw that can make circles from 5/8ths to 16-5/8th in diameter.

Overall size is 8 x 17 and is also mounted in the miter slot for a pivot point. It is the fastest circle maker I have ever seen. Once you have the circles, you can use them for wheels, custom curve layout, router jigs, or wherever your imagination takes you.

Please see the ‘Speedlathe’ page for more details.

Items eight through eleven are all a series of drilling guides targeted at drilling squarely, when there is no drill press or one isn’t an option.

Often times drilling a hole that is square to the work is important. But many times the hole is located where a drill press wouldn’t help, or we need to be a bit quicker with the task than a drill press would allow. Other times there is just no easy way to jig up.

Sure, there are jigs that help us drill dowel holes, and there are jigs we can mount to a drill, but they are not always the answer either. Our drilling jigs are designed to accommodate the situation where a hole drilled squarely and quickly is needed and most of these jigs will work with either egg beater drills, braces, or hand drills.

Number Eight, The ‘Dog Hole Square Drilling Guide’.

Designed for auger bits, this is two inches of squarely drilled guide that can get the auger started properly. It comes with a nine-inch tang so you can fixture it while drilling. Bench dogs come with a sloped face, so the hole needs be drilled straight for best results. This jig is the squaring device hitting the mark with your brace.

Please see the ‘Dog Hole Square Drilling Guide’ page for more details.

Number Nine, The ‘Forstner Bit Square Drilling Guide’.

For all the same reasons we’ve gone over, even Forstner bits need help getting started squarely. The odd shape of the shanks and their many diameters make guiding these bits a challenge. Fortunately this odd looking jig will trap the bit’s shaft on three side to help keep it square and steady your hand. Accommodates Forstners to 2-1/4 in Diameter.

Please see the ‘Forstner Bit Square Drilling Guide’ page for more details.

Number Ten, The ‘Medium Drill Squaring Guide’.

This guide is targeted at twist drills and brad points, providing 3/4 of an inch of squarely drilled guide that help the bits off to a square start. You can remove the guide quickly once a square hole is started to aid drilling a deeper hole.

This jig is shown as a prototype in Baltic Birch, but will be supplied in Aluminum. The five hole sizes are 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, and 1/2.

Please see the ‘Medium Drill Squaring Guide’ page for more details.

And Finally Eleventh, the ‘Screw Pre-drill Squaring Guide’.

This guide is targeted at twist drills and the bits that came with Egg Beater Drills, and is primarily meant for pre-drilling holes for woodscrews, but there are many other adaptable uses. This jig provides 3/4 of an inch of squarely drilled guide that help the bits off to a square start. You can remove the guide quickly once a square hole is started to aid drilling a deeper hole.

This jig is shown as a prototype in Baltic Birch, but will be supplied in Aluminum. The eleven hole sizes run from 5/64 – 15/64 inch, in 1/64th inch diameter increments.

Please see the ‘Screw Pre-drill Squaring Guide’ page for more details.

That’s what’s new for now, but rest assured there are more ideas in the queue that we hope to be able to release in the near future.

Please feel free to go and have a look around in the new store on our website, and see if there isn’t something in there that might be useful to helping you woodwork better and easier!

Happy Woodworking!

Working with picture frames and moldings in general presents a special set of circumstances when mitering. Often, the bottom and back of the molding are the only surfaces that can be registered flat and square, and so they have to be the ones used when registering them against fences for cutting and shooting.

So it goes that if you can only orient a molding one way, which is on it’s back, a single chute shooting board will only be able to shoot half of the miter. The right hand board will only shoot the left side of the miter, and the left chute will only shoot the right side. A problem if you only have one chute. There are workarounds, but ehhh… They are often rife with as many problems as they hope to solve.

Enter our newest shooting board, the ‘Picture Frame Shooter’. A shooting board with twin chutes, independent, calibratable left and right hand 45-degree miter fences, with tall, removable fence faces to prevent breakout to the top of most plane blades.

Not all moldings are tall, so both the fence base and fence face are flattened to 0.001 when we make them. If the high fence face is in the way for a low molding or workpiece, simply remove it, as it is just held in place by two 1/4-20 flat head cap screws, and use the base for low moldings. The base is the same basic fence we use for the Standard Fence on our other shooting boards. You can remove and replace the fence face as you need.

Baltic Birch Construction. Solid, Hefty, Stable. The best material we can obtain for shooting boards, and hearty in any environment. We figure if old woodies are still alive and kicking after 100 plus years, our shooting boards should enjoy a good run as well. We build them to last. Like any fine tool, this one is precision and will appreciate being kept safe and dry when not in use.

Twin chutes, 2-3/4 inches wide by 14-3/4 inches long. Complete with dust grooves and will accommodate any plane, same as our other shooting boards.

A roomy board lift to place your moldings for shooting.

Individual, and fully calibratable 45-degree left and right fences, offering 5-1/4 inches of molding registration and breakout protection nearly 1-3/4 inches high.

A 90-degree fence, 11-3/4 inches long for right angle work like our Deluxe Shooters, and this fence can be made right or left handed depending on your preference for no additional cost.

Fence faces and bases flattened on a granite surface plate to 0.001.

Stainless Steel and Brass custom made thumbscrews to add durability and corrosion resistance. These mount into steel threads.

The same fence angle calibration system employed on all our shooting boards, which will transfer the accuracy of your finest layout tools to this board as well. We recommend plastic drafting squares. An 8-inch drafting square can be had for less than $5.00 in any office supply, however, if you like Starrett accuracy, these boards can work with that as well.

We recommend that you calibrate before each use for total shooting accuracy. No test shots, no shimming and taping or bumping and fudging. Just calibrate and shoot your miters with confidence.

The rest of the details on the new ‘Shooter’ borrow heavily from it’s older brothers, and you are welcome to have a look at the Features and Specifications page for more details.

As always, the boards are finished to 150 grit smoothness, and offer plenty of traction for the work. The chutes are made square to the work and polished to 400 grit.

Then the boards and fences are given a saturation of Watco Teak Oil, which we have found to offer stove bolt protection in tough conditions, and is easily field repairable should the need ever arise.

Finally the chutes are waxed with paste wax and buffed. The wax is as easy to renew as it is to wax your planes. We find that this is as slick as UHMW and far squarer to the work, because there are no screws to deflect a slick plastic material. We feel it is the accuracy that is wanted most, and the final result in your project is what really matters.

Make no mistake about this board. It is a pure shooting board, every bit as capable as our ‘Basic Shooter’ and then some. It is not sole and only for moldings, You can shoot any rectangular dimensional board.

The ‘Picture Frame Shooter’ is also equipped to address most any board that has a distinct front and back like moldings do. The 90 degree fence is similar, flattened to .001 on both the base and face, both 45 degree fences are treated the same. The big difference is only that when a board has a non flat front, the miters must be addressed from either side.

It’s a fully tricked out workhorse and ready for service whether you build picture frames commercially, or enjoy doing them for yourself, friends and family. If you are looking for high accuracy and durability for fine framing or 45-degree miters of any kind, this is the ultimate shooting board.

If you are interested in a ‘Picture Frame Shooter’, we are taking orders for this and all our products. Please visit the ‘Picture Frame Shooter’ product page, and have a look at the rest of our tooling in the Evenfall Studios Woodworks Store.

As always, your questions and comments are always welcome. Contact Us.

Happy Woodworking!

In many woods, a planed surface will leave a surface quality similar to that of 600 grit finish smoothness, and without burnishing the wood surface. Sanding in this case may not bring much to the table.

Occasionally there are grains that are just too difficult to plane successfully, and so you must sand.

Planing will help wood pores remain open, sanding will often fill them and burnish the fibers so “in the wood” finishes may have some trouble soaking in.

I often follow this ascending grit schedule: 120 – 150 – 220 – 400, I also use 320 but often omit it on softer woods.

If the wood will have a finish that is “in” the wood, smooth is important, but sometimes it is best to sand at 150 – 220, but no finer. Burnishing will foul the woods ability to allow stain in. Staining will raise grain so sand beyond 220 after staining.

If the wood will be finished with a finish that leaves a coating on the surface, sanding the wood super smooth is not constructive. 150 – 180 is fine, then finish a coat, knock the high spots off lightly with 320 or 400, and re coat. Then sand between coats lightly with fine, fine papers. Think 600-grit or finer range. The last coat, you can likely just let dry, depending on the final outcome.

Using a block is important when sanding finishes. You are flattening the finish, it is easy to sand through so be careful there and go really light near the edges and corners.

Other final outcomes; the last coat can be polished using Rottenstone, Simichrome, even auto polishes.

There are different sandpapers for different moments. Getting the feel for this will develop as you watch the finish you like using and how it reacts to what you do with it. Your observations will help you adapt what works best. Eventually you will decide there are finishes you like and others you won’t so much. You may stick to just a few.

If I am working on a blotchy wood, my sense is and observations are that while burnishing the wood may sometimes help me somehow, I have never felt the help was providing consistent results. What I mean is, while the burnishing may be somewhat successful in slowing how some areas of a board take in finish like oils and stains, and how some areas don’t, is still not averaged out enough to look all that great. I still see the blotches.

The reason is that while I am attempting to burnish the places that will wind up looking dark, I am also burnishing the places where it will wind up looking light to some degree. While I may be able to see where I think the problem areas will be, and focus some burnishing, if I try to focus on sanding some areas of my piece more or less than others, then I am not actually sanding everywhere equally and with consistency. My sense is that a consistent sanding is important, likely more important to the overall look than any attempt to burnish a surface as part of the prep or not.

Another point about burnishing. What burnishing is and how it happens is usually what we don’t want to have happen. Often burnishing occurs when we are using the correct grade of sandpaper for the task at hand, but we have allowed the sandpaper to clog with dust, or the grit to become to dull. This means the sandpaper is trying to do something at a higher grade than it’s rating, because all the sharp points have worn off the grit.

Sandpaper needs to cut, not polish. If we use fresh papers or discs, we should not expect too much burnishing at 180 to 220 grit. This is the maximum we want to sand if we intend to stain, because we actually want to let the stain into the wood. Once the stain is in, and the grain raising is done, we can sand more finely if we like, but we have to use care. Stains are usually going to be used in conjunction with a coating style finish, as stains are often made darker than is our goal by using oils with them, so to smooth the wood further would not be worth the effort. When it comes to finish smoothness with coating finishes, our fingers will feel the surface of a coating, not the wood itself.

If intentional burnishing of the wood fibers is what you intend, the best way to achieve this is to stop sanding at a higher grit. If you should ordinarily stop at 180-220 for the usual surface prep, burnishing would be like stopping at 400 or 600 instead.

If the finish is going to be an oil finish, and I mean a fine oil finish, you can stop at 220 for the first coat of oil, and give it a heavy wash. The lack of burnishing will help let the oil into the wood. But once that coat is in, you may proceed sanding finer, and applying more coats of finish. You may even choose to sand in the finish as you apply it in an attempt to fill the pores of the grain some. As you add oil finish coats, you will sand with higher and higher grits, each successively finer than the last. A lot of walnut gunstocks are finished like this. This often has a really deep look.

Some woods will make these choices for us. Blotchy woods are not so easy to use oils and stains with. Oily woods and dark woods tend not to benefit from oil finishes either. These are woods that will benefit from finishing with Lacquer, Shellac, and Poly.

Some woods will be made to look more descriptive, and have contrast added as well as deepening the natural colors by using oils, and since oil finishes are often usually BLO based, the finish will have an amber colored effect. The rest of the finish is mostly a mineral spirits carrier and a varnish that will be carried into the wood grain, allowed to soak a bit and wiped off, rather than allowed to dry on it. It is important to remember that not all woods are helped by an ambering effect, or a darkening effect. They get all they need by just looking clear/wet.

It may not seem like what effect we want from the wood, or which finish we want to use on the wood has much to do with sanding, but my observations are that it has been helpful to understand these relationships of wood variety, surface prep and finish type in ensemble.

If you are planing, then you get some added benefits that come without some of the trade offs in tow. You will get a surface quality equivalent to what 600-grit sandpaper would accomplish, yet with no burnishing; the grain will remain open and unclogged. It will take oils and stains much like sanding to 180 will. If you are using a finish that coats, you are already more than smooth enough.

If you have to make something using woods that tend to blotch, grain selection in the showy areas can help you, but I have found that while I have gotten to where I can spot where I think a spot will look dark, the spots that wind up looking too light are often a surprise.

What I think is the best way to address blotchy woods, is to either consider them paint grade, or seal them with shellac and use a gel stain over the shellac. This will get you a predictable outcome. Also, consider seeing woods that have blotchy tendencies as woods that are best to be part of a non-show sub assembly. Save the showy, more consistent woods for where the looks are.

Hope that fleshes out some of the mysteries a little more. These are just some of my observations and understandings.

Happy Woodworking!

Have you been combing eBay in hopes of finding vintage sets or individual planes of the Hollows and Rounds variety? I’m happy to help get the word out that there is a new plane maker on the scene that may be able to help.

Matt Bickford Photo.

In recent times the desire for these planes has increased dramatically, and the availability of them is scarce. The plane makers who currently offer them have backlogs I’ve read that are over two years long.

Matt Bickford Photo.

Enter Matt Bickford. Matt was recently asked what his focus was on and he said:
“I’m focusing on molding planes: hollows/rounds, snipes bills, I make rabbets like that pictured too. Basically, I make those non-bench planes listed in Builders Dictionary published in the early 1700’s less the plow. I can certainly make specific profiles if you want something out of Chippendale’s Director.

Is there something specific for which you are looking? Please let me know.”

Matt Bickford

The photos tell the tale. Welcome Matt to toolmaking! If there is something specific in this line of tooling for which you are looking, please do let Matt know!

Contact Matt, Place your order.

Thanks for looking, Happy Woodworking!

There are a number of things a woodworker can classify as delicate work. It can of course mean short in length or width, thin stock, veneer, inlays, book matched pieces, and even working with tone woods. Luthiers commonly join book matched boards for stringed instruments, and these boards are very fragile.

There are also the occasions where using a power tool or a shop machine may not be the safest way, or the most accurate way to accomplish a task and so we are left trying to come up with an alternative method for accomplishing the fine work we need done.

Often even the finest blades of a shop machine can leave some tear out, or small nicks on a cut edge, and due to the rotational force and unequal loadings on rotating blades, the attempt to trim just a little can often result in too little or too much. At best, it isn’t often predictable.

Jointers too, are not without issue. Handling small or thin stock on a Jointer can be dangerous due to the size of the piece and the lack of structural integrity the materials can have when they are thin. If we try to joint them we risk damage to both the stock and ourselves, and this is never good either way. There is never a good reason to have the fingers in harm’s way.

Another happening with cutting and jointing thin stock is that if you are not using high tooth count blades on your Table Saw or super thin settings on the jointer, what you get is a bunch of chatter and snipe. You can joint with the router table if your fence will allow this, but in my experience, there are times on small work that I would prefer to remove less that 1/32nd or even 1/64th, yes .008… It is really hard to get most fences to dial this, but a plane will do this easily, and still with power tools some boards will require you to have your fingers way too close to a dangerous area.

Sometimes it is safer, or more desirable to resort to hand tool methods. Yes, this is the Saw Stop method of jointing edges. Fixture the work and use a sharp plane. Planes have none of the characteristics of the rotating oscillator. They simply shear off a layer one thin bit at a time. This is particularly useful on boards that are too fragile or small to safely size with power tools.

Jointing edges of thin stock and short stock is just as important as the larger stuff. Fit and finish are often even more crucial because the small items may be picked up and closely examined. At the same time, gluing and clamping still requires the same tolerances of larger boards. A straight edge, matched in the joints is still important as always.

Often, many Luthiers feel jointing book matched instrument tops and backs with a plane is both preferable and desirable with tone woods, as this prevents any damage to the wood fibers that could interfere with instrument resonance. The rotary cutters involved in shop machines often make them wonder and give them some concern if making a beautiful sounding instrument is possible if wood fibers should suffer bruising. Certainly good, even great sounding instruments are made, but, the question is, can they be even better? Perhaps shooting these edges manually is part of what takes good to great.

So we have established that it is important to joint and shoot the edges of small boards, tone woods and veneers. We may find it less than easy to balance a #7 or #8 jointer on top of a thin board. Doable sure, but it is tricky work, and easier if it is something you are used to doing frequently. Shorter planes can work but there is still balancing the plane for side-to-side squareness. Of course there is a need for truing any stock, and when you build small boxes and drawers, maybe even cleaning up inlays and virtually any board less than 24 inches long or 3/8’s of an inch thick or less, the need is still obvious, but the size tends to change the dynamics of how.

Edge Jointing veneer while balancing a plane on the edge isn’t going to happen, because there is no way to balance a plane on veneer, and this won’t give you the accuracy needed should you want to create a sunburst pattern or well, even book matching of stock that thin.

Enter the long grain shooting board.

A long grain shooting board can be very effective for handling all the difficulties that shop machines, or trying to plane without one can have.

Several woodworkers have approached me about adding a long grain shooting board to my product line this year, and after discussing with them what features would be most desirable in a shooting board purpose designed for long grain shooting, I am now offering a long grain shooting board. It uses a lot of the same Features and Specifications that I offer in my end grain shooting boards.

The major differences are that it is nearly 30 inches long, and offers at least 24 inches of shooting run, a fence that is a 90-degree fence only, but is user calibratable to confirm it is accurately set to 90 degrees.

I have also included a couple anchor points for a caul that is used without the fence that helps fixture the materials you are shooting along the chute at any angle or shape you choose, as long as you are trying to shoot an edge that is parallel to the chute. This way you can fixture materials to be jointed squarely to 90 degrees, or any arbitrary angle you desire.

So whether you work with veneers, or small boxes, or even are interested in Luthery and need a way to joint edges in a damage free way, a long grain shooting board can be a help to you. It is also just handy for general purposes, allowing you to joint the edges of any board and any thickness straight and square, with the safety of knowing a board too short or two thin will not stop you from safely bringing that board to the dimensions needed for your project.

If you are interested in a long grain shooting board, I make them for the left or right-handed woodworker. Please have a look in the Woodworks Store, or at the Long Grain Shooter’s page. If you are interested in a fixturing caul for it, please be sure to mention one when you contact me.

I am always open to discussing shooting devices, accessories and other jig suggestions. Good things are coming, Stay Tuned!

Happy Woodworking!

Here’s a photo of a pair to draw to. The shooting boards, shown here in left and right-handed models. You could almost call them V-Twins, but darn it, somebody already thought of that…

Back in late March 2009 I revealed I was going to be making a shooting board with an accurately calibratable fence, which can be fixtured in six positions. Woodworkers found this very interesting! I want to take a moment to say thank you to all who have purchased one. It has been a warm and well-received response from the woodworking community. I plan to continue making them, and even have a few ideas to accessorize them as well.

If you are a left handed woodworker, No Problem! I can make a shooting board that works for you. Same price as right handed, just let me know.

The first weekend of May, woodworker and furniture maker Jeff Miller sponsored a Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event at his shop in Chicago. From what I understand, it was quite the event.

Infill Plane Maker Ron Brese, www.breseplane.com and Toolmaker Jameel Abraham, www.benchcrafted.com/ were both in attendance as exhibitors.

Jameel and Ron with Angie of Lie-Nielsen
Cian Perez Photo

Ron and Jameel have been working together on Infill Plane designs and other cool tools in collaboration with other toolmakers. Ron approached me about a shooting board for his beautiful infill miter plane, which he is soon going to be adding to his infill offerings.

The Brese Infill Miter
Cian Perez Photo

The Brese infil miter on the Evenfall Studios Shooting Board
Cian Perez Photo

Those who made it to the event were able to see Jameel’s bench, featuring the Bench Crafted “wagon style” Tail Vise and the New, soon to be released Bench Crafted Leg Vise Hardware, as well and Ron had the full offering of his Infill Line, and featured his prototype Infill Miter on one of my shooting boards.

Ron’s planes, Jameel’s bench and bench accessories
Cian Perez Photo

Cian Perez was at the event and offered me the use of his stellar photos, showing the shooting board, Ron’s Beautiful Planes and Jameel’s great bench and bench hardware. Some of you may know Cian from his wonderful and super useful How-To Guide, woodworking link sites: The Neanderthal Braintrust, and The Power Index. Thank you very much for offering me the use of your great photos Cian!

I can’t thank Ron and Jameel enough for taking my board along to the show, and if you follow the link to Benchcrafted’s website above. While you are looking at all the cool things Benchcrafted offers, Jameel has a schedule of where he and Ron are exhibiting. They are both great guys, and top craftsmen who are always willing to answer questions and offer great insights. Get out and meet them if you can! Be sure to visit Ron’s website as well!

Jameel demonstrates Ron’s Infill Miter
Cian Perez Photo

The ‘Deluxe Shooter’ Shooting Board with six fence positions, and there are two shooting boards that are completely similar to this design, with fewer, but the most needed settings for most woodworking requirements.

If you would like to place an order, it is pretty simple to get started. Just navigate to the Evenfall Studios Woodworks Store, either here or at the top of the page, and use the shopping cart. Checkout is easy and your order comes straight to us. Shooting Boards in either Left or Right hand models are the same price. We also sell extra fences, and a Board Lift Bench Hook that matches the lift of the shooting board for when you shoot long boards. Just let me know what you would be interested in.

The product line continues to evolve, just peek into the Store from time to time and see what’s new.

Also while you are here, remember it is woodworkers safety time.

So much has been said, all of it is good. For my part, I just want to remind you of this one important batch of thoughts.

Mindfulness is everything. Your brain is the most important safety device you have. Keep your mind in the work. Watch what you are doing. Think about how you do it. Know where your flesh and clothing is in relation to the cutters and tooling. Short cuts are throat cuts. A clean work area is a much safer work area, so clean up frequently and often. If it seems unsafe or risky, trust your instincts, it probably is. If you are working with a hand tool, fixture the work piece. If you are using a power tool or shop machine, jigs, guides and guards are important.

The one time you bypass a safe practice, you invite the perfect storm to find you.

ACHTUNG

Alles touristen und non-technoschen lookens peepers! Das machinen
control ist nicht fur der fingerpoken und mitten grabben. Oderwise
ist easy schnappen der springenworks, blowen den fuses, und
poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Der machine ist diggen by experten
only. Er ist nicht fur geverken by das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken
sightseenen: keepen des cottonpicken hands in das pockets. Relaxen
und watchen des blinkenlights!

Thanks for everything, and please work safe!

Happy Woodworking!

Yes, I am talking about shooting boards.

Shooting boards are one of the gateways to fine woodworking. Sure, there are many gateways, but the shooting board, in its different configurations guide the cleanest edges and end grain cuts to the finest accuracies, the most spectacular fit and finish, and it puts this capability in the hands of any woodworker.

I have always enjoyed woodworking jigs, and have made a number of shooting boards over the years. I have thought about many different designs for a long time. I’d have one that did this, but not that, and wish I had one that did that too, but then, that method can become a stack of shooting boards, and most of us don’t have the space for that. It’s true; there are some very specific types that are meant to cover specific uses. Others are great for general work, but the worry over wood movement and long-term accuracy causes some folks to question how much energy to put into the making of their own.

I decided to try designing a shooting board, using a design that encompasses the many qualities that I felt most woodworkers would most desire and need in a basic shooting board. Reinforcing as many strengths as I could, while diminishing the weaknesses where possible, and offer it for sale to woodworkers who may be interested in a shooting board that can cover a lot of fine woodworking situations, yet may not want to build one of their own. If you are interested in purchasing a shooting board, I’d be happy to build one for you. Please see the details at the end of this article.

My design is a shooting board with pivot fence. Made from Baltic Birch for durability, and stability in most any climate. It’s adjustable and calibratable for square as well as the 15, 22-1/2, 30, 45, and 60-degree radials. The base measures approximately 14-3/4 inches square. The plane chute is 14-3/4 x 2-3/4, and 1/2 inch below the base to assure a firm squaring registration with most any maker’s planes. The fence, 11-1/2 long by 1-1/4 wide, is positioned 3 inches from the back edge for planing stability in the chute, leaving a full 11-1/2 inch surface for the work piece. The base has been sanded to 150 grit overall to improve traction on the bench and work piece. The Chute has been sanded to 400 grit. The Shooting Board has been finished with Watco Teak Oil, a user repairable finish, and the Plane Chute has been waxed to aid smooth shooting operations.

Steel T-Nuts, counter bored, pressed and epoxied into the base provide 5/8 inches of steel threading to assure accuracy and lasting structural integrity through years of adjustable use. The cleat hooks the unit to the bench with four 1/4-20 flat head socket cap screws tapped directly into the base, and countersunk into the cleat for a very sturdy connection.

A dust groove runs along the left side of the chute to help assure that dust and shavings don’t foul the shooting plane’s accuracy during use. The chute is checked to assure it is coplanar with the top of the jig, and corrected before it leaves here.

Steel Button Head Cap Screws with Brass Knurled Knobs assure a long lasting, secure, comfortable way of adjusting and fixturing the fence. Under both knurled knobs, a brass washer protects the fence from wear. The fence has a small-elongated slot machined on the calibration side that matches the pivot radius, so the fence can be calibrated to the drafting squares accuracy in any climate or wood moisture condition.

Fence calibration is easy and inexpensive with $4.00 Drafting Triangles available from nearly any good office supply store in their drafting supplies section. The 8-inch 45-45-90 square and 12-inch 30-60-90 drafting triangles assure the best registration. Other angle finders such as adjustable drafting triangles and various styles of protractors and protractor squares can be employed to find the other angles as well.

Here the fence is being calibrated to shoot in the square position. Simply loosen the fence fixturing knobs. A 45-45-90 Drafting Triangle is positioned between the fence and the sole of the shooting plane. The shooting plane is positioned with the toe end at the fence, and the plane sole is pulled firmly against the left side of the plane chute. The fence is then positioned so that there is a tight fit of the triangle between the sole of the plane and the fence, and the fixturing knobs re-tightened. You can also use machinist squares, combination squares, and vernier protractors with rulers from the edge of the chute. THe accuracy of your set up tooling is transfered to the jig. It just takes a few seconds. This assures total shooting accuracy every time you use the Shooting Board, any season of the year.

Here the fence is being calibrated to shoot in the 30 degree radial position. A 30-60-90 Drafting Triangle is positioned between the fence and the sole of the shooting plane. The same procedures for squaring the fence are repeated.

Here the fence is being calibrated to shoot in the 45 degree radial position. A 45-45-90 Drafting Triangle is positioned between the fence and the sole of the shooting plane. The same procedures for squaring the fence are repeated. This is the woodworking secret to perfect mitered corners, perfectly squared ends, perfected dimensional accuracy in layout.

Here a Lie-Nielsen 62 is engaged in shooting square the end of a board, the angle cut on the fence near the knurled knob is used to shoot at any angle other than square. Simply flip the fence over so this angled portion faces the work piece and recalibrate.

Here is a look at the fence, sole, chute relationship, where the wood if engaged would be being pared square by the shooting plane. A fine adjustment and a sharp blade is desirable.

This is a look at the hand position, fixturing the board to the hook portion of the Shooting Board. A firm grip on the side of the plane body near the blade bed pushes the plane forward while holding the plane against the left edge of the chute.

The Stanley #4 is a viable shooter when sharp. Here is it shooting the end grain of Panamanian Rosewood Veneer. Veneer can be trimmed long grain and on any miter angle using this method. Starburst or mitered veneers anyone?

The Shooting Board can shoot Long Grain to 11-3/4 inches.

As shown, the Plane Chute measures 14-3/4 by 2-3/4, which will accommodate Lie-Nielsen’s #9 Iron Miter Plane and 62 Low Angle Jack, the Veritas Low Angle Jacks, as well as other Infill and wooden miter and non-miter planes. Any of the Stanley Bailey and Bedrock planes are suitable for use, and a even a block plane, particularly a low angle one can also be employed if the wood isn’t too thick.

For the best results when using a plane for shooting, the soles should be square to the sides of the plane body, the iron sharpened to the equivalent of an 8000 grit waterstone and stropped. The side and sole of the plane waxed and the iron set for a thin shaving of .001 or less.

When shooting, a firm right hand grip on the plane on the side of the sole positioned near the plane bed at mid-plane, with the shooting board firmly hooked against the bench or fixtured in the face vise. The left hand fixtures the work piece against the fence.

In order to reduce the possibility of tearout, consider making your first cuts to the work with the index finger only of your left hand between the work piece and the fence near the plane chute, so as to skew the work towards you at a slight angle. Take a few passes with the plane here, so as to relieve a slight amount of material at the back of the area being squared. Then place the work piece full against the fence and shoot the edge, stopping when you have planed to the area you relieved. With experience, you will be able to determine for yourself when this method will be most helpful.

When shooting angles other than square, it may occasionally be helpful to fold an eleven inch strip of 320 grit sandpaper cut 1-1/4 inches wide in half, lengthwise, and place it between the work piece and the fence to help resist slipping. This is particularly helpful when working steep angles.

I am offering this shooting board (the deluxe shooter model is shown) for sale in right or left handed versions at $130.00 plus shipping and handling. There are Shooting Boards available starting at $100.00, please have a look in the Evenfall Studios Online Store. These jigs are craftsman made by me, built for accuracy and longevity. Meant to be a durable, serviceable tool that helps promote the ability for any woodworker to work at the finest levels of woodworking accuracy.

Custom offerings are possibilities! Please feel free to email me and discuss your needs. We also have some accessories available for the boards, such as taller fences, and a bench hook board lift that matches the shooting board height, as an aid for leveling long work is also optional and made only if ordered. Please feel free to inquire about these and other custom options.

To place an order, have a look in the store at the various models we have available, and simply click to order. Your order will be placed via a Paypal Shopping Cart System. We’ll reply with an invoice for shipping soon after. For purchases, we accept PayPal which also handles most major credit cards, and United States Postal Service (USPS) Money Orders. Online ordering is preferred.

To contact us via email, just click this “Contact Me” link, which will take you to the contact page, or use the “Contact” navigation button at the top of this page, to email me and place your order.

I hope you enjoyed a look at the shooting board, and as always, your comments are welcome as well!

Happy Woodworking!

Planing woods is a process that has a number of considerations, which require their needs met all at once, in order for the process to be successful. It isn’t just one thing happening at a time. There are causes, effects and recognizing which you have. The answer isn’t simple until we understand all the usual suspects involved.

If you haven’t already, read chapter 9 of Understanding Wood By R. Bruce Hoadley. It is a real good primer about how wood reacts to planing and machining to brush up on. Overall, the book will improve your skills as a woodworker. It is available in many places, and both Taunton Press as well as Amazon.com are good sources.

Wood reacts to machining in observably repeatable ways. If we understand these ways and learn to recognize the conditions, our own success in working wood is repeatable as well.

During planing operations, it is desirable for wood to be severed right at the cutting edge of the plane blade. It would seem obvious that this is happening. It is when things go well, but this does not always occur in practice.

When you plane, you make a shaving. Technically the shaving is called a chip. Shavings curl, but there is science behind the curling. The tightness of the shaving’s curl is significant. The tightness of the curl is a derivative of how frequently the chip is broken.

What breaks the chip is the blade bevel angle, just after it severs the wood fiber. The angular change from wood being at 0 degrees on the boards face, cut, then suddenly at the angle the final bevel angle the iron presents, causes the break in the chip. The wood being planed is running into a wall. The steeper the wall, the closer the breaks are, and the tighter the curl. The further the breaks are the looser the curl.

The chip (shaving) is referred to in types. There are 3 types of chip.

Type one is loose curl, and is the result of being planed at a low angle such as 45 degrees, which is known as “Common” pitch.

(Yes there are planes meant to plane at 38 degrees but this is generally meant for planing for end grain, which is a cross grain planing operation, and as such, is not generating a chip, per se. It is severing wood fibers crosswise, and as such is not considered applicable to this discussion, despite possible exceptions to this rule.)

Type two is a medium curl, and is the result of being planed at medium angle such as 50-55 degrees, which is known as “York” or “Middle” pitch.

Type three is a tight curl, and is the result of being planed at a high angle such as 62-63 degrees, which is known as “Half” pitch.

75 degrees is the next significant pitch angle for planing operations, and is considered scraper country.

Now there are a few important considerations going forward.

The lower the angle that the bevel angle the plane severs wood fibers at, the easier it is to push, and this is desirable. Planing is work! But the lower angle that makes work easy, isn’t always capable of getting the desired results in every wood.

Something that can occur when planing, even with a sharp blade, is tearout. Tearout is defined as when the angle of the blade lifts a wood fiber that is supposed to be being cut by the cutting edge, but the chip is not breaking like it is supposed to, because perhaps the wood fiber is too strong, or the planing angle is too shallow for the strength of the fiber being planed.

When the chip does not break at the cutting edge, and instead breaks after the fiber lifts, by riding up the bevel ahead of being cut, it also causes lifting and peeling ahead of the cutting edge. The blade is no longer in control of the depth, and usually the tearing that results from the lifting fibers is deeper than the intended surface desired.

This is at the heart of why planes are developed to plane at specific angles, such as described earlier. The steeper angle is meant to be an alternative available to generate a different chip type. The higher angle, forces the chip to break at a more frequent interval. Every time the chip breaks more frequently, that is a shorter length chip and the shorter length chip does not allow the fiber to ride up the blade. When the chip does ride up without being broken, tearout is likely happening.

The essence of stopping tearout is about understanding wood grain, and the planing bevel angle that will generate the chip type most compatible for the grain type being worked.

The rest of the process of tearout reduction falls to a couple factors. Tool and Human.

Tool wise, The Plane can also help reduce tearout by adjusting for a tight mouth if the plane can be adjusted. Stanley Bailey style planes use adjustable frogs and some steel planes which bed the iron bevel up offer an adjustable sole. I am not going to offer specific clearance numbers here because I want to avoid helping to develop a belief that specific mouth clearances are perfect. If you plane has variable adjustment, then it is best to experiment. You will be working in the .003-.010 range on high-end smoothers.

Another tool factor is blade sharpness. Sharp tools sever fibers. Dull cutting edges tend to blunt them an rip them… Remember, reducing tearout is the want here.

Finally, tool factors wise, Planing depth. Smoothing is a final dimensioning process. You are creeping or sneaking up on things here, so the thinnest shaving is going to offer the least resistance to being cut, and as such, leave the smoothest glossiest surface.

The human factors are about perception and action. Reading the grain is a biggie. If the grain is straight then planing with the grain is usually doable. Just remember against the grain is usually as effective as petting a porcupine, and so it goes. However if planing with the grain is problematic, sometime changing the angle a bit can help.

When changing planing angles, sometime a shallow angle off the grain direction will help reduce tear out, and there is no rule stating that going fully across the grain is taboo, as long as it will provide the finish quality you are looking for.

On flatsawn boards there is a place where tearout can hide, some people refer to it as “cathedral grain”. What cathedral grain is, is where the board was milled and the blade passed through the growth rings and a shallow skew angle. It looks reminiscent of the gothic arches seen on cathedrals. The concern with cathedral grain is that early and the late wood of the growth ring lay right there, and they come up all the way to the surface.

Something common that happens when planing over cathedral grain, is that when planing with the grain, the plane whisks over these areas, and the thin late wood of the growth ring just separates and pops loose. Seems the same as tearout, but it isn’t. It is the late growth ring’s (dark) inability to adhere to the next year’s early growth ring (light) at such a thin and shallow angle.

The trick to approaching these areas is to do it at angles the run closer to longwise with the “cathedral”, with a sharp iron set for a thin shaving and the plane body skewed to the direction of planing. Sometimes a light wipe with mineral spirits can soften wood fibers enough temporarily to assist in this. I have even seen where rays and chattoyance have given similar planing issues, and so again, be vigilant.

In curly grain, many of the same aforementioned strategies will play. Be willing to come at the grain at any angles that will work. However, please reach for half pitch planes in this situation, and don’t hesitate to simply stop and move to scraping planes, even card scrapers if that helps. Sometimes it is simply acceptable to resort to sanding.

Happy Woodworking!