Shooting Board

The shooting board task is to allow planing a piece square to the surface that rests on the table. There are various models, with different building solutions. The board I am proposing is useful for planing and square end grain sides or to finish a 45° angle, such as is necessary for frame assembling. As the shooting board fundamental characteristic is plan and angle accuracy, using pre-worked material can be convenient.

I used lamellar beech, but plywood is a good alternative. For the base I used a 3 cm thick board, while the plan upon which the

workpiece is held is 2 cm thick. The length is about 60 cm, width about 25 cm. The support board is narrower to make room for the plane side.

After screwing the upper board to the base, I installed two holders (3 x 4 cm section) that will serve for workpiece supporting. Their precise positioning is critical for proper shooting board working. The pieces are screwed flush with the upper board edges and have an elongated hole at the rear to allow a fine angle adjustment. Place the two holders to exactly 90 and 45 degrees respect to the sliding edge. Chamfer the holder rear edges (not that one where the piece rests) in order to prevent their damage when the plane will produce the first shots.

Another holder is placed under the board so that it can be hooked to the workbench and/or locked in the vice. In my case I have used two holders, so I can firmly held the board between the vice and the bench well. A useful operation will be to cut a groove at the plan intersection in order to collect chips and dust and avoiding problems with plane sliding.

The first shots will remove some shavings from the sliding side, but only until the lateral sole portion under the blade will not come in contact with the edge.

Jointing Fence

Squaring board edges is one of the typical tasks where traditional woodworking hand planes truly show their effectiveness. Stanley produced the famous—but rare—No. 386 fence attachment to be mounted on the side of jointer planes.

Of course, the best modern plane makers offer similar solutions. I recently needed to square the edges of long fir boards and chose to use the new Stanley No. 62—a low-angle plane with the length of a jack plane, modeled after the historical No. 62. While it’s not a jointer, the low-angle configuration provides advantages when planing softwoods. However, its very low sides don’t allow for attaching traditional guides, so I had to create a custom solution.

I built a simple guide using a beech board, composed of several laminated pieces for greater stability. The top part of the guide is shaped to match the plane, while the bottom extends about 7 cm below the sole.

A second removable piece, attached to the main guide, covers the outer edge near the plane’s mouth. This ensures that when the guide is aligned with the workpiece, it remains within the cutting area. In special cases, this piece can be replaced with a custom-shaped insert to set a different angle from 90°.

The anchoring system consists of two L-plates with a central pivot, forming a very effective third-class lever. Rubber pads between the plates and the plane ensure a secure grip.

During use, lateral pressure holds the fence tightly against the board, maintaining stability and accuracy throughout the cut.

 

Sticking Board

When working with small-section pieces using molding, plow, or rebate planes, it can be helpful to use a dedicated planing board to keep the workpiece steady. This setup consists of a leveled board, at least 150 cm long, with a cross-section of about 10 × 2.5 cm. A straight rail (about 4 × 2.5 cm in section) can be glued on top.

It’s important that the side of the rail is square to the surface that supports the workpiece. I added some screws at the end of the board to act as stops during planing. These can be tightened or loosened as needed to prevent the piece from slipping.

If the piece is square, that alone may be sufficient. However, it's often more convenient to work with stock longer than the final dimension, so you can secure it using parts that will later be discarded (as in the cheek of a tenon shown in the photo). Thin nails can be used to hold the piece firmly in place. The board itself is secured using bench dogs and a side vise.

Bench Stop

Oftentimes, a simple stop is all that’s needed for straight-ahead planing. It’s quick and helps avoid distortions in the workpiece clamped between the vise and dogs, especially when working with thinner stock. It’s not difficult to build: cut a through-mortise (about 1" x 1 1/2") where a plunger can slide. The plunger’s section should closely match the mortise, and it should be long enough to be easily adjusted with a wing nut screw system located beneath the bench. The one shown in the photo is the legendary Record 169, which is easy to install on any workbench.