Shooting board (Upgraded)

  • Mar 18, 2024

Shooting Board (Upgraded)

  • Norman Pirollo

After using my shooting boards for several years, I wanted to improve their performance. They were set up for different hand planes and although performance was very good, it was not optimal. To raise the performance would involve a dedicated shooting plane and setting it up in a track. A shooting plane is designed strictly for shooting with it's heavy mass and skewed blade. The beefy, precision casting rides in a track as the edges are square to each other.

After using my shooting boards for several years, I wanted to improve on how they perform. Over time I set them up with different hand planes but found that although the performance was very good, it was not optimal. To raise the performance up a notch would involve getting a dedicated shooting plane and setting it up in a track. A shooting plane is designed strictly for shooting with it's heavy mass and skewed blade. The beefy, precision casting is also designed to ride in a track as the edges are square to one another.

The choices are out there. If using a conventional long hand plane as I have for years, the ideal plane will have a low angle and be at least the length of a fore plane or 12-14 inches. This works fine. The only caveat is that it is necessary to keep the hand plane against the upper base while moving it forward. On difficult woods the hand plane has a tendency to push outwards so a lighter cut is necessary. With enough practice, this system works very well and avoids investment in a dedicated shooting plane.

Shooting Board Plan


Having a dedicated shooting plane in a track, although expensive, mitigates the need to maintain side pressure on the hand plane. It will only be necessary to guide it forward. I have set up one of my shooting boards for a dedicated shooting plane and so far it is ideal. Adding a track consists of simply attaching a hardwood strip to one side of the existing shooting board track. The hardwood strip effectively locks the shooting plane in. The added mass and skewed blade also dramatically reduce the force needed to shoot the end of a board. I will provide more feedback over time! I have a Shooting Board Plan ($15) with plans for both face miter and case miter attachments, link below!

Shooting Board Plan

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