shooting board accuracy

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Central (upstate) NY
I've been working on building a shooting board but my edges are a little off from parallel. The distance from fence to the end of the shooting board is 54 cm (540 mm). Across this distance there is a 2 mm difference in width of the shooting board. This means that at least one of the edges of the shooting board is not perfectly square to the fence.

I don't know that in my shop I'd be able to improve upon this accuracy. Writing this post I think I've figured out that the best way I have available in my shop to measure the fence angle directly is to put the shooting board in my vise and use the Beall tilt gauge.

I am thinking that for my initial purpose of truing up the ends of my walnut desk table top that the shooting board is probably acceptable for use.

What I don't know is whether the board is acceptable for use as is for 45 degree miters and bevels (with the appropriate jigs added to the board). The next project I have in mind is yet another attempt at a miter joint jewelry box, with which I'd like to improve on the quality of my miters.

Maybe I'm making much ado about nothing or maybe the board just isn't right yet. Any advice on this issue?

Thanks!
 
My own take on it

I've been working on building a shooting board but my edges are a little off from parallel. The distance from fence to the end of the shooting board is 54 cm (540 mm). Across this distance there is a 2 mm difference in width of the shooting board. This means that at least one of the edges of the shooting board is not perfectly square to the fence.

I don't know that in my shop I'd be able to improve upon this accuracy. Writing this post I think I've figured out that the best way I have available in my shop to measure the fence angle directly is to put the shooting board in my vise and use the Beall tilt gauge.

I am thinking that for my initial purpose of truing up the ends of my walnut desk table top that the shooting board is probably acceptable for use.

What I don't know is whether the board is acceptable for use as is for 45 degree miters and bevels (with the appropriate jigs added to the board). The next project I have in mind is yet another attempt at a miter joint jewelry box, with which I'd like to improve on the quality of my miters.

Maybe I'm making much ado about nothing or maybe the board just isn't right yet. Any advice on this issue?

Thanks!

Mark,
I'm showing up late to the party here but I thought I throw in my own bit of advice. I've read through the associated threads and realize the amount of hard work you've put into this. However if it were me doing this, I'd make a new shoot board with an integral ramp for the plane to ride on and not rely on getting the sides square and trying to tune the rest of the shoot board "around it". It's really all in the steps you take to build the shoot board where you accuracy comes in.

I started with (2) pieces of FLAT 3/4 baltic birch plywood because that's that I had on hand. One was about 3" wider than the other. This became my base. I made sure that the side of each piece were parallel to each other but truing them up on my Unisaw. I then screwed and face glued the one to the other. There's your ramp for you plane. Then I installed the fence with one end being able to pivot. I then used a square to get it as perfect as I THOUGHT. I then screwed the fence home. Then I used my shoot board to make some cuts and checked them for accuracy with my 12" Starrett square. Guess what? They were OUT! So I had to go back and adjust the fence a bit. Twenty minutes later I'm getting nice square cuts. You see, as long as you can adjust the fence, the sides of your base don't have to come into play.
 
Dominic:

It's great to see you here! Any word on Five Barns this year?

I went and added an integral base at the end.

Before I did, I put one edge on my jointer table, used the jointer table to zero my Beall tilt box and then measured the angle of the shooting board fence to the jointer table, which ought to be the same as the angle of fence to edge resting on jointer table. I then flipped to the other edge and repeated the measurement.

One edge read 90.00 degrees and the other 89.95 degrees (0.05 degrees is the unit of finest measure for this tool). At this point I decided I was good to go.

I'm going to try to copy the attachment code to post the pic of the almost complete unit here after first use.

View attachment 33295

That's odd. It comes up as a hyperlink, not an image. Odd.
 
5 barns

Mark,
Bill posted a thread on WoodNet & WoodCentral that there will be no BBQ this year due to family commitments and a busy schedule.

As for your shoot board, from your measurements I think you've tweaked it enough. Time to let we' rip!!!
 
Yeah,....MY place!

So we're coming to your place this year? :rofl:

Yeah, I'm sure my wife would just LOVE that! Not to mention my stuffy neighbor! :eek: Two hundred of my closest friends using chain saws and making shavings all day. Yeah, I can almost smell that injunction!

The shooting board works great! Put it to work on a small walnut desk last night. :D

Good to hear! I guess we can call this episode a wrap!
 
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