A basic bench appliance that yields precision performance
Several of my recent projects called for a shooting board for hand planes. But what is a shooting board and why do you need one? In short, it’s a jig that facilitates sneaking up on perfect-fitting joinery by shaving the end grain of a workpiece with a hand plane. I had used a few over the years in other shops, but it was time to make a shooting board of my own. I’d always find a workaround, even setting up makeshift shooting boards at my bench. Finally fed up with shortcuts, I decided to build one that was stout and able to accommodate the kind of shooting board woodworking I do. But where to start? I did what any good woodworker does and asked other woodworkers. My research led to a chat with master craftsman Craig Bentzley, on whose invaluable expertise I’ve come to rely. He shared his insight on how to make a shooting board. His go-to jig is easy to make, versatile, accurate, and will last a long time – just what I was looking for. With Bentzley’s blessing, I got building.
Tamar Hannah at 3x3 customs also has a great shooting board with attachments.
Simple Yet Versatile
As for how to make a shooting board, I used MCP (melamine-coated particleboard) for the base, but phenolic plywood also works. Even birch plywood will do the job, but wax the runways for a slick, wear-resistant surface. Make the fence from tight-grained hardwood such as maple or cherry. These dimensions aren’t critical so build to suit. Nevertheless, all 90° and 45° angles must be dead-accurate. That goes for all workbench workmates.
A plane runway on both sides makes your shooting board ambidextrous, which is useful when trimming miters on frame pieces that don’t have two flat faces. The frame miter attachment secures with two screws for quick on-and-off. The ramp, which clamps to the fence when needed, provides a means to shoot case miters for boxes and other small projects with mitered walls.
See why and how to square edges to really understand the importance of shooting boards.
How to make a shooting board
- Assemble base and riser, cut to size
- Make and attach cleat and fence
- Make miter attachment
- Build case miter ramp to suit
Make the Jig
To make a shooting board, cut some 3/4" MCP to 16 × 24" for the base, and some 1/2" MDF to 12 × 24" for the riser. Nail the parts together. Then saw the jig to 20" using your crosscut sled, saving the offcut to function as an outboard for supporting longer workpieces, as shown above. Cut the cleat and fence to size and attach them where shown in the drawing above.
Riser-to-base connection
Center the riser on the base to create a 2" runway on each side, and clamp the parts together. Connect the pieces with 1"-long 18-gauge brads through the bottom of the base, avoiding screw locations for the cleat and fence. Use your crosscut sled to saw the jig to size.
A shooting board is just one of several essential bench stops and hooks.
Attach the cleat
On the square
Flip and attach
Make the Attachments
Lay out a triangle on a 12 × 12" piece of 3/4" MDF, and cut it to size as shown. The blunt ends of the miter attachment help to keep your workpiece miters crisp and clean. Push the miter attachment against the fence, clamp in place, and secure with woodscrews where shown in the drawing (above).
Use whatever available scraps you have to make the case miter ramp, but keep it lightweight. Size it to accommodate the shooting board woodworking you do.
Frame miter attachment
Tack temporary fences to your crosscut sled at 90° to each other and 45° to the cut line. Make the cut, then trim the acute corners at the chop saw, leaving the length at just over 12". Screw the centered piece to the riser, and trim the ends flush with your hand plane.
To use a shooting board, you’ll need to know how to choose and use hand planes.
Case miter ramp
Use the jig’s fence to hold the case miter ramp pieces square as you pin them in place using 3/4"-long pins.
Shooting Board in Use
Now that you know how to make a shooting board, it’s time to put it to work. Jonathan Katz-Moses describes how to build and use a shooting board. But here is a quick rundown on how to use this one for shooting board woodworking:
Using a shooting board isn’t difficult, but it does require some dexterity. Below are a few tips that will ensure accurate joinery.
- With one hand, press the workpiece against the fence, pushing the jig away from you so the cleat catches squarely on the bench. Simultaneously, sneak the piece toward the runway.
- With your other hand, slide the plane on the runway against the riser. Keep the plane’s toe against the workpiece.
- Don’t push the plane away from the riser with the workpiece.
- Push the plane through the cut, so the blade passes the fence.
- Use a plane with some heft (I recommend a #5-1/2).
- Wax the runway and the sole and sides of your plane before you shoot.
- A tuned plane with a sharp blade makes all the difference when using shooting boards. Check out this free article on mastering the hand plane.
CHAD McCLUNG
Chad is a woodworker with nearly 20 years of experience in woodworking and home improvement, covering these topics as a how-to writer, editor, and photographer. He is the former editor-in-chief of Woodcraft Magazine. When not in the shop, Chad is probably adding to a Blu-ray collection that rivals his tool collection.