Old woodworking books weren’t written for us—modern practitioners of the craft looking for in-depth how-to details about process. Instead, the earliest English language woodworking texts like Joseph Moxon’s Mechanick Exercises were written to inform his fellow well-heeled late 17th-century Englishmen about the goings-on in the shops of the artisans (or “mechanicks”) with whom they may conduct business. The craftspeople themselves learned their trades through the oral tradition of apprenticeship. However, just because Moxon’s aim was to satisfy the curiosity of his peers and not educate apprentices, doesn’t mean we can’t glean a lot from his writing today. It does sometimes take extra work and an open mind for us to grasp the insights Moxon had to offer. Let’s consider his description of fine-tuning a miter and see how I translate this into modern language and practice.

Moxon offers an interesting approach to cleaning the sawn texture from miters while discussing strike-block planes. Strike-block planes are not well-known today; one is shown in the middle of the photo above with a smooth plane behind and a modern block plane in the foreground. They often have lower-angle blades mounted bevel down and excel at a variety of tasks like shooting small edges and joints. I’ll let the tool historians untangle their place in the evolution of hand planes, but note that their role has largely been taken up by any number of low-angle planes familiar to today’s woodworker.

Here’s Moxon’s wordy description of how to use a strike-block plane on a miter:

That’s a lot more thrusting than we usually encounter in modern woodworking writing and almost everything about that passage has the potential to throw a modern woodworker off the scent of an interesting technique. Overall, the language, grammar, and style of writing—though not indecipherable—are barriers we need to overcome. Couple that with a technique that is quite different than the usual prescription for some form of shooting board and it’s easy to dismiss Moxon entirely. This is where we may remind ourselves that Moxon wasn’t a woodworker himself; he was a printer and a map maker, among other things. Perhaps he misunderstood what he saw in a joiner’s shop. Before we come to that conclusion though, shouldn’t we actually try what he describes?

I’ve used this technique with success many times over the years and have come to the conclusion that Moxon’s writing might be more of a problem than the woodworking technique. Thrusting a board in one hand into a plane held in another sounds like a pretty violent act. It shouldn’t be. The motion should be smooth and controlled.

Here’s how I would describe it:

This can be done with just about any plane if a strike-block is not in your kit. In my home shop, I find either a block plane or low-angle smooth plane to be ideal. A tight mouth and a sharp, finely set blade are crucial to success. While I will use miter shooting boards on occasion, I have settled on a variation of Moxon’s technique to clean and fit most of my miters. Instead of holding the plane upside down in my hand, I simply clamp it upside down in my vise and draw the miter across it. This works great and requires no special additional equipment.

Holding the miter flat on the sole of the plane is a lot like holding the bevel against a stone in freehand sharpening, only easier because the miter is probably much wider than the bevel on your plane or chisel. If the miter’s angle is off a little, concentrate your effort and hand pressure on the high spots before working its entire length. Moving the miter diagonally across the blade can help maintain a cleaner surface while reducing the force required to pull it through the cut. This method is particularly useful for curved moldings that can be hard to hold in typical bench fixtures.

This Moxon variation is not perfect for everything. Long boards would obviously be hard to handle this way, though I have used the two-handed technique as Moxon describes it on 8-ft.-long architectural moldings a few times. Really small pieces also become a challenge. People understandably get nervous at the idea of getting their fingers too close to the exposed blade of the upside-down plane. For small things like the mitered returns pictured below, I swap my plane for a long mill bastard file and make quick work of getting things fitted.

If you only know Moxon from the twin-screw vise that has taken his name in recent years, do yourself a favor and read his description of the joiner’s trade. There are many editions available in print or digitally. I find something new to consider whenever I crack it open. We may not be the audience he was trying to reach 340 years ago, but his insights can still resonate if we’re open to them.

Twin screws for everyone!

Many of the classes Megan Fitzpatrick teaches involve large dovetailed carcases, and while you don't actually need a Moxon vise to make them, it sure simplifies things.

Curved molding by hand

There's a whole world of carving that fits within the skills of a cabinetmaker.

Bill Pavlak's Oddly Essential Tools

A journeyman cabinetmaker shares his thoughts on two of his favorite tools: a narrow scraper and...corset boning.

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

Starrett 12-in. combination square

This accurate, robust, well-machined, easy-to-read combo square is as great as ever.

Buy at Amazon

Tite-Mark Marking Gauge

These gauges can be easily and precisely adjusted with one hand, which allows you to set the tool while holding a ruler or workpiece in the other. The quality is exceptional, and all have sharp cutters that offer great visibility.

Buy at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks

Bahco 6-Inch Card Scraper

The size and thickness are what matter here. A consistent performer, this Bahco scraper is found in many shops we visit.

Buy at Amazon