Replies

1. 
   jackplane | Dec 24, 2003 05:38pm | #1

    the short answer:yes, you can build a shooting board.

   I think it would be easier to cut the miter in one stroke(or two),then rip it to width. Good luck.

2. 
   desertrat | Dec 24, 2003 05:58pm | #2

   I have a shooting board that works like a charm with my LN low-angle smoother and my low-angle block plane.

   I'll try to take a shot of it and post it for you.

3. 
   Tao | Dec 25, 2003 04:55am | #3

   A miter shooting board is for cleaning up hand-cut miters, not for cutting them.  I've never seen one for the kind of miters you are describing, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.  The only shooting boards I have seen are for miters that are not wider than the sole of the plane.  If anyone has a design that works, I'd like to know about it too.

   The alternatives I would suggest in order of speed and accuracy are:  A $99.00 electric miter saw, a radial arm saw, a metal miter jug and backsaw, or a miter box.  They'll all handle a 3" cut.

   Michael R

4. 
   desertrat | Dec 28, 2003 04:09am | #4

   Jerry;

   Here's the photos of that shooting board that I promised you.

   Dick

   
1. 
   Bonka | Dec 28, 2003 05:33am | #5

   Thank you for the pictures.  It would seem to me that to use the device the piece to be cut would protrude a small amount and the plane sole would rest on the two side beams and the plane then moved forward making the cut and this would be repeated until one had what one wanted. As soon as I get done making my next batch of precision firewood I will rig one up.

   Jerry

2. 
   ian | Dec 29, 2003 05:34am | #9

   Dick

   thanks for posting these pictures.  I can see a whole range of possibilities.

   Ian

5. 
   HenryVIII | Dec 28, 2003 05:45am | #6

   The quick 'n' dirty way to do it is to use a miter saw.  It may be hard to visualize, but if the boards aren't too thick, you take the two boards you want to join and cut both miters at the same time.

   Set your miter saw at 45 deg.  Don't worry if it's off a bit, as long as it is cutting perpendicular to the table.

   Put one board extending to the left, and under the blade.  Then take the other and extend it to the right, but put it on top of a scrap of the same thickness, and positioned under the blade.  After you make the cut, it won't make any difference if it is off, because both boards will be off the same amount, and the two angles will add up to 90 deg.

   The other way to approach it is cut both ends of the first 3 boards without worrying too much about the angles.  Assuming you're within a half of a degree, the only corners you'll have to trim with a shooting board or some other way will be the two ends of the fourth board.  You can trim it to fit into the angles already assembled.

   I do a lot of mitered corners, but I have a double miter saw, which is primarily a picture framer's tool.  It isn't good for anything else but cutting miters, and a new one is expen$ive.

   Hope this helps.

6. 
   Scrit | Dec 28, 2003 06:50pm | #7

   Jerry

   I'll weigh in with a couple of different thoughts:

   Regardless of how you finish the mitre joint you are best rough cutting on a table saw or radial arm saw then using the plane and mitre shooting board to fine-tune the joint. This is a lot less work than trying to plane from a square edge ad also saves wera and tear on your mitre plane.

   I've used a technique on box production in the past where I wanted to wrap grain round the corners. Fundamentally you mark where your crosscuts are on the planed stock, tape the outer side of the box with 2in masking tape then use a 45 degree chamfer cutter (the sort without a bearing that ends in a 90 degree point) on a router to crosscut the inside of the joints - this really needs the router to run in a sort of track (two straight pieces of plywood with spacers nailed on the underside) for accuracy. The cutter depth should be such that the masking tape is just touched by the tip of the cutter. The box is then just folded in together.

   Scrit

1. 
   Tao | Dec 28, 2003 08:21pm | #8

   Dick,

   Thanks for the pictures.  Does that actually work well enough to get clean joints?  With the short bearing area and awkward angle, I would imagine it could be a challenge.  I've only used shooting boards that let the plane lie flat on its side, so I'm curious whether this would be a viable solution to future problems with materials too awkward for other methods.

   Scrit,

   Miterfolding is a good technique.  As you know, it's widely used in industry for making speaker boxes and inexpensive cabinetry.  Sometimes its the only way to get a good joint.  I once had to make a whole lot of 14 foot long miter joints for a fireplace surround where I couldn't allow fasteners to show.  Splines or biscuits would have been a nightmare, but simple taping and folding worked great.

   Still keeping an eye open for a file guide.  Winter's kind of a poor season for flea markets.....

   Michael R

1. 
   desertrat | Dec 29, 2003 06:19pm | #10

   Works like a champ on smaller (thinner) pieces.  The thicker ones take a little more effort.

   I'm going to try making a ramped one soon.  I keep building shooting boards for special purposes and they seem to be getting better as my experience gets better.

   Mostly what I use these for are making small boxes.