Question: Shooting board design

[gregg]

Well there's a question I have about a simple thing such as a shooting board. It's a little difficult to describe in words, but as no pictures are allowed here:

Assume a simple 90 degree shooting board that you want to use to true up an endgrain edge. like a bench hook, there's the backstop against which you place the work..which keeps the piece from skittering off to the other side of the shop.

If the end of the backstop isn't lined up with the edge of the workpiece then you will get tearout.

If the edge is coincident with the end of the backstop, then, when you plane, there will be no tearout on the back edge of the workpiece. But then, the plane iron will chop away at the end of the backstop. And the next workpiece you try to shoot will get tearout.

I suppose one could ease the back edge of the workpiece.

Or just stop the plane before it hits the backstop, when you get close to a trued edge.

But I've never heard of those two ideas in anything I've read about shooting boards. I've experienced the tearout first hand. is there a detail of shooting board design I've overlooked?

thanks

[Michael Latcha]

You are correct in that your backstop must be positioned so that it backs up the end grain cut, and it gets shorter all the time. Dovetailing it in place allows it to be repositioned easily. Lots of good information, and a ramped shooting board that works great, here:

Latcha - at home in Redford, MI

[Australopithecus scobis]

If you use a short backstop... I used a tall backstop, taller than the plane. So, I have a top reference for the left edge of the plane. The bottom of the backstop got planed off with first use, but it won't get any shorter.

For the OP, you want to set your blade for a fine cut. Then the couple of thous distance between the ends of your backstop and your work won't lead to tearout. I get see-through shavings off maple endgrain and my Mk I shoot board is made of _pine_. The backstop is a tubafor!