Which shooting board is right for you? Comparing different styles of shooting boards.
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- Опубликовано: 10 май 2022
- In this video I'm going to walk through the different shooting boards I've made over the years and share the pros and cons of each style. There are many different options of shooting boards out there and my goal with this video is to help you figure out which shooting board style will be the best for you!
Below are links to the different videos that helped me build the shooting boards in this video.
Paul Sellers: • Paul Sellers | How to ...
Rob Cosman: • You NEED a SHOOTING BO...
My own: • How to make an adjusta...
For my own shooting board I was heavily influenced by Mike Pekovich's shooting board which I came across in this video: • Mike Pekovich's Go-To ...
Thanks for watching! And don't forget to subscribe if you want to see more of my future content!
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Instagram: / daughters.wood.co
----------- Tools I use -----------
Japanese Saws:
- SUIZAN 9.5 Inch Ryoba Pull Saw: amzn.to/38FVxf4 (Amazon)
- SUIZAN 9.5 Inch Dozuki Dovetail Pull Saw: amzn.to/3mZfrHr (Amazon)
Chisels:
- Narex Richter Bevel Edge Chisel (1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1): amzn.to/2WNUEMc (Amazon)
Mallet/Hammer:
- Thor Soft and Hard Face Hammer: amzn.to/37SvItn (Amazon)
Clamps:
- IRWIN QUICK-GRIP Clamps Set, 8-Piece: amzn.to/3aIhBIT (Amazon)
Sharpening:
- Ultra Sharp Diamond Sharpening Stones: amzn.to/38RARBh (Amazon)
Drill Press:
- Wen 4208 8", 5-Speed Drill Press: amzn.to/3pryuMi (Amazon)
The above are tools I use for just about every project in the workshop and come highly recommended! They are all affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I may earn commission through purchases made through the links above. 
Хобби
Thanks for watching! I obviously only covered a small fraction of the different styles/types of shooting boards out there so if there are other shooting boards you've used and loved then please post a comment about it! I want this video to be as informative as possible and I think the comment section is a great way to add further information. Because let's be honest, I'm just one guy and I know there are way smarter people out there that have amazing insights into shootings boards.
Also! This video came about because I had different people comment on previous videos asking if I'd compare the different shooting boards I'd made. I like hearing from y'all about what you want to see so please let me know if there's anything else you'd want to see a video about!
This is a great video. We need more of these comparisons to help people pick from all the options. Nice work.
Thanks Rex! (Also, sorry your shooting board didn't make the cut! I actually had a section in the video of other different styles from you and Wood By Wright but decided to take it out to keep the video a little shorter. Thanks for all the work you're doing too, I always enjoy the videos you put out!)
@@DaughtersWoodCo a good excuse to make a part 2😉Ty for your work.
Watching your videos during the 🦠 I took the plunge in the summer…started by making the $30 low bench and I can’t believe how much I’ve progressed…loved visiting flea markets in the summer…picking up classic tools cheap…thanks for the inspiration 🤓👍
@@DaughtersWoodCo Ironically Rex' version is exactly what I wanted to suggest to you :D It combines the advantages of a fixed fence with a replaceable one. Seems to me like a winner design in this dedicated comparison ;)
I was just about to suggest Rex Krueger's version. It's simple enough and fulfills all qualities
Great video!
I prefer the last one. Especially in woodworking your material can shrink. So thats why I like all my components are adjustable
-Jonas-
came across your video and really appreciated your reviews. Helped me in deciding on how to redo my shooting board which became cupped and unuserable.
Just what I needed. Good job!
Excellent video my man. Great work.
Thanks Kevin!
You got my sub 30 seconds in because I haven't seen anyone do this comparison yet. Thanks!
Thanks! And glad you like it! Hope it was helpful!
Pretty well made video . Subscribed
You did a great job. Thank you.
Timely and informative as always.
Glad it was helpful!
@@DaughtersWoodCo I made one finally a few weeks ago and added custom sliders, but found the design was unstable so I am making one again. You are always one step ahead of me at least so I found this really helpful. You know, my workshop isn't built yet (a small shed), but when and if it is, would you ever been interested in doing monthly assignments with personal takes? I find your videos really easy to understand, relatable, and honest, which is about the best thing possible on this site. Anyway, cheers yet again.
Nice comparison.
Tbh, a 45° shooting board is far more important. I have Paul Sellers version and it works great. Use some scrap same thickness as your board as an infeed support ;) (He also made one to work vertically in the face vice.)
Other than that go with a fixed fence. Just clamp a square to your board and butt the fence up to it when fixing.
There are very few occasions when you'll actually need perfectly squared off ends.
I made Rob's version for myself. When you glue the fence first and then fasten it from below with 2 screws, it will always remain square. For the fence and the guide against which the plane slides I used a piece of beech (from a discarded chair). For an angle of 45° I made a triangle that I can easily attach to the shooting board with 2 screws.
I use this shooting board for practically every woodworking job.
When I bought one, I got one that could do 45 degrees. Six years on, I have never used that 45 feature.
Something I thing worth noting about Rob's style of shooting boarding is that he glues it up with a crown. This ensures the plane doesn't tip away from the cut (as it will if the "track" has a belly). I think this is an essential design element if you are shooting with a bench plane.
This is very true and something I forgot to mention!
I'm no handtool expert, but I had little difficulty getting a square fence with Paul Sellers' version; lay it out with a reliable square and a marking knife, "knife wall" the cut, then saw it out and chisel/router plane the waste. Make a wedge for each slot, each the proper thickness to also lay on the benchtop as support for a longer workpiece.
I did need to add an oak strip along the runway to hold my handplane consistently against the edge of the workpiece.
I’ve made all of them myself. Paul Sellers would tell you to make it longer or wider to suit your needs. I often wonder where this notion that one must follow others rules and plans when it comes to woodworking comes from. It took me three attempts to get it square because I was building my skills with hand tools. After all, that’s what pulls me towards them. Otherwise, I might as well get a chop saw and machine my wood like an engineer or machinist. (I do have machines and not a Luddite) Also, you can make a bench hook that will support long pieces. And if you need to make micro adjustments, you can do that with tape. No shooting board - Sellers, Cosman, or even the Lee Valley adjustable one, will ever stay square. Wood moves, sometimes a little and sometimes a lot. Currently I’m using the adjustable one from Lee Valley and like it - to each his own 😊 Good video comparison.
I'd prefer to have a fixed fence with an adjustable shimmied working surface. Kinda like Rex's, but with four screws horizontally. I claim that would make sure that it doesn't easily go out of square. And of course, provided you have a workbench, some way to support the far end of the board.
And of course I would mirror everything.
You can square fixed fences on a table saw sled, just put a scrap of wood the same height as the fence to makes the shooting board parallel with sled base. If you have a Rob Cosman style sled that has a convex top adjust the shim until the first 4 inches near the fence in parallel with the sled base so that the fence is square to the shooting board base... Be very precise checking square on the blade to the sled too and don't use a warn out blade or a crosscut blade.
I think you’re on to something, I made an adjustable board but still put the fence with the dado so the screw or fastener would be supported. I used 1/2” plywood so not a lot of room for the shorter screws to grip into.
In the future I was planning to build one similar to yours however have two inserts within the board and use two thumb screws.
Two inserts could be a good idea! Maybe provide more holding strength?
I built my first ever shooting board based on Paul sellers. I used pine for the base and Beech for everything else…never having worked with Beech before and using my cheap half sharp chisels ! Wow how hard is Beech 🥵 I learnt a lesson that day…anyway it came out good and I’m really enjoying using it 🤓👍
Never had the pleasure to work with beech, but I've heard it is really hard! Glad Paul's is working out well for you!
@@DaughtersWoodCo in the UK 🇬🇧 I can purchase Beech and Ash really cheap for some reason ? As I’m brand new to woodworking I’m always looking out for inexpensive beautifully grained wood 🪵 to work with 🤓👍
@@simonmountford4291 That's nice! I don't know about beech, but I believe Ash is pretty expensive here in the states. I think it all depends on what naturally grows nearby so beech and ash must be in abundance around there! I've never worked with Ash, but like the grain pattern and hope to get to work with it someday!
If you use your square and plane as you did to the adjustable fence, to glue up the Cosman style board it will be guaranteed to come out square
There is another option. Use the adjustable fence when it is square screw through it to hold it square. Then if it goes out of square remove the screw and use another hole.
Have you seen a crosscut sled with a adjustable fence that would be handy I have trouble getting it spot on.
The "adjustable screw" option could be an even cheaper option! Didn't think of that. I could see that working pretty well!
Simple and yet great idea!
Question- how would your fence 'move over time'?
My shooting board has an adjustable fence and once I square it up, I draw a pencil line on the base along the fence so that I will notice right away if it gets bumped out of square. This saves me from having to check for squareness before each use.
I like the pencil line trick! That's great. I'm gonna have to start doing that. Thanks for sharing.
Hiya, for me as a siteworker Paul sellers is more practical. If I was in a shop with room to spare , yes the other options could be more comfortable for a beginner, and that's what's important for building your skills.l like Paul's style , he shows what you can do with what you have and his design has been used for centuries. Have no clamps,, use some wedges😊. Take care.
There is something no nonsense and refreshing about Paul's work. Couldn't agree more with that!
Ah, the dilemma of starting out. I spent a lot of money early on because I lacked the confidence (and probability ability) to make my own. I probably could have done it. Of course, now, after woodworking for 6ish years, I know what works well and could make one, if I didn't have one. Out of curiosity, have you checked out the Veritas kit they sell for a shooting board? Not as inexpensive as making your own but looks interesting. Of course, you have three shooting boards and that is probably two more than you really need.
Just looked, and man, that's pricey! I'm sure it works really well though. Reminds me of Wood By Wright's if you've seen his.
Have you seen Stavros Gakos’s version?
I think so? Not sure actually. I should look it up though!
Hi. What is a shooting board? Couldn’t watch whole video because I had no content clue.
Great video, and I’m not just saying that because I’ve come to the same conclusion as you. The point I agree with the most is that although I like the idea, I could never ever trust an adjustable fence: I would check it a million times. But the moment at which the penny really dropped for me was when I read Christopher Schwarz’s article “A Shooting Board for a Simpleton”, in which he recommends to stick two planks of wood together, stick a fence on top and to square it up with a shoulder plane. There, done, go forth and shoot. And here’s the thing: you don’t really need a shoulder plane. Glue sandpaper to a straight and square bit of wood and sand the fence into square. Not elegant, but it works. Sometimes we don’t see the forest for the trees.
Why have I never thought to use sandpaper on a square piece of wood?! Thanks for this suggestion! The rob cosman board is slightly out of square so I think I'll use the sandpaper trick as I don't have a shoulder plane.
I’m struggling to understand how a shoulder plane or sandpaper can make the fence square to the track. It can be made straight that way, but it could be straight and still not square.
@@Bryan-fn6lp It’s fiddly, but absolutely possible: you take more off one end than the other until it’s straight and square. You have nothing to register the plane/sanding block against - is that what you mean? You just have to go slowly and carefully and check it many times. If you don’t have a square that is long enough, you can hold a ruler against the fence and check if the ruler is square.
I’ve used either a shoulder plane or a bullnose plane to tweak and dial in a fixed fence on a shooting board many times. Wood moves and through the years will likely go out of square. And yes, even sandpaper too 😂
The question is do you even need a shooting board for the purpose it's being used now? I can't really think of any use of squaring endgrain like that, the original purpose was to square long grain on thin stock and it should still be the main purpose and you should not care much about the fence but rather about length and parallelism. In most cases it's far more practical to just leave the endgrain off the saw and plane/chisel after the whole project is assembled. And in most cases when you need the end of the board to be perfect, you are usually better off just to plane it regularly because it usually involves a size that is way too big to shoot.
Small box work and dovetails are just a lot easier when starting with squared ends. If you have trouble being square straight of a saw, shooting the ends becomes more important. Oh and the place I use one most is tuning inset drawer fronts to initial width.
Check Rex Krueger version. He combines fixed and adjustable fence in one appliance
He's is a great option too!
I think it was Rex that had an add on spacer support that attached to the left edge with magnets and could be detached and moved to the left to support long pieces you want to shoot
@@Mhj96813 Does everybody have a simple bench hook they use for sawing small pieces accurately? Just make that the same size as your shooting board and it doubles as a support for shooting long pieces.
Great vid, very informative. However, there is a common mistake that nearly everyone makes when using a shooting board without even knowing it. Graham Blackburn talks about the proper use of shooting boards in his vid ruclips.net/video/L1JtSXfIhBY/видео.html. The primary one he demonstrates has both the 90 and 45 degree options like Paul Sellers without the need to cut dados in the table. Also, and I know this goes outside the scope of this vid, Graham Blackburn talks about how to obtain angles other than 90 and 45 degrees without any further modifications to the existing shooting board.
Thanks so much for sharing this video and putting me onto Graham's work! Surprised RUclips hasn't shown me his work before now.
Interesting what he says about overhanging the pieces of work. That's the first time I've seen that. I really liked his use of dowels to insert a 45 degree fence onto the board. I think I'll have to steal that idea and modify one of my boards to add a 45 degree fence!
Thanks again for sharing!
@@DaughtersWoodCo Absolutely. I didn't know about his channel until Rex Kruger mentioned and linked to his channel.
Nothing says you can't change the overall dimensions of any shooting board such as Paul's.
That's true!
Love the pro’s and con’s of each. Katz-Moses has yet another option to to add in the mix:
m.ruclips.net/video/YnYczLJscYw/видео.html
Thanks for all the good content!
Thanks for Katz-Moses option! His is a good one too!