# Shooting Board vs. Incra Miter Gauge.



## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

I just watched a video on a "shooting board". My first thought is that why would one need one when one has a properly calibrated Incra Miter Gauge. The only point that I can think of is when Neville made the remark that a truly good 45 degree joint can't be made without the use of a shooting board. I think that he is referring to the finish of the surfaces of the joint where the two parts come together, and I think that I can see his point. However, either my standards are not high enough to meet those of Neville's or my cuts really are pretty good. I'm scratching my head over that after Neville made that comment. Waiting for comments of the subject.

Jerry


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Jerry Bowen said:


> I just watched a video on a "shooting board". My first thought is that why would one need one when one has a properly calibrated Incra Miter Gauge. The only point that I can think of is when Neville made the remark that a truly good 45 degree joint can't be made without the use of a shooting board. I think that he is referring to the finish of the surfaces of the joint where the two parts come together, and I think that I can see his point. However, either my standards are not high enough to meet those of Neville's or my cuts really are pretty good. I'm scratching my head over that after Neville made that comment. Waiting for comments of the subject.
> 
> Jerry


It's all relevant to the experience one has, with the tools they use.

I could say that I could do that in (two notes... no)... with a positive stop miter gauge on a table saw, a miter sled on a table saw, a Miter Saw, a hand plane with a shooting board, a disk sander with a miter gauge... a pocket knife...

If it turns out to be a good, effective, accurate joint, without having to monkey with it afterwards to get it there, then it doesn't really matter, does it? 

BUT:
- Compare someone doing that with skills/experience with a good table saw, with a good finish blade and good miter gauge... and someone recent weekend total experience, on a bench saw, with a combo blade, with it's stock miter gauge, in a loose miter slot....
- Compare someone with 10 plus years experience with a hand plane, used every day and a shooting board... And someone that bought a hand plane and has been using it for 10 minutes...
- Compare that to a carver that has been doing joints with a knife or adze all his life... and someone who is standing there looking at that at trying to figure out how those joints resulted "magically."
Then look at the time it takes, with the right tools, to get competent skills learned and to develop muscle memory...

It takes practice with anything to build up skills, to develop an eye and feel for something. At first you develop an eye to recognize what would turn out or end up "wrong." Later you develop an eye and feel for what is right. Some truest may slam me for this statement, but... I remember reading this reference to Shaker woodworking techniques-- 
"_It doesn't really matter the tools you use, but with the result you end up with._"

I've seen someone whip out perfect looking dovetail joints with a ball-peen hammer and a sharpened screwdriver in a matter of minutes. Could I do that? Not as well and would take me, well... embarrassing.

Wait... What does it say in my sig line?
_"Usually learning skills and tooling involves a progression of logical steps."_


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

MAFoElffen said:


> It's all relevant to the experience one has, with the tools they use.
> 
> I could say that I could do that in (two notes... no)... with a positive stop miter gauge on a table saw, a miter sled on a table saw, a Miter Saw, a hand plane with a shooting board, a disk sander with a miter gauge... a pocket knife...
> 
> ...



Mike,

Everything you say is pure logic, makes sense etc. etc. I suppose that I really should ask Neville directly why he said that you can't cut a really good miter with a saw and that the way to get it right is with a shooting board. Maybe I mis-understood him. This thead was started just to see if the statement that I think he made is generally agreed to by most people that do work at the level that he does which is extremely high end and that's an understatement by the way. 

The real issue is still, are the results that one gets with what ever method and/or tools are used, good enough for the person doing the work. One's self is still the ultimate judge. How much pride one takes in his or her work has a lot to do with it, and this will determine the level of perfection that one strides for, or so it seems to me.

Jerry


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Jerry Bowen said:


> Mike,
> 
> Everything you say is pure logic, makes sense etc. etc. I suppose that I really should ask Neville directly why he said that you can't cut a really good miter with a saw and that the way to get it right is with a shooting board. Maybe I mis-understood him. This thead was started just to see if the statement that I think he made is generally agreed to by most people that do work at the level that he does which is extremely high end and that's an understatement by the way.
> 
> ...


I may be wrong... (Neville will clarify if I took that wrong.) As I remember when I read his post, I took that as if a cut is a bit off when you go to fit it, use a plane and clean it up.

Working as a Finish Carpenter... When doing trim, I keep a chisel, mini plane, small sanding block and utility knife in my apron for fitting and joining. When you're going along and it the thick of it, you might be 25 feet up on a ladder or in the furthest local from your cutting station... Using one of those to "clean up" a fit on a miter takes a couple seconds... and on you go on continuing work. That saves a trip back to your cutting station and your tools. That's the perspective and context I took with his comment.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Jerry, you may be right about the finish being a little better with a plane than a saw blade. If you have trouble dialing in a perfect 90* on your tool then having a shooting board set up that is a perfect 90* will give you a better fit and faster than a saw. Like Mike, I use all the tools he mentioned to perfect a fit when I'm working with moldings. 

The fussiest thing I know of to miter is a picture frame. Most other things can be off a little bit and not be too noticeable. A picture frame has to be perfect. I had trouble getting a good enough joint until I started using blade stabilizers and that solved my problems. You can dial a 90* in easily with your Incra which only leaves the saw cut as a potential problem. If you solve that then I don't see how Neville's joints could be better without getting together with him and comparing work.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Jerry.. 

Ultimately it becomes a question of how do you want to get to where you want to go! A while back I decided to make a bench hook and shooting board. And I wanted to make a couple good ones. The reason for building them was that at the time I was reading alot on just how well a good one can work. I then looked around in a couple of the other forums I belong to and did some research. Finally decided they might indeed be well worth the effort to make. And in fact, they are great to have and to use. For picture frames, small boxes or just about any other mitered angle I need to make and I want the fit to be dead on, they are my go to jig. I've gone as big as 1x6 on em. One proviso is that a shooting board is only as good as the plane your using.....
Now, is it any better than say a properly setup miter gauge and TS? Not necessarily. I have an Incra 2000 that I've used since it first came out. Works great on the exact same tablesaw you have. I get excellent miters using it as well.
I just really enjoy using the shooting board. End grain cuts are considerably smoother using the shooting board and tear out is almost non existent and the angles are always dead nuts on! But there's probably at least a half a dozen other ways to achieve the same results when one becomes proficient with other methods. I think Mike quoted it best: "It doesn't really matter the tools you use, but with the result you end up with." Now, you will run across alot of guys who just swear by hand tools only. And thats cool... different strokes as they say. 

http://www.routerforums.com/show-n-tell/27852-bench-hook-shooting-board.html


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## Willway (Aug 16, 2012)

I believe it boils down to this point; many people cannot afford a $150 miter gauge, but do have a few scraps of wood. It is a way to make a joint that is just as accurate as any well made, well tuned tools on the market. I was blessed with a very accurate miter gauge, and I constantly check my equipment by putting a square to almost every critical cut. So I don't feel a need for a shooting board.


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Jerry, you may be right about the finish being a little better with a plane than a saw blade. If you have trouble dialing in a perfect 90* on your tool then having a shooting board set up that is a perfect 90* will give you a better fit and faster than a saw. Like Mike, I use all the tools he mentioned to perfect a fit when I'm working with moldings.
> 
> The fussiest thing I know of to miter is a picture frame. Most other things can be off a little bit and not be too noticeable. A picture frame has to be perfect. I had trouble getting a good enough joint until I started using blade stabilizers and that solved my problems. You can dial a 90* in easily with your Incra which only leaves the saw cut as a potential problem. If you solve that then I don't see how Neville's joints could be better without getting together with him and comparing work.


Charles,

I agree with you about the picture frame cuts having to be perfect, both in length and the 45 degree cut. I used the term "calibrated" earlier in this thread. By calibrated I might add, perfectly calibrated. My first attempts to make picture frames is what got me into woodworking. Only after buying and calibrating my Incra Miter Gsuge was I able to easily make a frame in which each of the four corners fit perfectly. I can make all of the cuts on the same side of the blade which is indicative of the gauge being well calibrated. I do find that I have to use a full kerf blade with a stabilizer as you refer to.

I do hope that Neville will post to this thread to clear up what I think that he said about the shooting board. I was probably wrong, but I sure did think that he said plainly that you just cannot get a good fit with a saw and photos of his work told me that he is an extremely talented artist that knows his stuff.

Jerry


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

Jerry I cannot read all of the posts on this thread now as I just don't have the time and my modem is not yet working perfectly with my new computer but making a good mitered join requires a few things to happen, so first, the miter does not have to be a 45deg one as that is called a true miter but the issues occur with all joins at all angles, so any join between two pieces of wood requires that each piece of wood is cut at the correct angle to suit the join that is being done, and that cut would be at 45deg cut if the join was to be a true miter, so, the problems start with how good the saw blade cuts, and if you have a very fine saw blade, one that has many fine teeth, then you can get a reasonable cut and a reasonable join at the correct angle, that is all due to the set up of the saw, the thing is that the more bad that the joining edge of the cut, the more it gets roughed up by the saw, then the worse the join will look when it is polished and finished, the bad join comes about from the fact that the edge is cut a bit rough, now bear in mind that by rough I am not saying that the cut is not the correct angle or that it is not vertically square, think about this, if the saw being used had a wobble and was missing teeth then imagine how good a cut you would get with that blade, that bad saw blade would not get used but think about what type of cut it would give, now think about a prefect 80/90tooth saw blade that was just sharpened and think about what type of cut this blade would give, now think about a hand miter saw, one of the old ones where the saw is a fine tooth tennon saw held in the gate of the miter box, this type of hand saw when it is kept sharp can give a very good cut, the thing is that from that worse saw to the best saw then there is a very big difference between the quality of the cut you get, and even when the two angles, that is the miter angle and the other vertical angle, so even when they are done in the best way then they can still be a bit rough so they don't meet perfectly even when they are cramped together under pressure as they dry, then they can still look to be a bit apart when they are polished, so there are solutions, picture frame makers will use a guillotine to do their cuts as the razor sharp blade of a guillotine can do perfect cuts and if the mouldings section, is to large to do the full cut in one go, then they will use the guillotine to cut away the waste but then to leave the moulding a bit too long and then they will do a fine final cleanup cut that will bring it to size and also leave that perfect surface that will join and leave a prefect join. one other way is to just cut the moulding a bit long and then clean it up to size on a perfectly set up disc sander, now if you do it that way then the sand paper on the disc sander has to be of a fine grade as rough sandpaper will also leave a rough join, and then the moulding can be just gently touched on the fine sandpaper of the disc to both remove the last final unwanted waste and to also get that perfect surface to do the join with, if the clean up is done on a disc sander then the machine also has to be set up perfectly to that the two angles are correct and the best way would be to clamp a fence onto the sanders table that would guide the wood into gentle contact. the final way is the old Cabinetmakers way, that is that the moulding is cut over size and then cleaned up with the use of a shooting block and a razor sharp hand plane, this is the Cabinetmakers way as sharp planes are what we live with, and a razor sharp plane blade can give that perfect join that when it is joined up and dry and polished then it will give a join that looks and is perfect. So I have bought all the wood for my Jewelry Cases and when I do the mitered joins then I will shoot them with a hand plane and I will photograph that process and the shooting blocks and then post the images on the forum on the already started threads, I will be starting the cases next about week so it will be a little while until I have some images worth posting. Jerry doing it this way assumes that the maker wants that perfect join and I have seen some threads in the past where the writer was complaining about the poor join he got off the saw cut and I told them what I will say now. That is that if you want a perfect join then you will not get it off a saw blade whether it is a fine good saw blade or not, and you will have to shoot it with a razor sharp plane on a shooting block to get that perfect join, if the join that you get straight of your saw and that is regardless of what saw you use, then if that join is good enough for your purposes then it is good enough, but the perfect join will not happen without the use of a shooting block. 

I hope that everyone is having a safe and Merry Christmas as well as a safe and Happy New Year. Neville


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Neville I won't argue that a shooting board does a very good job but I've worked with a Pistorius machine at one place of employment and they are considered the heart of many picture frame businesses. They do a very good job with just blades. They are also pricey. The double chop saw and the corner joiner were $25000 used if I remember right.
Pistorius Equipment


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Well said.

Looks like Nevelle is having 'puter challenges so I edited, just to read easier...


neville9999 said:


> Jerry-
> I cannot read all of the posts on this thread now, as I just don't have the time and my modem is not yet working perfectly with my new computer.
> 
> But making a good mitered join requires a few things to happen. So first, the miter does not have to be a 45deg one, as that is called a true miter. But the issues occur with all joins at all angles. So any join between two pieces of wood requires that each piece of wood is cut at the correct angle to suit the join that is being done, and that cut would be at 45deg cut if the join was to be a true miter.
> ...


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

MAFoElffen said:


> It's all relevant to the experience one has, with the tools they use.
> 
> I could say that I could do that in (two notes... no)... with a positive stop miter gauge on a table saw, a miter sled on a table saw, a Miter Saw, a hand plane with a shooting board, a disk sander with a miter gauge... a pocket knife...
> 
> ...


+1 :laugh:


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

Neville just confirmed what I first made reference to and that is that you absolutely cannot get a perfect joint by using a saw blade and that the only way to do so is to use the shooting block. This is what I thought that he said and coming from him I have to believe him as the photos of his finished projects attest to his knowledge of the subject. I guess that the purchase of my first hand plane in order now along with the construction of the shooting block or board if I want to the perfection that Neville is aluding to.

I would have never given all of this a thought if it had not been brought to my attention by Neville. I would have continued to be perfectly happy with the results that I have been getting with my present set up. Wish I hadn't spent all the money on the Incra tools, it was in a way a waste of money in that I now understand that the results that I get with it are sub standard. Thanks for the information Neville, I sure do admire your skill, knowledge, and willingness to share your knowledge with people like myself.

Jerry


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

I guess that it's time for some suggestions as to which plane I need to buy and what is the best method to use to keep the blade razor sharp. I have looked at the "Scary Sharp" method for chisels, is that the best way to go.

I'm finding that now matter what subject one might get interested in that it doesn't take long to find out that almost without exception what one thinks is good equipment turn out to be less than adequate for really good work, I found this to be true in shooting, photography and now woodworking. Wonder if others have experienced this truism in their quest of thieir interests.

Jerry


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## Shortslvs (Jan 13, 2013)

My time in construction and woodworking has taught me that there are vast differences in levels of accuracy - required and desired. 

A framer accepts an eigth, trim man a dollar bill, but a furnature builder needs nearly microscopic accuracy. 

I have an incra miter gauge and love it. Will prob build a shooting board, but I know there is someone out there somewhere that thinks that level of accuracy is slipshod and we are fools to accept such inacuracy....

But I am a tool junky and I will watch the youtube video that shows the even better way and the scientific proof...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

If you want to go the shooting board route Jerry here are some suggestions.
Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement
This honing guide is considered the best on the market. Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement
To get your blades scary sharp. Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement To get close to sharp enough so that you can switch to the microfine abrasives I go with diamond hones. Even the cheap ones work well.
I also like using these. I have the Norton wheel but I'm referring mainly to the felt wheel and green honing compound which is equivalent of 8000 grit and puts a near mirror finish on the blades. Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement 

You can also go with the Lie Nielsen shooting plane but it is a lot more money and isn't rated that much better than the Lee Valley. No. 51 Shoot Board Plane
Most low angle planes are based on the Stanley 60 1/2 low angle block plane which is listed in this link but,oddly, isn't shown. There is a Lie Nielsen listed here that is much cheaper than their dedicated shooting plane. Stanley 60-1/2 Low Angle Block Plane The Lee Valley is a big improvement on the old Stanley. The Lee Valley is rated very highly by woodworking mags.


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

Shortslvs said:


> My time in construction and woodworking has taught me that there are vast differences in levels of accuracy - required and desired.
> 
> A framer accepts an eigth, trim man a dollar bill, but a furnature builder needs nearly microscopic accuracy.
> 
> ...



Fred,
Looks like we are on the same page. I've been doing some thinking since my last post to my own thread and have come to the conclusion that I need to not be so serious about my approach to what is supposed to be fun, I need to lighten up and begin to enjoy the hobby again. Life is to short to be so darned picky about things such as the level expertise that I am not capable of yet.

Jerry


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

*Cheating Miters, Odds and Ends...*

I wanted to comment on something Neville mentioned and pass on some tips...


neville9999 said:


> Even when there are two angles, one is the miter angle and the other vertical angle. So even when they are done in the best way, then they can still be a bit rough so they don't meet perfectly even when they are cramped together under pressure as they dry, then they can still look to be a bit apart when they are polished.


All true. 

A mitered joint is two sides. If one angle is off... for instance 44.5* and 45.5*, making a 90* joint... then when you mate the two, the miter with the sharpest angle will be a bit long. For instance, you line up the inside of the miters and the side with 45.5* will extend past the 44.5* side... Trim off or hit the excess with the sanding block and it will not be visual.

Another point he mentioned is joints spreading apart, because the surface is rough or not flat where they mate. A way to cheat that is to bevel away from the visually side (in hundredths of a degree), so that the visual side's joint meets with tighter joint and what is away from that will not spread that surface (the visual joint). A common trick is to put a business card under one side of a miter when you are cutting it, so you don't have to change the bevel on your cutter, but achieve it between your two pieces...

Making things with a fine surface and look polished is fine... But sometimes in joining, you don't want that. Experience shows me that sometimes a somewhat rough surface takes glue, adheres and bonds stronger than a polished surface, resulting in a stronger joint. Just saying-> "Sometimes..." For example, sometimes I will purposely _make_ a rougher surface to get a good bond with very dense hardwoods that will require epoxy's to bond. A bond is stronger gluing fibers together...

If you are making your own miter "tools," such as a miter sled or a crosscut fence... if you put your scale for the angle opposite the pivot point, furthest away from the pivot as you can... the farther you get "from" the pivot point, the more accurate it will be. Then setting a 0.001 degree may be a scale movement of 1/16" on a scale, instead of something you can't even see visually...

That may seem really picky... but those are easy ways to help get a tight joint that looks "visually" good... and to help save a loose joint.

Something along the lines of _Cherryville Chuck's_ Sigline, on-- Not that we don't make mistakes, but that we know or at least learn how to hide them. (or make them better).


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

MAFoElffen said:


> I wanted to comment on something Neville mentioned and pass on some tips...
> 
> All true.
> 
> ...


My trigonometry is a little rusty(ok a lot rusty) but I think you only need the scale to be 297+/- feet from the pivot point to get 0.001 degree with a 1/16th on the scale, if my math is correct! Assuming of course, you can keep the fence straight.

Sorry Mike, couldn't resist. 

On that note... Happy new year!


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I think the best shooting board design is the one with two fences that are set to each other with an accurate framing square. Even if it isn't a perfect 45, one side is guaranteed to be the compliment of the other and as Mike said a little touch up will correct the difference in miter lengths. Also as Mike said, if I'm doing moldings in a house where the corners are often not 90* the first thing I do is carve away some of the wood you won't see and then it makes it easy to fix the fit with chisel, utility knife, or sanding block. I've also used the trick where you shim the piece up off the saw table a bit to change the vertical angle very slightly. 

I have some new miter blades I got from Onsrud and the cut looks like it has been planed. I haven't done any picture frame joints with them yet but I'm confident that they will fit together just fine without needing a shooting board.

One other comment that Mike made reminded me of a tool I have . This is totally off topic but some may find it worthwhile. I bought a thickness gauge for my planer years ago that uses the principle of moving the measuring scale away from the pivot to increase accuracy. Despite its crudeness it is deadly accurate. I've compared it to a caliper and they are the same. I bought mine for $5 at a woodworking show and it is a tool I wouldn't be without anymore. I keep it clamped around one of my planer posts so it is always handy. Thickness Gauge


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Dmeadows said:


> My trigonometry is a little rusty(ok a lot rusty) but I think you only need the scale to be 297+/- feet from the pivot point to get 0.001 degree with a 1/16th on the scale, if my math is correct! Assuming of course, you can keep the fence straight.
> 
> Sorry Mike, couldn't resist.
> 
> On that note... Happy new year!


LOL! Darn decimals anyways! Yes, that would be around 298.4 feet. (was trying to make a point. without really double-checking the reference...)

But moving 1/16" out at 35.8" from a pivot point (36" or longer crosscut fence) would be 0.1 degree.


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

Ah, what's a few decimals among friends?

Anyway you point is very valid and 36" is doable. Oh, no! I see another project in the making...


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## neville9999 (Jul 22, 2010)

Jerry Bowen said:


> Neville just confirmed what I first made reference to and that is that you absolutely cannot get a perfect joint by using a saw blade and that the only way to do so is to use the shooting block. This is what I thought that he said and coming from him I have to believe him as the photos of his finished projects attest to his knowledge of the subject. I guess that the purchase of my first hand plane in order now along with the construction of the shooting block or board if I want to the perfection that Neville is aluding to.
> 
> I would have never given all of this a thought if it had not been brought to my attention by Neville. I would have continued to be perfectly happy with the results that I have been getting with my present set up. Wish I hadn't spent all the money on the Incra tools, it was in a way a waste of money in that I now understand that the results that I get with it are sub standard. Thanks for the information Neville, I sure do admire your skill, knowledge, and willingness to share your knowledge with people like myself.
> 
> Jerry


Jerry I can't do it just now but I will read all of this tread closely, just later on, you have to try to remember that in years gone by then wood turning was done with a pole lathe and a strong leg, steam bending was done by the Egyptians and they used very simple methods, veneer sheets were cut by hand, I am all in favor of buying equipment that makes a job easier, if you have to work for it, if you have a commercial use for it, I don't want to pick on the Incra tools as I have never seen them closely and these days I don't want to criticize how anyone spends their money as it is theirs to do what they want with it but I have used some very high quality saws and you don't get a perfect miter cut with them and that all is down to blade vibration, blade sharpness, the number of teeth and the resin build up on the teeth so I always shoot the miters when I good join is needed, all I say about buying tools is that you should be sure that you have to work to justify the expense or this all becomes a very expensive hobby where you have cabinets and shelves and wall racks full of gadgets that don't get used that often. I will be making new shooting blocks for the Jewelry Cases and I will post the whole story line, it will be a few weeks as I am not that well but I agree with you about the benefits that the members will get from seeing the full process in making these cases, I will come back onto the thread after I have read it all more closely. Neville


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## cagenuts (May 8, 2010)

Jerry, one thing you haven't perhaps considered is that a shooting board is used to _finish_ a cut, not make it. What this transpires to is that if one doesn't have a terribly accurate table saw fence, just make the cut a hair longer than needed and then shoot to final size.

This would even apply to deadly accurately cut miters using the Incra gauge.

Another thing you could consider is to purchase the Veritas Shooting Sander. It's only $29 or so and the paper is fairly cheap ($0.50 per block).


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

cagenuts said:


> Jerry, one thing you haven't perhaps considered is that a shooting board is used to _finish_ a cut, not make it. What this transpires to is that if one doesn't have a terribly accurate table saw fence, just make the cut a hair longer than needed and then shoot to final size.
> 
> This would even apply to deadly accurately cut miters using the Incra gauge.
> 
> Another thing you could consider is to purchase the Veritas Shooting Sander. It's only $29 or so and the paper is fairly cheap ($0.50 per block).


Hilton,
I did not think of the shooting block beint used to make the cut. My thinking may well be short of that required to understands such things as are being discussed here. First of all a 45 degree cut is a 45 degree cut rather done on a saw or finished up to 45 on aht shooting block. The assumption that you can't get a perfect 45 on a saw also applies to the shooting block. What makes us think that a shooting block is easier to create that makes a cut a true 45 than is calibrating the Incra gauge to do so too. Both take careful calibration and are both subject to error of not done correctly. Am I missing something? Look lik3 you need the Incra to make the shooting block in the first place or at least a way to cut accurate 45s to create the shooting block.


Jerry

Jerry


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> If you want to go the shooting board route Jerry here are some suggestions.
> Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement
> This honing guide is considered the best on the market. Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement
> To get your blades scary sharp. Lee Valley Tools - Important Announcement To get close to sharp enough so that you can switch to the microfine abrasives I go with diamond hones. Even the cheap ones work well.
> ...


Charles,
I found your post in which you suggested the plane and sharpening method; alwo, when I really wanted to, I found out how to find a specific thread on the forum. Also, for the first time, I looked at your profile, it's to bad that you are so short on really good tools. Joking of course, I am very impressed with your shop, good for you.

I think that, fo now at least, I will not fret over the shooting block concept, my present level of accuracy for mitering is meeting my needs just fine, but who knows what the future demands will be.

Jerry


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## Jerry Bowen (Jun 25, 2011)

While I have decided to give up the idea of building a shooting block, I still have not heard from anybody as to how to make one in regard to how to cut a perfect 45 or 90 degree part to be used the top of the board. Since the part has to be perfect and it is implied that you can't cut one on a saw, then how do you make the cut to start with. I'm probably not going to get an answer because the answer is so simple that nobody wants to embarrass me by telling, ......or, just maybe, just maybe, the answer is not so simple, kind of like which came first the chicken or the egg. You need a shooting board in order to make a shooting board that is really super accurate.

Jerry


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