Popular Woodworking 2006-06 № 155, страница 46

Shooting Boards

A shooting board is a shop-made fixture that supports both the plane and the workpiece. The shooting board has two stop s; one supports the workpiece while the second stop rests against the front edge of the bench.

You can also construct shooting boards for miters but they really only work well for planing flat stock. Because I mostly miter mouldings, I find it easier to plane the mitered surface freehand. I place the moulding in the vise and use a small, low-angle block plane to remove a shaving or two from the end-grain surface of the miter before fitting the parts.

Holding Work For Sawing

Sawing dovetails is precise work; you'll get the best results if you keep the stock from flexing as you push and pull the saw. Therefore, it's best to keep the workpiece close to the jaws of the vise. As I mentioned earlier, I'll supplement the vise with a large handscrew clamp when sawing wide boards.

To accurately saw the shoulders of a tenon I use a bench hook. The bench hook is a simple bench accessory that is invaluable when sawing and planing tenons. Like the shooting board, the bench hook has two stops: one to hold the work and a second one that braces the fixture against the edge of the workbench.

Finally, consider a pair of holdfasts. These large steel hooks are incredibly useful workholding tools. They slip into round holes bored into the top of the bench and are wedged in place with a couple of blows from a mallet. To release the hooks you simply strike the back of the shaft. Holdfasts grip the work surprisingly well, they're quick and easy to use, and once you have a pair at your bench for a while you'll discover how versatile they are. PW

A shooting board can trim parts to length inacon-I trolled fashion with the assistance of a bench plane. Hold the work against the fence with one hand and push the plane with the other.

Bench hooks are constructed much like shooting boards but are used to secure work for sawing. They are remarkably accurate and safe.

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Popular Woodworking June 2006