Looking For Some Advice

Wow, a lot of good advice. It'll take a bit to get through it all. I performed a thorough setup of the table saw before I put it into service but it's been awhile so I'll begin by going through that process again.

Stick, I also ordered the Veritas® Poly-Gauge from Lee Valley Tools. That should help me set up my 22.5 degree angles more precisely. Thanks for the link. I'll also be checking out my miter gauge as you suggested.

Harry, I would really like to use a chamfer bit but I'm still a bit concerned using it on the small 1" corner pieces. Even trying to hold those small irregular shaped pieces in a small-parts holder seems unsafe.

Herb, you said, "Remember that a Machinist makes things that fit every time, and wood worker MAKES things fit." That's so true. I had the opportunity to work in the Astronomy Department's machine shop while attending college and I was always so impressed with how precise I could make things even as a rank amateur. Exactness is more challenging with wood.

yur shooting board...
do not use MDF... over time thinks and hardware holding power will fail...
use a LA plane w/ it because of the end grain...
make sure there is no sawdust build up against the fence...
trim one end of every piece...
set a stop block to control length to maintain lengths...
use your clamp to hold the piece... more fool proof..
I like this style...

chuckgray said:

Thanks again Stick. I didn't know what an LA plane was and my first google attempt tried put me on a plane to Los Angeles. Then I tried LA Wood Plane and found out it stands for low angle. I'm almost afraid to ask you for a reasonably priced recommendation because you seem to deal in only the highest quality stuff. But I'll give it a try. Can you recommend a reasonably priced LA plane such as the least expensive one that you would still recommend?

Click to expand...

not so.. best value and what will be in service decades from now 8is what I prefer......
I never think w/ my wallet but I don't loose sight of it either....
but I do like my Veritas...
there's lots of choices... nothing wrong w/ a Stanley, Record or a Woodriver V3 (version #3)... V1 and 2 leave a lot to be desired...
stay away from Asian and Mexican manufacture.. Leave the sweethearts by Stanley alone too...
up grade the iron...
Blades - Lee Valley Tools
a jack or smoother will work nicely for a shooting board.. I think a block plane is a tad short in the nose for this job...

make sure the sole is flat...
make sure the sole is square to the sides..
make sure the adjustment work solidly w/o slop..
put the plane up against something solid and push hard... if the plane has points that dig into yur hand.. pass on it...

and before I forget...
get yourself a set of 30/60/45 drafting squares... small and large...


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Wood River V3. I have several and they are very good with only minor tuning on the three I have so far. I like Veritas, of course or Lie Nielson, but they are above my pay grade, (I do have a veritas router plane that is sweet!) The iron (blade) must be flattened carefully

I am something of a precision nut, but so far I have not yet successfully produced a shooting board that met my standard. Paul Sellers shows how to do it with hand tools on YouTube (It pops right up on search). But you're also going to have to figure out how to work with odd angles 22.5 for example, on short pieces.

I do like the idea of having two miter gauges, one for each side of the blade, but you're going to have to be very careful on setting angles relative to the blade. But that will set you back more than the miter trimmer.

So I'm back to the router and a jig to carry the short pieces so you can keep your hands and fingers. Precision is the dilemma on miter joints, expecially with6 or 8 joints, not just four.

Which helps explain why custom picture frames are hudreds of dollars.

My 25 cents. - D.R. Tom