I got a little emotional watching this video - I’ve just sat through four different shooting board videos that all require table saws. If I had a table saw or a jointer, I wouldn’t need a shooting board!! Thank you for remembering those of us who only have hand tools!
I gotta say i appreciate you Rex! You’re not out here selling plans or tool for butt loads of money only rich Festool owners can afford! I watch your videos more than any other woodworker on UA-cam. Thanks for hookin us poor folk up
Before you cut off a bolt to shorten it, thread a nut onto it first. After you cut and file the end of the bolt, screw the nut off. It will clean up any damage to the threads, and it's much easier than trying to put one on after it's been cut. ;-)
Its hard to find channels out there that are not actively or passively pushing to buy myriads of tools. It can be overwhelming for a complete neophyte like me. I really appreciate your dedication to teach a way to do woodworking with hand tools. With all your videos on how to set up different tool I came to appreciate the ammount of work it takes to set up shop. Sure, we can just throw money at expensive power tools or industrial machinery but it doesnt make us good woodworker. I know have a solid foundation to set up my little shop. Slowly, step by step. Huge thanks!
I’ve seen plenty of shooting board videos that immediately require a table saw that’s perfectly square and level. Realistically a person that needs a shooting board probably does not have the ability to true up edges with machinery. This video is very good that offers tips that I have not seen elsewhere such as using melamine and chamfering the bottom for dust channels. Thank you so much.
James' sound quality and lack of echo, combined with his soft, warm voice is like honey in my ears. I think I will watch a little bit more on his channel... But first let me lock that door.
Whenever you cut off a threaded rod, you should keep a nut on it. When you finish cutting, you can take off the nut, and it will un foul the thread, if it's messed.
I love the way you answered comments you knew were going to be made as part of the video. And the interaction between you and Wood by Wright is fun to watch. Well Done!
I love both of you guys ain't too many good and funny and two Woodworkers out there and you guys are both excellent teachers and I appreciate what you do
Tip: if you don't have, or can't be bothered with, epoxy, clear silicone is a great adhesive. It will stick anything to anything, it's simple to use, and not messy. It works the best with flat, smooth, surfaces. The flatter, and smoother, the stronger the bond. It would be perfect for bonding melamine to plywood, and would also work to adhere the hardware to the underside of your shooting board. It is a flexible bond, so it never becomes brittle and fail, and allows the material that you're gluing to expand and contract. And, it's often possible to take the joint apart at some later time. (the flatter, and smoother, your two pieces are, the less likely they will come apart - like gluing glass to glass - good luck getting that apart)
I built Rex's shooting board. Fun build and use it often. Well worth investing the time as after that your work on projects gets much easier when assembly occurs
I’ve looked at a ton of shooting board designs until I read Chris Schwarz’s 2012 article today: “A Shooting Board for a Simpleton”, and it really was like a good and much needed clip ‘round the head. Glue two pieces of plywood together, screw a cleat to the bottom, stick a 90º fence on it, done. If the fence gets out of square, take a shoulder plane and plane it back into square. If you don’t have a shoulder plane (I don’t), stick some sandpaper on a straight piece of wood and sand the fence back into square. That’s it, done.
Thank you. Your demo at about 9:00 minute mark explained something which most other videos omitted. That cleared up a question I always had wondering why the planer isn't cutting into the shooting board itself.
One of my favorite things about hand tool work is that you don't need a different jig for every little operation. For a fixed fence shooting board I like to use a brad nailer to pin down the fence so that it doesn't slip like when using clamps or screws. Love the magnets idea. Thanks for the video
FINALLY! This is the video I’ve been looking for. I’m just getting into woodworking, and starting with only hand tools. I realized quickly that I needed a shooting board but all of the damn plans or guides I found talked about building with a table saw. It felt like to get started with the ~$200 of simple hand tools I’ve got I only needed another $1000 of tools and 3 bench or jig builds to even get to a shooting board! I’m can already tell that this hobby will eventually take me (happily) for thousands of dollars in tools and materials, but it shouldn’t require that to get started
I FINALLY made one! I just stopped at the point where it was done. I can always finish with the adjustable later - it's good and square already. I just need sharper tools now! Onto the actual project I was making now before I realized how out-of-square my cut actually were. Thanks @Rex !
Hi Rex Only recently in the past 1-2 years starting more hand tool work I did need to be economical not only in my initial hand tool purchases but also with supplies. Having saved "old", but near perfect condition melamine bookshelves "just in case", was the perfect body for my shooting board idea I picked up from often seeing you use these. It definitely isn't as structurally resilient or strong as decent quality plywood but its smooth flat surface seemed just right. Only using scraps of what I had available I really liked the idea you had for adding a permanent backer fence to a replaceable one. Instead of hardwood; however, I used a leftover piece of PVC brick molding for the backer and a scrap piece of oak flooring for the replaceable fence secured by both wedge fit and screws through a sliding slot but horizontally through the moveable to backer fence. The brick molding seems to be more weather stable than anything less dense than higher quality hardwood. This set up does seem to allow for re-smoothing the end grain part of the fence and shimming the oak fence of need be, which is easily replaceable. However, any suggestions for reducing chip out on the back of the oak end grain fencing? Perhaps it is the grain orientation of the oak or is this just typical of oak to be a bit "chippy"? Similarly finding I was often not keeping the sole of my shooting plane (#62 Stanley S.H. low angle jack plane) well positioned along the edge for shooting, a fairly simple recent upgrade I found helpful was to add a parallel short fence near the outer that keeps the body of the plane engaged against the inner plywood top shooting edge. Though only a small Patron, thank you for all the inspiration you provide.
Rex, I just discovered your channel and binged a bunch of the videos relevant to me (my interests don't include restoring hand planes picked up auto shows). I gotta say, it's refreshing to see a shop that isn't chock full of Woodpeckers squares and Festool domino joiners (not that I don't admire those things) that were no doubt provided paying sponsors. And while you obviously cater to the budget-minded hobbyist, I also appreciate when you advocate for spending the money when it's necessary, i.e., the Sawstop table saw. I'll be building my "dream" shop next year (still less than 600 s.f.) and plan to splurge for the Sawstop and a few other "buy once, cry once" tools. But I'll also be incorporating a lot of your ideas for building a bench, solid work holding, and things like your shooting board. Looking forward to more of your videos.
I really enjoyed this collaboration between two of my favorite You Tubers! When I saw the notifications for these two videos come up one right after the other, I thought, "What a delightful coincidence!". Then I was really happy when I realized that it wasn't just a coincidence. Keep them coming!
Given how these two first 'mixed'... I'm nothing short of inspired at how they have both made something so mutually, and communally, beneficial out of it. Well done, gents. I hereby award you 250 internet points, each.
I have been watching a few videos on shooting boards. Many are great and easy to make, and yes 99.9% is 90deg. But yours is definitely the most entertaining. You have a great personality. I could see you doing a PBS woodworking show. You have such a clear and easy way of explaining things that anyone could get it. Now James has a face for radio, lol, but his immense woodworking knowledge is awesome! Excellent video! Bravo!
Oh my god, all the humorous side-eye and shade at James. That's hilarious. At 16:56, with the "any idiot" joke, I actually half-expected the punchline to immediately be followed by a reprise of the "Rex Figures It Out" intro animation/tune. (Or maybe just enough of it so the audience knows what you're doing and then cut it short, but that might just be all the This Old Tony I've seen talking,) That you broke and laughed at the joke yourself instead was also pretty good, though.
Gosh I totally didn't expect a guest appearance and I immediately paused the video to look behind me! That was a great surprise. Looking forward to learn more from your videos :)
Hi Rex, hi everyone! Jack here in the UK. Just bought my first plane - an Irwin Record no 5 from Amazon. As I don't have a table saw and predominantly use hand tools I think this should be my next project. Wish me luck! 😀👍
Hi rex, I hope you actually read the comments. I just whanted to say tnx. I just finished my first 'real' wood working project, a combination of a work banch/table for me/my 4 year old girl. It's an ugly little thing but functional, I built it mostly with out any power tools or any thing half decent. I was your wood working for humens series that made me believe it was possible. So TNX
Great video! I really enjoy the videos from you and from James. You both share a wealth of knowledge and keep woodworking attainable. You each have your odd, but relatable, sense of humor.
I have gone for a different approach, Rex. However, I have taken on board some of your ideas. My board is primarily based on Paul Sellers' design with two wedges one for 90 and one for 45 degrees. It is made of 18mm hardwood ply I had left over. The first idea I took on from you is not from this video but from your mistake on the fish marker guage. I need a left handed shooting board! The second is a variation on your design for supporting the back of the work. I know work will be 2 × 18 =36 mm above the bench. So I decided that if I stuck two sheets together and cut my wedges out of that they would be rather thicker than I need for shooting but whatever work i am doing, one or other of them will be spare and can be used to support the far end of my work. Two other observations: Paul uses a router plane to get his recesses to depth. I just cut out one layer of ply at a time to get to a depth I was satisfied with. If I thought the ply was coming apart when I didn't want it to I used a cheap artist's paintbrush to put some 10 minute behind it. put a weight on it, wiped any squeeze out from it with a damp paper towel and made myself a coffee whist it dried. Then a piece of sandpaper on a piece of scrap wood enabled me to clean it up. The other one is that you are quite right, it is easy to end up with the recess not accurately at 90 or 45 degrees. I know, because I got one wrong but I used a file to true it up and because it is based on a wedge I just sacrificed a little more of it when preparing it. So I am not for a moment suggesting my skills are in any way a match for yours or James' but I am simply sharing my solution to the same problem in case others find it helpful. Now all I need as somewhere big enough to store it all. Can you do a video on how to build a big blue box with the words "Police" and "Telephone" on it please? PS Cutting plywood with a Japanese style dovetail saw gave me no tearout and didn't take particularly long even when I had to make cuts about six feet long on the other project.
So much fun when you and James get together as well as providing options. Love your question about a seven sided box. Still think you and your newbie need to do a collaboration with James and Sarah.
I love it! You are two of my favorite UA-cam Handtool Educators! The video where you showed James using a 4 foot piece of sandpaper on the floor (I think it was to grind a tool) and you said "You have got to be ***** me!" was the funniest thing. I think of that moment every time you mention James. Keep collaborating! Rex, I really like this shooting board. I think it is the type I will make after hemming and hawing with other peoples' designs. It is an honor to be a Patron for you both. (Come on people, support them!)
Love your videos! If you can't make it perfectly accurate, make it adjustable. Also a small tip for cutting bolts, you can thread a nut onto it before cutting it with the hacksaw. Then after the cut the jagged burred threads on the end are smoothed out as you unscrew the nut. You can also thread two nylon locknuts onto the bolt to make a simple guide for the hacksaw blade to get a straight cut :)
Great to see you guys together running a competition aaah joint venture 😉 Your channel and the one of James are in my top 5 for a good while now. I love your pragmatic handworking style.
Thanks guys! I had been holding off building a shooting board because I couldn’t decide on a design. This is excellent and answers a lot of my questions, as your videos so often do. 👍🏼
An old machinist's trick to getting functional threads after cutting a bolt down: Take a nut and run it all the way up, or take two to make a jam nut, then back them off to clean the threads. I prefer the second, as it gives me something to clamp to that is solid, and won't ruin the threads, or my vices or clamps. Of course, you might occasionally need a file, but I've rarely found that to be the case, so long as I don't make a disaster of the cut.
Ill be the first to admit i know nothing about building a shooting board, hence why I'm here, but i typically use melamine to construct molds for my epoxy projects. It doesn't form a strong bond and i can easily de-mold. With that being said, I think I'm going to hold off on the epoxy and maybe add an extra screw or 2. Thanks for the content.
I saw a tip when shortening a bolt. You put a nut on the bolt, cut the bolt, then take the nut off. As you take the nut off, it dresses the cut end back to true. Now I've never done it, so I don't know how well it works...and it probably doesn't fix the burr. But, it's been in my head as something to try.
Awesome video. Just spent some time making a shooting board yesterday. It came out great, I stuck with a basic board for now and will eventually get to an adjustable one. Works great and since I never checked before hand, it showed me my thrift store bought hand plane is not square! haha. Never thought to check the side I just made sure it had the parts and a blade I could sharpen.
11:56, very helpful to run a nut down the thread before cutting, as a general rule. Running it back off can straighten errant burrs. Terrific ideas and instructional, Rex! Making it all accessible, way to go! Edit: acknowledged that many before me in this thread have pointed this out, as I now see; some with superb enhancements!
looks great, I need to make one of these. no matter the subject you always manage to make videos that keep my attention. I always am happy to see a new video on your channel, keep up the amazing work!
Recently discovered my old shooting board was badly out of true. Bought the plans and built one from rex's design. Works great. The second adjustable fence makes it so easy to true up. A bit of a 'duh' moment. Annoyed I didn't think of it myself. Thanks for the tip!
Hey wait! It’s Rex and James in another, a second, video together in one day?!? How cool is that. Two of the best hand tool woodworking boys on the YTube. Well done gentlemen - again.
I expect that others have mentioned this also, but another good way to fix/repair the threads at the end of a cut bolt is to thread on one or more nuts BEFORE you start cutting. Then cut and file and try to 'fix' the end. THEN, unscrew the nuts. They will true up that last thread or two, and "unpeel" any bits of metal that you want to remove. Then maybe one more quick cleanup with a fine file.
Nice vid. Will try some of that out. Here in the UK we speak to our besties like that all the time...change that, that level of bants is for people you "sort of know". Besties get much worse abuse. Keep up the good work.
Rex, I don't understand why MDF is not the go-to material for shooting boards - it's more accurately manufactured for equal thickness and surface flatness than ply or melamine bits of old Ikea furniture, and it's cheap. Oh, thought the other guy was quite good too, believe he makes his own shoes out of wood - how cool is that!
Hallo Rex ich bin Kevin, du bist wirklich sympathisch, und danke für die Idee um mit der Handsäge gerade zu schneiden, ich selbst schaffe mit den wenigen einfachen handwerkzeuge die ich habe danke für die Idee! Kevin aus Deutschland 👍👍👍👍👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Bells and whistles, man, bells and whistles." :D :D Ok, plans ordered for this and some other stuff. Hmm now I gotta clear some junk out just so's I'll have space to store all these cool jigs and fixtures and stuff :D
Just got your plans and I can't wait to make this shooting board. It's going to be great for more than my hand tool work. I have an old hand-me-down miter saw that is a bit out of square and it's driven me batty more than a few times with its less than perfect cuts. A well-crafted shooting board should help with that and be less expensive than a new miter saw! =)
When you cut down a bolt to fit, put a few nuts on above the cut before you trim it. When you unscrew them, you will help correct any damage to the thread.
I bit the bullet and built one--or at least one "very inspired" by Rex's version (his has a couple features mine does not). Haven't done a project in a few years and have zero hand-woodworking infrastructure (specifically no bench!). I bought a particleboard shelf at big-box store (2'x1'). Plastic laminated surface is great to slide plane on. Epoxied/screwed a 1/2" birch plywood layer on top of that. Actually had to buy a few small hardwood blocks for the fence (that's how non-existent my wood shop is--don't even have a scrap pile). All in, maybe $15-20. Following Rex's video, paid specific attention to making sure the fence was square with the plane. How did it work? Well.... It did work, basically. It didn't "flow" as smoothly as Rex's. Getting it set up by planing down the initial track was harder than I expected. Nibbling away at the 2 fences was a bit bumpy. Pulled my blade in for a shallower cut--that helped but still not easy. While the results were square it wasn't a super-smooth end cut. Part of that might be because I was testing with a cheap big-box pine stick, and these seem to be tailor-made to tear out. My plane is the one good tool I own: a Lie-Nielsen low-angle jack plane. Usually cuts those UA-cam-worthy full-length shavings like butter, however it is possible all the testing may have taken the edge off a bit. Will re-sharpen and see how that goes. Finally, user-error/learning is a part. It actually isn't as easy as just running the plane up and down the board! You have maybe 1/32" "slot" between plane bottom and where the blade cuts (depending on depth of cut). You need to maneuver your stock into that 1/32" window. Stick it out just a wee bit too far and your plane body crashes into it when you try to shoot. Not far enough and--well, you don't cut anything. I think this is a matter of practicing and getting to know your own tool and how to feed the stock properly. At this point, my bandsaw gave me a smoother cut and was about as square, so that made me a little disappointed, but not so disappointed I won't try tweaking/tuning my board until I learn how to use it better and can get better results. Photos at this link. Oh--and I'm a lefty so I made mine left-handed. imgur.com/a/QKSaRNq UPDATE: I sharpened the blade of my plane-nerve-wracking, as its the first time I’ve tried it, and freehand too! A huge difference it made! Edge is now glass smooth. Board fence may need a paper-thin shim, but I’m very happy with this result. Moral of the story: always present your best edge to endgrain.
Lol... too friggin' funny. And useful, thanks, I discovered you recently and love your stuff. And best of all, I live in Maine, where we have endless flea markets and it's old tool heaven in this state.
Nothing is 'perfectly square'- everything has tolerances. Much of engineering is understanding tolerances and what is suitable for a particular use. Many woodworkers rashly refer to perfection, when they are using wood, a natural product that moves, expands and contracts with both temperature and moisture, and does so in a non-linear manner. Be at one with your material- you may be 'precise', you may be 'accurate', you will never be perfect.
I used scrap piece of laminate flooring as base to slide plane on, slick surface and tough, and free in my case. Really like the adjustable fence with hardware, gonna modify mine like that.
Love the collaboration and the different view points. I watch and thoroughly enjoy both of your videos. Maybe some more collabs in the future - since the pandemic is 'over' :)
Thanks for another awesome video Rex. I just went out to your store and bought the plans. Looking forward to building the RexBoard. Also intrigued by James' board, but will start with the simpler one. Like you guys said, vast majority of work done with that.
Good info! I just built my first shooting board last week (used a table saw). I also needed to shoot miters for some small box projects. It makes me want to get a low angle jack. Shooting end grain oak is harder than I imagined! I thought I would use my nice (and square) #Veritas 4.5, but it is just too awkward to hold and too short. My #7 seemed too big but my #5 works well. I spent about an hour getting my 45 degree angle tuned in and realizing I had to mess with the blade angle to make up for the side of the #5 being a few degrees out of square with the sole.
I really appreciate how you thank your patrons, channel members, and viewers in a way that doesn't sound like you're tired of doing it and just saying it to get it done! I listen to a podcast and the narrator thanks his customers in a way that sounds like one really big long word: "... Andallofoursubscribersatmybusinessname.comwedefinitelyappreciateeachandeveryoneofyou!"🙂
I got a little emotional watching this video - I’ve just sat through four different shooting board videos that all require table saws. If I had a table saw or a jointer, I wouldn’t need a shooting board!! Thank you for remembering those of us who only have hand tools!
I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Just today I was working on an even simpler and more traditional design. Look for that video in about 2 weeks!
@@RexKrueger I can’t wait!!!
I gotta say i appreciate you Rex! You’re not out here selling plans or tool for butt loads of money only rich Festool owners can afford! I watch your videos more than any other woodworker on UA-cam. Thanks for hookin us poor folk up
Before you cut off a bolt to shorten it, thread a nut onto it first. After you cut and file the end of the bolt, screw the nut off. It will clean up any damage to the threads, and it's much easier than trying to put one on after it's been cut. ;-)
Its hard to find channels out there that are not actively or passively pushing to buy myriads of tools. It can be overwhelming for a complete neophyte like me.
I really appreciate your dedication to teach a way to do woodworking with hand tools. With all your videos on how to set up different tool I came to appreciate the ammount of work it takes to set up shop. Sure, we can just throw money at expensive power tools or industrial machinery but it doesnt make us good woodworker.
I know have a solid foundation to set up my little shop. Slowly, step by step.
Huge thanks!
This dude is the Alton Brown of woodworking. Can't get enough!
Glad you explained that the plane blade only cuts a bit into the shooting board and then stops, that had me confused until now. Thank you !
I’ve seen plenty of shooting board videos that immediately require a table saw that’s perfectly square and level. Realistically a person that needs a shooting board probably does not have the ability to true up edges with machinery. This video is very good that offers tips that I have not seen elsewhere such as using melamine and chamfering the bottom for dust channels. Thank you so much.
James' sound quality and lack of echo, combined with his soft, warm voice is like honey in my ears.
I think I will watch a little bit more on his channel... But first let me lock that door.
Oh MY... 😆
Whenever you cut off a threaded rod, you should keep a nut on it. When you finish cutting, you can take off the nut, and it will un foul the thread, if it's messed.
Wow, good tip
That's actually genius. Thanks for that tip. I'll store that one in the ol noggin for a rainy day.
I love the way you answered comments you knew were going to be made as part of the video.
And the interaction between you and Wood by Wright is fun to watch.
Well Done!
I would seal the edge of the melamine, otherwise it could swell up if any water or moisture gets into it. Great projects James and Rex!
I love both of you guys ain't too many good and funny and two Woodworkers out there and you guys are both excellent teachers and I appreciate what you do
Tip: if you don't have, or can't be bothered with, epoxy, clear silicone is a great adhesive. It will stick anything to anything, it's simple to use, and not messy. It works the best with flat, smooth, surfaces. The flatter, and smoother, the stronger the bond. It would be perfect for bonding melamine to plywood, and would also work to adhere the hardware to the underside of your shooting board. It is a flexible bond, so it never becomes brittle and fail, and allows the material that you're gluing to expand and contract. And, it's often possible to take the joint apart at some later time. (the flatter, and smoother, your two pieces are, the less likely they will come apart - like gluing glass to glass - good luck getting that apart)
I built Rex's shooting board. Fun build and use it often. Well worth investing the time as after that your work on projects gets much easier when assembly occurs
This is the best shooting board video on UA-cam. Hands down.
I’ve looked at a ton of shooting board designs until I read Chris Schwarz’s 2012 article today: “A Shooting Board for a Simpleton”, and it really was like a good and much needed clip ‘round the head. Glue two pieces of plywood together, screw a cleat to the bottom, stick a 90º fence on it, done. If the fence gets out of square, take a shoulder plane and plane it back into square. If you don’t have a shoulder plane (I don’t), stick some sandpaper on a straight piece of wood and sand the fence back into square. That’s it, done.
Thank you. Your demo at about 9:00 minute mark explained something which most other videos omitted. That cleared up a question I always had wondering why the planer isn't cutting into the shooting board itself.
One of my favorite things about hand tool work is that you don't need a different jig for every little operation.
For a fixed fence shooting board I like to use a brad nailer to pin down the fence so that it doesn't slip like when using clamps or screws. Love the magnets idea. Thanks for the video
This was the fourth shooting board I made... and the first one that does what it's supposed to! So hurrah for His Rexness!
FINALLY! This is the video I’ve been looking for. I’m just getting into woodworking, and starting with only hand tools. I realized quickly that I needed a shooting board but all of the damn plans or guides I found talked about building with a table saw. It felt like to get started with the ~$200 of simple hand tools I’ve got I only needed another $1000 of tools and 3 bench or jig builds to even get to a shooting board! I’m can already tell that this hobby will eventually take me (happily) for thousands of dollars in tools and materials, but it shouldn’t require that to get started
Remember Rex has made a shooting board suitable for a right-handed worker. You can make yours for a leftie if need be.
Thank you! This is not the first shooting board video I see, but I still learned something.
I FINALLY made one! I just stopped at the point where it was done. I can always finish with the adjustable later - it's good and square already. I just need sharper tools now! Onto the actual project I was making now before I realized how out-of-square my cut actually were. Thanks @Rex !
Hi Rex
Only recently in the past 1-2 years starting more hand tool work I did need to be economical not only in my initial hand tool purchases but also with supplies. Having saved "old", but near perfect condition melamine bookshelves "just in case", was the perfect body for my shooting board idea I picked up from often seeing you use these. It definitely isn't as structurally resilient or strong as decent quality plywood but its smooth flat surface seemed just right. Only using scraps of what I had available I really liked the idea you had for adding a permanent backer fence to a replaceable one. Instead of hardwood; however, I used a leftover piece of PVC brick molding for the backer and a scrap piece of oak flooring for the replaceable fence secured by both wedge fit and screws through a sliding slot but horizontally through the moveable to backer fence. The brick molding seems to be more weather stable than anything less dense than higher quality hardwood. This set up does seem to allow for re-smoothing the end grain part of the fence and shimming the oak fence of need be, which is easily replaceable.
However, any suggestions for reducing chip out on the back of the oak end grain fencing? Perhaps it is the grain orientation of the oak or is this just typical of oak to be a bit "chippy"?
Similarly finding I was often not keeping the sole of my shooting plane (#62 Stanley S.H. low angle jack plane) well positioned along the edge for shooting, a fairly simple recent upgrade I found helpful was to add a parallel short fence near the outer that keeps the body of the plane engaged against the inner plywood top shooting edge.
Though only a small Patron, thank you for all the inspiration you provide.
Rex, I just discovered your channel and binged a bunch of the videos relevant to me (my interests don't include restoring hand planes picked up auto shows). I gotta say, it's refreshing to see a shop that isn't chock full of Woodpeckers squares and Festool domino joiners (not that I don't admire those things) that were no doubt provided paying sponsors. And while you obviously cater to the budget-minded hobbyist, I also appreciate when you advocate for spending the money when it's necessary, i.e., the Sawstop table saw. I'll be building my "dream" shop next year (still less than 600 s.f.) and plan to splurge for the Sawstop and a few other "buy once, cry once" tools. But I'll also be incorporating a lot of your ideas for building a bench, solid work holding, and things like your shooting board. Looking forward to more of your videos.
It's nice to see two great entertaining and skilled craftsmen collaborating together. That's a lot of knowledge on one screen.
I really enjoyed this collaboration between two of my favorite You Tubers! When I saw the notifications for these two videos come up one right after the other, I thought, "What a delightful coincidence!". Then I was really happy when I realized that it wasn't just a coincidence. Keep them coming!
Given how these two first 'mixed'... I'm nothing short of inspired at how they have both made something so mutually, and communally, beneficial out of it. Well done, gents. I hereby award you 250 internet points, each.
I have been watching a few videos on shooting boards. Many are great and easy to make, and yes 99.9% is 90deg.
But yours is definitely the most entertaining. You have a great personality. I could see you doing a PBS woodworking show. You have such a clear and easy way of explaining things that anyone could get it.
Now James has a face for radio, lol, but his immense woodworking knowledge is awesome!
Excellent video! Bravo!
This channel is one of the best learning sources I have ever seen. I genuinely thank you.
Oh my god, all the humorous side-eye and shade at James. That's hilarious.
At 16:56, with the "any idiot" joke, I actually half-expected the punchline to immediately be followed by a reprise of the "Rex Figures It Out" intro animation/tune. (Or maybe just enough of it so the audience knows what you're doing and then cut it short, but that might just be all the This Old Tony I've seen talking,) That you broke and laughed at the joke yourself instead was also pretty good, though.
You guys rock the funniest woodworker in UA-cam
Gosh I totally didn't expect a guest appearance and I immediately paused the video to look behind me! That was a great surprise. Looking forward to learn more from your videos :)
Hi Rex, hi everyone! Jack here in the UK. Just bought my first plane - an Irwin Record no 5 from Amazon. As I don't have a table saw and predominantly use hand tools I think this should be my next project. Wish me luck! 😀👍
Hi rex,
I hope you actually read the comments.
I just whanted to say tnx.
I just finished my first 'real' wood working project, a combination of a work banch/table for me/my 4 year old girl.
It's an ugly little thing but functional, I built it mostly with out any power tools or any thing half decent.
I was your wood working for humens series that made me believe it was possible.
So TNX
You're really, really welcome! Go make more stuff!
I will, that's the who'll point of the bench, slowly work my way up.
(sorry 'bout my English I'm not a native speaker)
Great video! I really enjoy the videos from you and from James. You both share a wealth of knowledge and keep woodworking attainable. You each have your odd, but relatable, sense of humor.
Definitely my 2 go to woodwork and entertainment people, love the collab!
I have gone for a different approach, Rex. However, I have taken on board some of your ideas.
My board is primarily based on Paul Sellers' design with two wedges one for 90 and one for 45 degrees. It is made of 18mm hardwood ply I had left over.
The first idea I took on from you is not from this video but from your mistake on the fish marker guage. I need a left handed shooting board!
The second is a variation on your design for supporting the back of the work. I know work will be 2 × 18 =36 mm above the bench. So I decided that if I stuck two sheets together and cut my wedges out of that they would be rather thicker than I need for shooting but whatever work i am doing, one or other of them will be spare and can be used to support the far end of my work.
Two other observations: Paul uses a router plane to get his recesses to depth. I just cut out one layer of ply at a time to get to a depth I was satisfied with. If I thought the ply was coming apart when I didn't want it to I used a cheap artist's paintbrush to put some 10 minute behind it. put a weight on it, wiped any squeeze out from it with a damp paper towel and made myself a coffee whist it dried.
Then a piece of sandpaper on a piece of scrap wood enabled me to clean it up.
The other one is that you are quite right, it is easy to end up with the recess not accurately at 90 or 45 degrees. I know, because I got one wrong but I used a file to true it up and because it is based on a wedge I just sacrificed a little more of it when preparing it.
So I am not for a moment suggesting my skills are in any way a match for yours or James' but I am simply sharing my solution to the same problem in case others find it helpful.
Now all I need as somewhere big enough to store it all. Can you do a video on how to build a big blue box with the words "Police" and "Telephone" on it please?
PS Cutting plywood with a Japanese style dovetail saw gave me no tearout and didn't take particularly long even when I had to make cuts about six feet long on the other project.
So much fun when you and James get together as well as providing options. Love your question about a seven sided box. Still think you and your newbie need to do a collaboration with James and Sarah.
I love it! You are two of my favorite UA-cam Handtool Educators! The video where you showed James using a 4 foot piece of sandpaper on the floor (I think it was to grind a tool) and you said "You have got to be ***** me!" was the funniest thing. I think of that moment every time you mention James. Keep collaborating! Rex, I really like this shooting board. I think it is the type I will make after hemming and hawing with other peoples' designs. It is an honor to be a Patron for you both. (Come on people, support them!)
Love your videos! If you can't make it perfectly accurate, make it adjustable. Also a small tip for cutting bolts, you can thread a nut onto it before cutting it with the hacksaw. Then after the cut the jagged burred threads on the end are smoothed out as you unscrew the nut. You can also thread two nylon locknuts onto the bolt to make a simple guide for the hacksaw blade to get a straight cut :)
Great to see you guys together running a competition aaah joint venture 😉
Your channel and the one of James are in my top 5 for a good while now. I love your pragmatic handworking style.
James wright popping in at first was awesome. I laughed out loud at this one. Loved it guys.
Thanks guys! I had been holding off building a shooting board because I couldn’t decide on a design. This is excellent and answers a lot of my questions, as your videos so often do. 👍🏼
An old machinist's trick to getting functional threads after cutting a bolt down: Take a nut and run it all the way up, or take two to make a jam nut, then back them off to clean the threads. I prefer the second, as it gives me something to clamp to that is solid, and won't ruin the threads, or my vices or clamps. Of course, you might occasionally need a file, but I've rarely found that to be the case, so long as I don't make a disaster of the cut.
Ill be the first to admit i know nothing about building a shooting board, hence why I'm here, but i typically use melamine to construct molds for my epoxy projects. It doesn't form a strong bond and i can easily de-mold. With that being said, I think I'm going to hold off on the epoxy and maybe add an extra screw or 2. Thanks for the content.
For low friction regardless of the material on the lower board waxing or applying low friction tape works great 👍
When I’m ready, THIS is the one I’ll make!
You know what would be great? a "everything about card scrapers" video :D
Two of my favorite woodworking gurus at the same time. What more could you ask for? Thanks guys.
I saw a tip when shortening a bolt. You put a nut on the bolt, cut the bolt, then take the nut off. As you take the nut off, it dresses the cut end back to true.
Now I've never done it, so I don't know how well it works...and it probably doesn't fix the burr. But, it's been in my head as something to try.
I will try that. Seems like using a threading die instead of the nut would work even better. Great tip!!!
Yes, nut helps. Best to have a threading die. It really cleans up damaged threads.
I've done it many times, and it does indeed clean up the threads. It's always good to chamfer the end anyway with a file.
That's a great tip! Thanks!
@@RexKrueger Take a triangle needle file and cut a notch across the thread of the nut, this will deburr and cheaper than using a die
Awesome video. Just spent some time making a shooting board yesterday. It came out great, I stuck with a basic board for now and will eventually get to an adjustable one. Works great and since I never checked before hand, it showed me my thrift store bought hand plane is not square! haha. Never thought to check the side I just made sure it had the parts and a blade I could sharpen.
11:56, very helpful to run a nut down the thread before cutting, as a general rule. Running it back off can straighten errant burrs. Terrific ideas and instructional, Rex! Making it all accessible, way to go!
Edit: acknowledged that many before me in this thread have pointed this out, as I now see; some with superb enhancements!
Thats a rad project. Love the magnet attachment. Very clean.
I greatly enjoyed the project, and the collaboration was very enjoyable. Yes, I watch both of you...
That entire intro had a very "but wait, there's more!" feel to it. Love it. :-)
You finally got me! After all this time, you're my first Patreon sub.
looks great, I need to make one of these. no matter the subject you always manage to make videos that keep my attention. I always am happy to see a new video on your channel, keep up the amazing work!
Thank you for explaining the running in....I had always wondered about that.
Recently discovered my old shooting board was badly out of true. Bought the plans and built one from rex's design. Works great. The second adjustable fence makes it so easy to true up. A bit of a 'duh' moment. Annoyed I didn't think of it myself. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you for the simple approach to an advanced build
Hey wait! It’s Rex and James in another, a second, video together in one day?!? How cool is that. Two of the best hand tool woodworking boys on the YTube. Well done gentlemen - again.
This was an excellent instructional video. You are an exceptional teacher. Thank you so much.
I expect that others have mentioned this also, but another good way to fix/repair the threads at the end of a cut bolt is to thread on one or more nuts BEFORE you start cutting. Then cut and file and try to 'fix' the end. THEN, unscrew the nuts. They will true up that last thread or two, and "unpeel" any bits of metal that you want to remove. Then maybe one more quick cleanup with a fine file.
I have my shooting board and it sucks 😂
This video inspired me to do a replacement 💪
You can do it! It's not that hard.
i feel like it would be much better if you just made it out of metal. Seems easy to just bolt a speed square or something down to a board and be good.
Nice vid. Will try some of that out.
Here in the UK we speak to our besties like that all the time...change that, that level of bants is for people you "sort of know". Besties get much worse abuse.
Keep up the good work.
Rex, I don't understand why MDF is not the go-to material for shooting boards - it's more accurately manufactured for equal thickness and surface flatness than ply or melamine bits of old Ikea furniture, and it's cheap.
Oh, thought the other guy was quite good too, believe he makes his own shoes out of wood - how cool is that!
Hallo Rex ich bin Kevin, du bist wirklich sympathisch, und danke für die Idee um mit der Handsäge gerade zu schneiden, ich selbst schaffe mit den wenigen einfachen handwerkzeuge die ich habe danke für die Idee! Kevin aus Deutschland 👍👍👍👍👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Bells and whistles, man, bells and whistles." :D :D
Ok, plans ordered for this and some other stuff. Hmm now I gotta clear some junk out just so's I'll have space to store all these cool jigs and fixtures and stuff :D
The lowkey shade is perfect.
Just got your plans and I can't wait to make this shooting board. It's going to be great for more than my hand tool work. I have an old hand-me-down miter saw that is a bit out of square and it's driven me batty more than a few times with its less than perfect cuts. A well-crafted shooting board should help with that and be less expensive than a new miter saw! =)
You guys are awesome and I am learning a bunch from both of you, keep it up
Pretty cool vid and as always great and coherent information. Love the “Schick” and the cool new woodworking tips for my repertoire.
When you cut down a bolt to fit, put a few nuts on above the cut before you trim it. When you unscrew them, you will help correct any damage to the thread.
Great job Rex and James!!
Wow very cool idea with the removalbe fence on the shooting board
I didn’t mean to watch the whole episode but I’m high. Great show.
Alright now I’m subscribed. This is the stuff I dig. Thank you!
Thanks Rex, upgraded mine yesterday 👍
Just brilliant new design😊 Rex. I have a small space, will need this as beautifully proportioned to me. One small change, I'm left handed. 👍
So am I, and until reading this comment, I never even considered that the shooting board I built is set up for a right hander. Time to make a new one.
Awesome job man!! I think next it should be A tool wall build from you! I would love to see your take on it! Keep up the great work
Very Cool Rex, You and James make a good team.
Nice work guys. I enjoy both channels, pretty cool to see the collaboration....
Love the collaborating guys. Do some more!!
Playing cards make great shims. they are clean, shiny (they slide on each other nicely), and equal thickness.
Great vid - love your attention to and explanation of fine detail. Many thanks.
I bit the bullet and built one--or at least one "very inspired" by Rex's version (his has a couple features mine does not). Haven't done a project in a few years and have zero hand-woodworking infrastructure (specifically no bench!). I bought a particleboard shelf at big-box store (2'x1'). Plastic laminated surface is great to slide plane on. Epoxied/screwed a 1/2" birch plywood layer on top of that. Actually had to buy a few small hardwood blocks for the fence (that's how non-existent my wood shop is--don't even have a scrap pile). All in, maybe $15-20. Following Rex's video, paid specific attention to making sure the fence was square with the plane.
How did it work? Well.... It did work, basically. It didn't "flow" as smoothly as Rex's. Getting it set up by planing down the initial track was harder than I expected. Nibbling away at the 2 fences was a bit bumpy. Pulled my blade in for a shallower cut--that helped but still not easy. While the results were square it wasn't a super-smooth end cut. Part of that might be because I was testing with a cheap big-box pine stick, and these seem to be tailor-made to tear out. My plane is the one good tool I own: a Lie-Nielsen low-angle jack plane. Usually cuts those UA-cam-worthy full-length shavings like butter, however it is possible all the testing may have taken the edge off a bit. Will re-sharpen and see how that goes. Finally, user-error/learning is a part. It actually isn't as easy as just running the plane up and down the board! You have maybe 1/32" "slot" between plane bottom and where the blade cuts (depending on depth of cut). You need to maneuver your stock into that 1/32" window. Stick it out just a wee bit too far and your plane body crashes into it when you try to shoot. Not far enough and--well, you don't cut anything. I think this is a matter of practicing and getting to know your own tool and how to feed the stock properly.
At this point, my bandsaw gave me a smoother cut and was about as square, so that made me a little disappointed, but not so disappointed I won't try tweaking/tuning my board until I learn how to use it better and can get better results.
Photos at this link. Oh--and I'm a lefty so I made mine left-handed.
imgur.com/a/QKSaRNq
UPDATE: I sharpened the blade of my plane-nerve-wracking, as its the first time I’ve tried it, and freehand too! A huge difference it made! Edge is now glass smooth. Board fence may need a paper-thin shim, but I’m very happy with this result. Moral of the story: always present your best edge to endgrain.
Suggestion: Screw/bolt the moving fence to the fixed fence instead of the bottom so shims are fixed and doesn't move or even fall out.
Great vid! I'm just getting started in Woodworking so this tutorial has been awesome.
Sweet, Just built my first shooting board a few weeks ago.
BTW Rex, love the channel.
Pretty fantastic job, Rex!!! 😃
I need to make one as well!!!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Lol... too friggin' funny. And useful, thanks, I discovered you recently and love your stuff. And best of all, I live in Maine, where we have endless flea markets and it's old tool heaven in this state.
Nothing is 'perfectly square'- everything has tolerances. Much of engineering is understanding tolerances and what is suitable for a particular use. Many woodworkers rashly refer to perfection, when they are using wood, a natural product that moves, expands and contracts with both temperature and moisture, and does so in a non-linear manner. Be at one with your material- you may be 'precise', you may be 'accurate', you will never be perfect.
I used scrap piece of laminate flooring as base to slide plane on, slick surface and tough, and free in my case. Really like the adjustable fence with hardware, gonna modify mine like that.
Love the collaboration and the different view points. I watch and thoroughly enjoy both of your videos. Maybe some more collabs in the future - since the pandemic is 'over' :)
Excellent video, excellent collaboration!
It was time for the moste amacing woodworking chanels tho make a colaboration... love it.
I am thankfull for the angle shooting shootingbord.
Thanks for another awesome video Rex. I just went out to your store and bought the plans. Looking forward to building the RexBoard. Also intrigued by James' board, but will start with the simpler one. Like you guys said, vast majority of work done with that.
Good info! I just built my first shooting board last week (used a table saw). I also needed to shoot miters for some small box projects. It makes me want to get a low angle jack. Shooting end grain oak is harder than I imagined!
I thought I would use my nice (and square) #Veritas 4.5, but it is just too awkward to hold and too short. My #7 seemed too big but my #5 works well. I spent about an hour getting my 45 degree angle tuned in and realizing I had to mess with the blade angle to make up for the side of the #5 being a few degrees out of square with the sole.
I really appreciate how you thank your patrons, channel members, and viewers in a way that doesn't sound like you're tired of doing it and just saying it to get it done! I listen to a podcast and the narrator thanks his customers in a way that sounds like one really big long word: "... Andallofoursubscribersatmybusinessname.comwedefinitelyappreciateeachandeveryoneofyou!"🙂