Using Shooting Boards

Last reviewed on 2026-04-24

A shooting board is a simple jig that holds a workpiece at a fixed angle while a plane trims the end of it. The plane rides on its side in a track; the workpiece rests on a platform with a fence. The jig forces the plane to move along the end of the board at exactly the angle the fence sets — usually 90° for square ends, 45° for miters. Once tuned, a shooting board lets a well-adjusted plane produce joint-ready end grain in one or two strokes.

How a Shooting Board Works

Three pieces make up the geometry:

• The base — the flat piece the whole jig sits on.
• The platform — a thinner, narrower piece glued and screwed to the base, offset to one side. The step between the base and the platform is the track where the plane runs. The width of the platform is not critical; what matters is the squareness of its front edge to the plane track.
• The fence — a small block screwed to the platform, square (or at 45°) to the front edge. The workpiece butts against the fence and overhangs the step by a hair.

With the workpiece held against the fence and overhanging slightly into the plane's path, a pass of the plane trims the end of the workpiece precisely at the fence's angle. Because the plane references the track at the bottom and the fence references the work at the top, the geometry is self-enforcing: if the fence is square, every cut is square.

Building One

1. Start with a flat piece of plywood, MDF, or hardwood for the base — 3/4 inch thick is plenty. Size it to fit your plane and typical workpieces; 18 × 12 inches is a comfortable starting point.
2. Cut a second piece the same length but narrower by about an inch or inch and a quarter — this becomes the platform. Its thickness determines the step height; 1/2 inch works for most bench planes.
3. Glue and screw the platform to the base, flush along one long edge. The other long edge of the platform — the one that overhangs the base — must be dead straight and square to the plane's track.
4. Add a fence block to the platform, square to the plane's track (or at 45° for a miter shooting board). Secure with two screws so it can be adjusted if needed.
5. Test with a scrap of known-square stock and check with a reliable try square. Adjust the fence's angle by shimming one screw until cuts come out dead square.

Using the Jig

Place the workpiece against the fence with its end overhanging the platform's edge by 1–2 mm. Hold the work firmly against the fence with your off hand. Place the plane on its side in the track, iron advanced to take a thin shaving, and push forward along the track. The plane trims the end of the work; the fence keeps the cut square.

Iterative light passes are the rule. Take a shaving, check fit or squareness, take another shaving. It is far easier to sneak up on a dimension than to recover from an over-cut.

Best Planes for Shooting

Heavy planes with low cutting angles work best. Traditional choices:

• Low-angle jack plane — Stanley No. 62 or a modern Veritas/Lie-Nielsen low-angle jack. Heavy, long, low angle: ideal.
• No. 5 or No. 5½ jack plane — standard bench planes work well on a shooting board, though not quite as effortlessly as a low-angle.
• Dedicated shooting plane — planes like the Veritas and Lie-Nielsen shooting planes have an angled iron and a heavy mass specifically for shooting. Expensive but outstanding if you do a lot of shooting.

Miter Shooting

A shooting board with a 45° fence trims miters the same way a square shooting board trims square ends. For picture frames, small boxes, and mitered mouldings, this is the only reliable way to hand-cut tight, consistent miters. Build a dedicated 45° shooting board or add a secondary 45° fence to the square one.