Turn Any Hand Plane into a Shooting Star!

Like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, a recent issue of FWW (#252) brought together two of my favorite things. I love FWW’s tool reviews, and I’m smitten with Veritas for the innovative ways in which their tool designs solve age-old woodworking challenges.

Chris Gochnour’s review of the Veritas Miter Plane had me rapt. That little plane looks like a winner to me, and Gochnour’s review did nothing to dissuade me. I was about to pull out my credit card but then thought, “Wait a tick. I shoot everything with my smoother, all my shooting boards are broken in with that one plane, and truly, how hard could it be to put a horn on a plane?” After about an hour in the shop, I had my answer. It’s not hard at all!

 I grabbed a 1” thick chunk of walnut from the scrap bin and jointed an edge smooth- the one that will contact the plane. I drew a horn shape on the side and roughed it out on the bandsaw. I drilled a recess for a ¼-20 screw head, then a ¼” hole through the thickest part using the drill press for accuracy. I bolted my rough horn to a piece of scrap for shaping. I used rasps, but a spindle sander would work too. I shaped the horn to fit my hand and to fit the plane. I located the horn on the plane by holding the plane in my hand as I would if shooting a board, then slipping the horn into the pocket formed by my thumb and forefinger. I inserted a ¼” drill bit into the hole and when I liked the feeling where the horn was located on the plane, I gave the bit a light tap to mark the mounting hole on the plane. Fortunately , the ideal location for the mounting hole on my plane did not interfere with the machine divots. At the drill press, I drilled a 13/64” hole on the mark. Then I chucked a ¼ tap in the drill press and by hand (not turning on the drill press), I started the threads. Using the drill press ensures the tapping starts vertical. I finished tapping the hole by hand.

This little horn not only makes my plane more comfortable when shooting, but more accurate too. See, without the horn I tended to involuntarily wrap my fingers around the lever cap for security. Gripping the lever cap can cause the iron to shift side-to-side on the bed and spoil the cut. The shift may be unperceivable until two parts are joined. Now the majority of my grip on the plane stays away from the adjustable tidbits and my iron is less likely to shift out of true.

In less than an hour, this sweet little addition to my smoothing plane was functional. I spent a little extra time sanding and then shot it with some aerosol shellac so it would look nice in pictures. Even with the lipstick I was done in under an hour and a half. This is a simple, fast and effective way to hotrod your favorite shooting plane. All credit to Veritas- what a terrific idea! Thanks for everything you guys do for the woodworking community!