# Squaring end grain without a shooting board.



## AESamuel (Jan 20, 2015)

Hi!

I'm making a candle holder out of Sapele at the moment and I have five 50×50x70 pieces and I would like to square up the end grain so they are square both to the sides.

I used a number 4 hand plane to square the sides, and I also have a small block plane. I have used a shooting board in the past to square up my end grain but these pieces are too big for me to do with my no.4

Can anybody tell me the best approach to squaring the end grain nice and flat without the use of a shooting board? Or should I put it on the shooting board and to one side, then flip it over and try and match the other side?

Many thanks from a newbie woodworker!


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

If you had another larger plane that has a wider blade, you would use that. a 4 1/2, 5 1/2, 6, and 7 all use blades that are around 60mm, so it would just depend on the depth of the plane track. If you had a 6mm depth for the plane track, you would be able to make it work.


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## JohnChung (Sep 20, 2012)

End grain? You have your work out soon enough. 
I checked the janka rating of Sapele looks like hardwood.

In this case…... You will need a low angle plane like a block plane and plane the end grain to the lines.
I have done this before and it works. Just slower but it works well.

Stanley #4 will not work well in this case due to the hardwood. For softwood I will use it.


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## buck_cpa (Mar 26, 2013)

do you have a miter box? that's the route I would go.


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## jumbojack (Mar 20, 2011)

Scribe a line square to the edge and plane to it. Sapele is very easy to work. Basic plane work is required, be sure to knock the far end down so you don't get tear out on the end.


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## NinjaAssassin (Sep 5, 2013)

Be sure to sharpen your iron, too. You can use a #4 on hardwood end grain and get great results. Jumbojack gave you good advice.


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## JohnChung (Sep 20, 2012)

@jumbojack what is the janka rating of Sapele?
http://ejmas.com/tin/2009tin/tinart_goldstein_0904.html Is this reference off?


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## bobro (Oct 24, 2014)

Sapele and its relatives are only about as hard as beech, a touch harder than oaks. lessee…

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/sapele/

yeah, the Janka rating of Sapele is 1410, European beech is 1450, oaks vary from about 1100-1400 (you can check all this at the wood database). But like jumbojack said, sapele is easy to work, because it's not just about hardness, but about the consistency and texture of the wood. For example, pear is significantly harder than any oak but it's a creamy dream to work with handtools, like soapstone or something.

An option to a low-angle plane is a very HIGH angle plane, like the 60-degree planes they use in China and Japan. I don't know if anyone still makes 50-60 degree Western block and jointing planes, but they're the same idea: you get a kind of scraper action with the steep pitch, and it's happy with end grain and very hard woods. I have a 60 degree traditional Chinese plane and it just laughs at end grain.

Anyway, put the board up on edge, scribe a line and plane to that as jumbojack said. The things to watch for are the dreaded dip in the middle, blowing out the ends, and sloping the whole edge so the sides/ends aren't parallel. Also, going unsquare to the face.


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## derekcohen (Jul 15, 2007)

> Hi!
> 
> I m making a candle holder out of Sapele at the moment and I have five 50×50x70 pieces and I would like to square up the end grain so they are square both to the sides.
> 
> ...


Attach a fence to the side of your plane to ensure it runs square. Make this from wood, or use a metal version from Lee Valley.

Regards from Perth

Derek


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