Turn a Jack Plane into a Scrub Plane?

[Mark Kelly]

Is it possible to turn a jack plane into a scrub plane? I would think that as long as I had a wide mouth and re-ground the iron with a radius that it would come close. But, I know the iron has to be supported by the frog and wasn't sure if there is enough room of allow the mouth to be large enough.

Any thoughts?

[Joel Moskowitz]

Just camber the blade and open the mouth as wide as you can. A stock #5 isn't really a jack plane but once you do the above you create a true jack and with enough camber a scrub -although a shorter plane might be better for inital scrubbing.
My #5 is setup exactly like above.

[Mark Kelly]

Since I don't have a grinder, is it possible to camber the iron on low grit sandpaper? If not, I may be able to take the iron to a friend to regrind it.

[Joel Moskowitz]

note: in my previous post I said open the mouth - what I should have said is back off the frog. There is a point past where the frog will move further back but the bevel of the iron will interfere with the body. but you should be able to open the frog pretty wide.

Note: you can also use the plane iron as a scrub AS is. just plane at 45 or more degrees against the gain - The sharp corners of the square blade will splinter out the wood but at that stage of the milling game it's not important. (just ugly and al ittle more work)

I got a $50 grinder may years ago and have never looked back. I suppose it can be done by hand but it really is worth considering getting a grinder. I hollow grind everything, makes sharpening go faster and in the cosmic range of things it's the cheapest power tool you can buy. A vari speed delta with a white wheel and a diamond dresser is I think about 70-80 bucks.

what you do is:

set the grinder rest to 90 degrees
put iron back side to the rest on the grinder.
grind in a semi-circle (just pivot the iron.
reset rest to 30 degrees.
put iron on rest back side up.
Grind hollow grind untill all the flatenss from grinding the semicircle goes away. As you get closer to being done dunk the iron frequently in water. Keep fingers on the iron as you girind. Fingers burn at 100-150 degrees. Iron burns at 400-500 so if the iron is cool enough to touch 1/2" from the edge it's usually OK.

very important: keep the wheel very well dressed.

[Roger Bell]

Such a conversion is certainly feasible as discussed and it should work after a fashion. However, if I wanted to make a scrub plane as you suggest, I would not use a #5 but would instead opt for a #3, or, much better yet, a cheap, narrow width woodie with a thick, cast steel double iron. Suitable woodies can often be found for next to nothing and I recommend them for your consideration for this particular application.

Factory planes *designed* as scrub planes (e.g. the Stanley #40 metallic or the currently produced Ece in wood), are narrow in width and short in length with big open mouths and nice thick-thick-thick irons with a long radius camber. Traditonal tools were designed as they were for pretty good reasons, me-thinks.

The objective is to take really deep, narrow, diagonal gouging cuts and to waste a considerable amount of wood before your arms turn to rubber. (Starting off with a hatchet pays off in some cases). Design features that contribute to an easier push are therefore desirable...and those that detract from an easier push are to be avoided. Scrubbing for any length of time is rather hard work and the wider the iron, the harder the push. The thinner the iron, the more chatter. (Stanley was not known as the "thin iron boys" for nothing). A longer sole (the #5 v. the #3) adds nothing especially desirable, except weight, which is good, but only for so long. Wood soles exhibit much less friction than metal, making for an far easier push. The advanced adjustment features of the Bailey pattern plane are not needed in such work.

After scrubbing, I prefer to take a heavy (cuban mahogany) wooden razee jack with a rank set iron to the work to clean up the mess before picking up a metallic plane for more accurate stock dimensioning. Once again, an easier push.

If you dont have a grinder, use a heavy double cut file to round the iron and to rough shape the bevel...then go to the stones to finish.

[Michael Campbell]

A stock #5 isn't really a jack plane...

You're saying a 5 isn't a jack plane because the (stock) blade isn't cambered enough? I'm not sure I'm buying that hypothesis.

[Tim Sproul]

I would not use a #5 but would instead opt for a #3, or, much better yet, a cheap, narrow width woodie with a thick, cast steel double iron.

I agree...

I like my scrub plane - an ECE wooden scrub - because it is light and short. Light (as in weight) is good because you use it a lot.....2 pounds versus 4 pounds may not seem like a difference...but think about how many strokes you might take in a day of roughing lumber.....a thousand? More? Then the weight starts to make a difference.

Short is good because it is easily controlled.

Remember to not get too deeply entrenched in stock removal.....it can be VERY EASY to remove too much :rolleyes: ....as if I'd ever done that :D

[Joel Moskowitz]

What is a jack plane if it isn't a plane around 13" longs, with a wide mouth and a cambered blade and is used for quick removal of stock? Stanley may have named their number 5 a jack plane but with a flat blade and a potential for a very fine mouth it can't function as a real jack plane.