DIY Scrub Plane

[Tom LaRussa]

Any reason I can't convert a Stanley #3 to this purpose? The real ones are too rich for my blood. I have a rule that I won't pay more than $1 per inch of length for a plane, plus shipping.

I've got a nice piece of 1/4" thick O-1 steel just sitting around. I figure I'll cut & grind a blade to fit the plane without the breaker, and fire it up according to the instructions provided by Garrett Hock, (on a news group, before he went commercial -- :D).

Any reasons this won't work?

P.S. I thought about using a transitional, but thanks to Bob Smalser :eek: those have gotten expensive too. ;)

[Sean Evoy]

Just my 2-cents here, but if you are willing to fashion your own iron you clearly are not a novice at making tools, so why not make the body of the scrub plane out of wood? Wooden scrubs are great; easy to adjust, light enough to use for long periods of time, and it would probably work better than a franken-smoother scrub. Compared to a woodie smoother, the tolerances on the mouth opening and sole flatness are much lower, so it would be a great first wooden plane to build.

To answer your question though, a converted smoother will work but you are adapting one design to do something it was not meant to do. Let me put it this way, with an oxy-acetalene torch, some ingenuity, and some duct tape, you could convert your family car into a dump truck; it just wouldn't function well in either role (but you could probably make a guest appearance on the Red-Green show).

Whatever you decide, please post pics of the final product! Good luck.

[Leif Hanson]

I have to agree with Sean - make your own out of wood, either in the traditional style or in a Krenov inspired style.

If not - here's a link to a fellow who made a scrub from a #3:

http://www.inthewoodshop.org/methods/wwc03w.shtml

Interesting web site, too.

[Tom LaRussa]

Just my 2-cents here, but if you are willing to fashion your own iron you clearly are not a novice at making tools,
Um... Well... Er... Experience is the best teacher, right? :D


so why not make the body of the scrub plane out of wood?
Sounds great. But first the inevitable questions:


Do you (or anyone) have any recommendations on dimensions? Does 7-10" long with a 1.25" blade sound right? (Read it someplace on the web.)
Bed angle? Does 45 degrees sound right? (That's what Knight Toolworks uses as standard on its scrubs.)
The only really hard wood I have is some scraps of 3/8" and thinner rose wood of various types that are left over from a pack I bought about 10 years ago to make jewelry boxes. Is it okay to laminate a bunch of pieces together?





Whatever you decide, please post pics of the final product! Good luck.
Will do. :)

[Bob Smalser]

You can buy a jack-sized or smoother-sized woodie on Ebay for less than 10 bucks. Auburn, Fulton, Ohio Tool....they are a dime a dozen because nobody uses them and they are too common to collect.

Just make sure it has its original thick iron with some length remaining.

Then just grind the iron convex. Most of these are worn enuf that a wide enuf mouth won't be a problem.

Scrub planes are crude tools easily cobbled together and I sure wouldn't spend a lot of money one one.

[Sean Evoy]

Tom,
I was like you about plane making (I figured it would be a real stretch), but I took a course, banged off two Krenov-style woodies in a week, and was surprised at just how easy it really is (if you are careful with your stock preparation) and how well they work. If it was me doing the plane, I'd have no problem laminating up a larger blank from smaller pieces, but I'd start with maple, or steamed beech for the body. Basically, you are looking for stable, close-grained wood that isn't too heavy and hard to work. Tropicals make beautiful, heavy planes, but the sawdust can be highly toxic, the wood is more expensive, and I feel a certain amount of concern about rainforest depletion and all that bad stuff.

Definitely go for a 45 degree bed angle; it's a good compromise, relatively simple to cut with machines if you go that route, and you aren't worried about tear-out with this kind of plane. For length, I'd probably just borrow from a proven design, like the Knight Toolworks or ECE scrub. I think you want a narrow iron so it is easier to push the plane, and one that is thick to resist deflecton. I dunno about the radius on the iron; I think you can afford to experiment until you find a radius that you like. Frankly, I doubt it makes enough of a difference to lose any sleep over that aspect of the design.

My next plane is going to be a beech coffin smoother (and I'll be using the really good instructions on Lief's site as my starting point). If you want a good primer on plane building (or saw making), I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Tom LaRussa]

You can buy a jack-sized or smoother-sized woodie on Ebay for less than 10 bucks. Auburn, Fulton, Ohio Tool....they are a dime a dozen because nobody uses them and they are too common to collect.

Just make sure it has its original thick iron with some length remaining.

Then just grind the iron convex. Most of these are worn enuf that a wide enuf mouth won't be a problem.

Scrub planes are crude tools easily cobbled together and I sure wouldn't spend a lot of money one one.
Thanks Bob,

I just happen to have a spare woodie smoother sitting in the shop with nothing to do at the moment.

Question though: Do I need to use one with the really thick, pre-chip breaker type of blade? The one I have in mind has a fairly thick blade -- compared to most stuff made today -- but it has a breaker, so it's not all that thick.