Cure for the scrub plane blues

[Curtis Niedermier]

So I've been trying to win an eBay auction for a Stanley scrub plane for awhile now but I'm too cheap. Ive been using a No. 5. Apparently actual scrub planes have a lot of collector value, and I strictly bid on "usability." Since I will only use a scrub so much, I've been crying tears into my beers for awhile.

Well now I might have found a solution. The toolemera site has a digital copy of a Charles Hayward book on making woodworking tools that includes plans for a scrub plane. I've added it to my to-build list. I'm going to try to source the lumber from some ratty transitional planes and buy an iron from Lee Valley. Has anyone else built one or seen this Hayward book?

[Mike Henderson]

Wow, those Stanley #40 planes have really gone up in price. I went to eBay and looked at completed listing and was surprised at the prices they are selling for now. I bought mine some years ago and don't think I paid more than about $40 for mine.

I do like it when I need to hog off a lot of wood. I used it recently when I made a couple of pizza peels.

Mike

[Steve Voigt]

They are rare, because Stanley didn't make that many of them. Funny, you can always find LN scrub planes on ebay, because people buy them, realize that they're not the tool they wanted, and sell them. Mike R. (Logan cabinet shop) has a blog post (http://logancabinetshoppe.com/blog/2008/08/the-scrub-plane-debate/) about this. If you want to make a plane, that's cool, but you'd be better off with a jack or fore. If you're just trying to save $$ though, your best bet is to buy a woodie jack or fore on ebay. Even a nice one will cost you less than half what a scrub costs, and will work a lot better.

[Judson Green]

+1 to what Steve said

Got one as part of a deal few months back and it just sits there never tuned it never sharpened it. Get yourself another #5 and camber it well, open the mouth up. Cheaper and more versatile.

[Adam Maxwell]

Keep an eye out for a German jack with a horn, narrow blade, and gaping mouth. For the last few years, I've been hearing that a Stanley #5 with a radiused blade was just as good or better, so I didn't bother getting a scrub (the aforementioned German jack) until a few months ago. It's so much faster to work cross-grain with the scrub that it's not even funny; most of the advantage is due to the light weight and narrow blade, I believe. Mine was $15+shipping from fleabay, a far better deal than the ridiculously priced metal versions.

[Jack Curtis]

Keep an eye out for a German jack with a horn, narrow blade, and gaping mouth. For the last few years, I've been hearing that a Stanley #5 with a radiused blade was just as good or better, so I didn't bother getting a scrub (the aforementioned German jack) until a few months ago. It's so much faster to work cross-grain with the scrub that it's not even funny; most of the advantage is due to the light weight and narrow blade, I believe. Mine was $15+shipping from fleabay, a far better deal than the ridiculously priced metal versions.

+1, Adam. My first and last scrub was/is a horned European wood version, haven't a clue as to brand; but boy can I hog off the wood with it. And it was cheap, cheap, ...

[Sean Hughto]

I think folks have a lot of unstated assumptions when they talk about scrub planes as far as when and how to use them - then end up talking past each other because they are imagining different uses and methods. We need to very specific about what wood and what task was being performed before damning scrubs or exhalting fores. Thinnish boards with only minor issues do not need scrubbing, for example; it will just waste wood and cause more work to remove the scrub marks than the cup or twist would have been to remove with a jack. However, if you have an 8/4 table top slab 18 inches wide and 6 feet long with a twist or cup, a scrub is SO much faster; a cambered jack versus a scrub for this purpose is analogous to using a smoother tuned to take wispy shavings to flatten a normal board versus proceeding first with a cambered jack.

[Steven Herbin]

I have the LN Scrub and I use it most to taper table legs. It just makes the job go so fast. If I have a board which is really cupped it just makes things go faster and more easily.

[David Weaver]

At one point or another, I've had both premium scrubs. I discarded them in favor of a few jacks of various coarseness. My favorite pigging plane is a funjii japanese smoother (which is, unfortunately, NLA) that cost about $55 and is set up with enormous camber. You can still pull it when your arms are tired from pushing other planes, and you can take monstrous amounts of wood off with it and sharpen it with "regular" stones, even oilstones, because it's not as hard as a premium japanese plane - it's just a touch harder than a vintage laminated iron american plane, but with the same lovely very plain steel.

[Prashun Patel]

I'm using a LA jack with a toothed blade to thickness a couple cherry boards for a table top. It might not be as fast as a scrub, but I've been able to set it for a cut several times more aggressive than the solid blade. The nice thing is there's no tear-out on the figured cherry

[Chris Griggs]

I use my stanley 26 that has a blade with a radius of something like 16" (half as radiused as is often recommended) for 99% of my rough work, but it is nice to have something very coarse for certain things. I use a 5 1/4 with something like a 4" radiused blade on the occasion when I need a scrub plane level cut, and on those occassions I need that it is indispensable. In those instances I certainly wouldn't mind having a true scrub but I haven't been motivated enough to go out an buy one yet. I also keep a no. 5 (well actually an MF 14) setup with a totally straight blade and the chip-breaker backed off a bit that I use almost exclusively for when I want to hog down and edge. Heavily cambered blades and scrub planes in particular have been touted as being designed for hogging edges, but I don't think the camber helps anything when the blade is wider than the edge, and I end up with a much truer, though still rough, surface when I use a straight blade to hog 1/8" or so off and edge.

[george wilson]

An old wooden coffin smoother makes a decent scrub plane. Just grind a radius on the blade.

[Chris Fournier]

I think that Sean hit the nail on the head. I have a LN scrub and I would never give it up but then I use it as a scrub was intended to be used - hog lots of material quickly, usually only for spot work on large surfaces. The scrub is indispensible when you are trying to flatten a live edge slab top and no other plane will be as effective. The small footprint of the scrub makes if useful when targeting trouble zones, in and out on target. It can also leave a unique final surface finish if used carefully.

[Sean Hughto]

For example, my scrub was indispensible in flattening this natural edge maple vanity top recently:
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5499/11311476475_e51054ebcd_b.jpg

[Jim Koepke]

So I've been trying to win an eBay auction for a Stanley scrub plane for awhile now but I'm too cheap. Ive been using a No. 5. Apparently actual scrub planes have a lot of collector value, and I strictly bid on "usability." Since I will only use a scrub so much, I've been crying tears into my beers for awhile.

Well now I might have found a solution. The toolemera site has a digital copy of a Charles Hayward book on making woodworking tools that includes plans for a scrub plane. I've added it to my to-build list. I'm going to try to source the lumber from some ratty transitional planes and buy an iron from Lee Valley. Has anyone else built one or seen this Hayward book?

I downloaded the Charles Hayward book awhile ago. It is an interesting treasure trove of information.

There are many things to consider about a scrub plane. Of course first would be how much need/use one actually will have/get from a scrub.

My need is low enough that a trashed #5-1/4 does fine with a cambered blade. For me this is better than using a larger plane. It has both a weight advantage and a smaller blade for scrub work. When hogging wood the momentum advantage of a larger plane is lost.

This brings up some of the design that makes a plane a "scrub" plane. One is the blade width. On the #40 it is 1-1/4". The narrow blade allows for deeper hogging with less effort than as deep a cut with a wider blade. Before the broken #5-1/4 came to me via a bad deal on that @#%&! auction site my thought was to try a blade from a #3 in a #5. The chip breaker wouldn't reach to the edge, but when scrubbing the chip breaker doesn't need to be close to the edge.

Another factor in the design of a scrub plane is the space between the tote and the frog. On the #40 there is lots of room. This likely helps with the grip and avoiding skinned knuckles. I have a Millers Falls #9 (same size as Bailey #3) that may get a cambered blade to use as a scrub if the urge ever arises. Maybe even remove the adjuster mechanism to open up the area.

It may be the scrub plane isn't as common as so many of the other sizes because the woodworkers of the day had other ways around the need. Just like many of us have today.

Building your own plane would be a fun project and good experience. Please post pictures of your work in progress and finished if you take it on.

jtk

[Prashun Patel]

"When hogging wood the momentum advantage of a larger plane is lost."

I feel you. Hogging (for me) takes considerably more force than subsequent flattening and smoothing does. A larger plane would fry my arms. That's one of the reasons I enjoyed the toothed blade. I also found it very simple to smooth after that, since the toothed blade left a flat (not scalloped) surface.

It almost feels like grinding the wood instead of planing. I've only seriously used it on this one piece, but I'd definitely try it again; curious to hear others' who've used one.

[Christopher Charles]

Garrett Hack observed that a plane is simply a jig for a chisel. I've used a vintage Stanley #3 with a tight camber for quite awhile. Paid $30 and the only upgrade I could imagine would be to upgrade to a premium blade (which would decrease the sharpening interval, but would probably require filing the mouth). I do find a scrub to be really useful for hogging prior to a #5 with a camber.

I'd recommend finding a cheap plane with narrowish blade, grinding with tight radius and trying it out. Save your $s for other tools where precision matters.

Good luck,
C

[Jim Koepke]

It almost feels like grinding the wood instead of planing. I've only seriously used it on this one piece, but I'd definitely try it again; curious to hear others' who've used one.

Though it wasn't truly a toothing plane, my results were similar with a heavily pitted blade.

Maybe just hone a blade with scary sharp on some 60 grit a la Paul Sellers.

jtk

[David Dalzell]

I made a Krenov style scrub plane using a radiused blade from Hock. Works just fine. The only $ cost is the Hock blade. The rest is the effort of making the plane. I used purple heart wood, but any reasonably ense wood will serve.

[steven c newman]

IF you really NEED a scrub plane, and you are willing to do a little work on the iron...

Go to a Harbor freight store ( or online) and pick up a Windsor #33 plane. Should be around......$10 or so. I have one ( paid $9 + tax) and ground the edge into a 3" radius( I think, iron is a bit narrow) The plane is a #3 size. I also have a Corsair C-5 with the 8" radius. Both see some work on the reclaimed wood i bring into the shop.277570277571Just a reminder, the iron is shipped with the edge straight, one has to add the camber of choice to the edge.

[Jim Foster]

I picked up a Bailey #6 for $20 and set it up as a scrub. It worked very nicely on the Q-Sawn White Oak I flattened. Only downside was it weighs 7 lbs. I have an old Dunlop #5 I'll try as well. It only weighs 5 lbs, but it seems a little short. I would like to try a wooden one about the length of my #6, but it is not a priority.

[Jim Koepke]

I picked up a Bailey #6 for $20 and set it up as a scrub. It worked very nicely on the Q-Sawn White Oak I flattened. Only downside was it weighs 7 lbs. I have an old Dunlop #5 I'll try as well. It only weighs 5 lbs, but it seems a little short. I would like to try a wooden one about the length of my #6, but it is not a priority.

Just pondering this from a few times my #6 has been used like a scrub.

When going across a piece the #6 felt a little big but the extra width made the job a touch faster. On the other side of this is not taking as deep a cut without expending more effort.

This seems like a good place for lighter weight. A wooden body might be easier on the user during the quick back and forth movement.

jtk