What to do after a Scrub Plane

[Bill Berklich]

So I'm generally a power guy but my power stuff is not big enough to flatten anew top. So I'm turning to hand planes. We've never had a good relationship but it been improving. I have No5 with a Scrub blade(9" radius) which works but what do I reach f to continue the flattening process? I'm sure the info is here somewhere but I seem to not be able to find the right combination of search terms. Thx

[Patrick Chase]

So I'm generally a power guy but my power stuff is not big enough to flatten anew top. So I'm turning to hand planes. We've never had a good relationship but it been improving. I have No5 with a Scrub blade(9" radius) which works but what do I reach f to continue the flattening process? I'm sure the info is here somewhere but I seem to not be able to find the right combination of search terms. Thx

You need a jointer, like a #7.

[Graham Haydon]

For a budget approach, you could drop a straighter cutting iron into your #5 and finish the process. Trust your eyes, you may also find some winding sticks and a straight edge to gauge your progress useful.

[Patrick Chase]

For a budget approach, you could drop a straighter cutting iron into your #5 and finish the process. Trust your eyes, you may also find some winding sticks and a straight edge to gauge your progress useful.

This is true. Question for the OP: How big is the top in question?

One common rule of thumb for jointing is that it's easiest if your plane is longer than half the length of the part being flattened. Obviously you can do it with a shorter plane than that, but you'll have to measure and correct (by working high spots) more often.

[Pete Taran]

Bill,

I once made a top that was thick and heavy, that couldn't be run through a planer. It was out of flat by about 1/4 as it was made up of laminated pieces of hard maple. In the end, I clamped a couple of runners on the edges of the top that were dead straight. The were about 2" down from the edge. Next, I made a sled to ride on those runners. It was basically a u-shaped affair. I screwed some strips to the edges of the sled that was just wide enough for my router base. Once complete, I put a 1" bit into the router and found a low spot in the bench and adjusted to just above that point. Then I moved the sled to the end of the bench and fired up the router. Took some time, but I methodically moved the sled 3/4 of an inch and then moved the router in the slot. I made the sled so the bit could be away from the top at the start of the cut. I did two passes, the first to get it close and a second clean up pass. It made a ton of dust but when done the top was dead flat.

At that point, I cracked out my set of planes and cleaned up the top. It was perfect when done. I could have done it with handplanes alone, but planing hard maple is no fun. You might try this approach if you have a similar amount of stock removal to complete. Just make the sled with some bracing so the weight of the router doesn't sag the sled in the middle and dish the top. I may have made it out of aluminum plate if memory serves.

Regards,

Pete

[steven c newman]

The Woodwright's Shop..Hand plane essentials....not sure what episode....Chris Schwarz and Roy Underhill go from rough to smooth.
A "Fore" plane, the the Try Plane, then the smooth plane...

Traverse, diagonals, then finally with the grain.

[lowell holmes]

You can have two irons for the same plane with one being sharpened as a scrub plane.

A scrub plane will have a radiused cutting edge.

[steven c newman]

Don't even need that...just take shallower bites than the scrub setting. Same plane ( No. 5 ) same iron, just back it back off a bit.

Scrub leaves scallops going across the grain.....by backing the iron a bit, and going at a diagonal you are cutting down the high spots on the scallops, work your way along going at a 45 degree one way, then work your way back up the board with the diagonals cutting across the first set of diagonals.. Then the longer try plane at a diagonal until you get a full-width shaving, then go with the grain. Smooth plane can then come in clean up a bit...and get all the glory...

[Jim Koepke]

So I'm generally a power guy but my power stuff is not big enough to flatten anew top. So I'm turning to hand planes. We've never had a good relationship but it been improving. I have No5 with a Scrub blade(9" radius) which works but what do I reach f to continue the flattening process? I'm sure the info is here somewhere but I seem to not be able to find the right combination of search terms. Thx

Hi Bill,

That would depend on what is available to you. If all you have is a #5, then as suggested, change out the blade to one that is a bit straighter. Like Steven said, the blade with a radius can be used to do some clean up after itself. If you do have a larger plane than the #5, it can be used with a straight or less cambered blade across the peaks left by the scrub blade. Once the straight blade plane is making continuous shavings it is time to switch to final smoothing. This could be the same #5 with a freshly honed blade taking very light shavings.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

Actually, I have a narrow iron I bought at Lowes that I put in my No. 3 and use as a scrub. I put a radius on the iron bevel.

It scrubs quite well.

[Jim Koepke]

Actually, I have a narrow iron I bought at Lowes that I put in my No. 3 and use as a scrub. I put a radius on the iron bevel.

It scrubs quite well.

A bum deal from ebay left me with two very beat up #5-1/4 planes. The better of the two was turned into a scrub plane. It uses the same blade size as a #3 and to me it is perfect for the job. One of my spare #3 size planes also on occasion does scrub work.

Back to the OP's question, after the scrub plane the next plane depends on the work. If there are a lot of scallops and peaks, then a plane that can take a thicker cut will be desired. When the shavings start to become the full length of the work piece, dial back the depth a bit.

If you are wasting away 1/4" or so to dimension a piece, then you may want to do as previously suggested and go across from the opposite angle.

jtk

[Bill Berklich]

This is true. Question for the OP: How big is the top in question?

One common rule of thumb for jointing is that it's easiest if your plane is longer than half the length of the part being flattened. Obviously you can do it with a shorter plane than that, but you'll have to measure and correct (by working high spots) more often.

Not big 28x42 easily managable with hand tool but too big for any of my power stuff unless I cut it in strips which kind of defeated the purpose of buying a single wide board

[Patrick Chase]

Not big 28x42 easily managable with hand tool but too big for any of my power stuff unless I cut it in strips which kind of defeated the purpose of buying a single wide board

If you're going to do it with hand tools then you should be able to get away with flattening with your #5. The long axis is 3x the length of that plane, which isn't bad.

Note the router sled approach that Pete mentioned, though. A long time ago I did that to shape ski cores (using profiled runners instead of straight ones) and it works very well.

[Bill Berklich]

Hi Bill,

That would depend on what is available to you. If all you have is a #5, then as suggested, change out the blade to one that is a bit straighter. Like Steven said, the blade with a radius can be used to do some clean up after itself. If you do have a larger plane than the #5, it can be used with a straight or less cambered blade across the peaks left by the scrub blade. Once the straight blade plane is making continuous shavings it is time to switch to final smoothing. This could be the same #5 with a freshly honed blade taking very light shavings.

jtk

Hmmmm I have a 3, 4, three 5s (not sure why), 6 and 7 all ground straight across. And a spare 2" with a 9"radius

[Patrick Chase]

Hmmmm I have a 3, 4, three 5s (not sure why), 6 and 7 all ground straight across. And a spare 2" with a 9"radius

Are trolling the neander forum? :-)

The 7 is basically the canonical jointer plane. It will do perfectly to flatten a piece that size after roughing.