DIY scrub plane - which of my planes should I use

[Luis Reyes]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to make a scrub plane and I have a few planes I don't use that I found at garage sales before I knew what I was looking for. Does it matter which one I use as a scrub plane? I may also dedicate one to be a shooting plane of some sort

I have the following:

A blue stanley #4 (From what I've read the $5 i spent was probably too much for this!)
Craftsman #4 (millers falls type 5): This one seems to work fine so I'm inclined to keep it as a user.
Rapier #4 (have not enjoyed using this one)
Unknown #5 body with a Woden iron (which is bent at the top but seems to work ok when I use it)

Does it matter which of the above I use for a scrub plane? I'm thinking of using the #5 as a shooting plane because of the longer sole but also open to other ideas here!

Thanks

Luis

[steven c newman]

I use a Great Neck Corsair C-5 as a scrub plane....it is a #5 size...and takes less work/effort to get the job done...than say a #3 or #4 sized plane...

other's mileage may vary....

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I converted a Made in England Stanley #4 into a scrub. I’m sure it’s not as good as a dedicated scrub but works for my needs. Whichever you use, be sure to file the mouth open toward the toe. If you use the #5 as a shooting plane, make sure the sole is dead flat and the sides are square to the sole

[Richard Coers]

A scrub plane needs a wide mouth to handle the size of the curls. You may have to grind out the opening, so use the cheapest ugly one.

[steven c newman]

Corsair C-5 Scrub Jack, side view.JPG
The C-5 Scrub Plane...
Cosair C-5 Scrub Jack, bevel.JPG
Cambered iron...BIG mouth ( didn't need opened any further)
Cosair C-5 Scrub Jack, front.JPG
1/2" shorter than a normal Stanley #5....and a bit lighter..
Cost me a whopping $6 several years ago....
Scrub plane in use.JPG
and, at work...

[Jim Koepke]

Many things to consider Luis.

Do you come across a lot of rough cut lumber?

For light scrub work, a plane with a standard blade can work across the grain. My #6 is often used in this manner.

Look at the specs on the #40 & #40-1/2 > http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan5.htm#num40 < The larger of the two is not much bigger than a #4 with a narrower blade.

Taking a thicker shaving is facilitated by the camber on a narrow blade. Taking a full width shaving at that thickness would take some Popeye sized arms (and a lot of spinich).

The main accuracy required with a scrub plane is to not go beyond your mark for stock thickness.

Any plane that isn't very good for a smoothing plane can be a good candidate for a scrub plane as long as the frog and the blade can be held steady.

My first user scrub plane was made from a beat up #5-1/4 acquired in a bad ebay deal. Since then an actual #40 scrub plane came my way and a not so good #5 type 17 was converted to use as a scrub plane. My #5-1/2 has even done a little scrub work.

Three Scrubs.jpg

Take your pick! They can all do the job but the smaller, ligher planes are easier to work with as a scrub plane.

jtk

[Tony Shea]

I personally don't often need a scrub plane. I own a Veritas Scrub but rarely need it. I came across the Veritas #6 on the seconds sale that Lee Valley runs and have converted that plane to a Fore plane. It has a heavy camber to the iron and is used for flattening wide rough sawn boards. I like the size of the #6 as it does a good job at flattening. Having said that I also have a couple vintage Stanley #5's that I use when boards are really wonky. The smaller plane is easier to use at high pace and you can concentrate the work where needed.

[Jim Koepke]

Some time was spent in the shop today. My current project is being done in poplar. One piece is rough with saw cuts and has some twist. This is a natural job for a scrub plane.

First one end had the worst part of the twist:

#5 Scrub Plane.jpg

The high area was taken down with a #5 converted to a scrub plane. Notice the shim under the left corner of the work piece.

The board was checked over the length to get an idea of the high and low spots along with the twist:

Checking for Wind.jpg

A #40 was used after the #5 did the heavy lifting:

#40 Scrub Plane.jpg

After a bit of work with a #6 the board was checked again:

Checking with Sticks.jpg

If you are going to work rough wood with scrub planes or even wood that is surfaced at a mill, a set of winding sticks can come in handy. They can be two straight sticks from the scrap bin or they are easy to make.

The two sticks do not have to be the same height. At the angle of the image the sighting can be done from the top of the closest stick to the bottom of the far stick. The important part is the sticks have parallel edges.

jtk

[Rafael Herrera]

Hunt for a 15"-17" wooden body plane and set it up with as much camber as seems good for your needs. Using it and comparing it with a metal plane, you may end up preferring the wooden plane. Weight and sole friction are big factors against a metal scrub plane.

[Rob Luter]

I use a Stanley #5 I found at an antique mall. I backed the frog up so the cutter bedding surface was flush with the sole bedding surface and that gave me ample mouth opening. I put a nice camber on the blade and voila. While not as aggressive as a purpose built scrub like a #40 or #40 1/2 it still works pretty well. I've heard a #4 works well too.

[Jason Buresh]

One option I didn't see suggested was to get a separate iron to convert to a scrub iron as well. If you don't want to modify one of your existing planes you can always pick up a spare iron on eBay or elsewhere and grind a camber on it.

Of course if you have a no 5 with a bent iron that is probably the one I would go with. I have a no 5 set up as a scrub and I prefer the extra weight.

But that's all personal preference

[Roderick Gentry]

It takes about 45 minutes to make one in wood, if you have some production tools like a bandsaw, jointer planer access is nice also. Or if you just have the stock on hand. I like wooden planes for heavy roughing. Whatever imagined advantage a metal plane might have (good tools own lots of them), in roughing a woode plane is efficient for being so light, and slippery when planing. Concerns people have such as will they be able to accurately set a wedge based plane, are irrelevant in something like a roughing plane (though why a system with zero backlash should present more problems is a mystery). Good option for leaning wooden planes, if that is an objective. My wooden scrub planes are pretty much like a jack plane in format, around 14 inches, I would guess (currently away from the shop). The first one I made was based around an ECE blade I had picked up for some reason. Those are 15/16" so no need to use your wide bladed planes for one. And their plane is under 10 inches. I like more to hold only as the plane I made did not have fore and aft grips.

The main thing is to give yourself a really big mouth opening. The thing is used at 45 degrees to the board, with a curved blade, and so tear-out if not a big issue in standard use. An 1/8" opening is a good starting place. One nice thing about your metal planes is that they can be easily adjusted for larger or small openings. You are looking for shavings that might be mistaken for having come off an axe.

Nice thing about the narrow ECE blade is that it can take a beefy cut off hard maple endgrain.

[Tyler Bancroft]

I prefer a #5 with a cambered plane working across the grain or diagonally rather than a dedicated scrub. I do have the Veritas scrub, and it's handy when I need to take off a lot of wood, but for regular flattening of rough-sawn, I prefer something less aggressive. The scalloped marks left by a heavily-cambered scrub plane can take a fair bit of work to remove. Where I think the scrub plane really shines is as an alternative to a ripsaw or bandsaw for taking some width off a board – I find it very satisfying. If I have an inch to take off the width of a board, I'd rather use the scrub than fire up the bandsaw.

[Tom Bender]

I converted a #4 1/2 using an 8" radius. Never had one before, it was a life changing moment.

[Jim Koepke]

I converted a #4 1/2 using an 8" radius. Never had one before, it was a life changing moment.

Before converting a #5-1/4 into a scrub plane my feeling was one wasn't needed. Then one day with a piece of rough cut firewood it seemed like a fun diversion to turn a piece of junk plane from an ebay deal gone bad into a scrub plane. Like Tom said, "it was a life changing moment."

Chips A Flying.jpg

Since then an actual scrub plane has been purchased and a funky #5 has been converted. A very useful tool to have.

jtk