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First scrub plane

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First scrub plane

#1

First scrub plane

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>In the past 7 or so years since I began the long slide down the Neanderthal path I have not owned or used a scrub plane. Since I also have never owned a tailed thicknesser or planer, I have relied on my tablesaw and hand planes to flatten and thickness boards. I do a lot of work in Jarrah, so you might realise just what an effort it has been to rely on a Stanley #5 1/2 as the first line of attack. The only positive is that I have arms like a gorilla.

I really don't know why it has taken me so long to make a scrub plane, but I got around to it today. I suppose the daunting part is grinding the curviture on a blade. I'm writing this because I think that there are many others with my experience.

I have had an old Swedish wooden Jack plane set aside for this very task. It has a blade 1 3/4" wide and 1/8" thick. Its mouth was too wide to use as a smoother, so I though it would be perfect for the job.

I made a template for the curve by bandsawing the end of a piece of hardwood (same width as the blade but longer) with the desired curviture. With the blade screwed to this, the template curve could pivot against the rear of my Veritas rest and the blade ground on my dry grinder. Just extend the blade as far out as you need to obtain the desired bevel angle. Once done I sharpened the rest by hand. The bevel is wide and it is an easy task. I couldn't think of any other way to do this (but no biggie as I mostly sharpen by hand).

Sharpening finished and all assembled, I tried the result on a piece of hard Jarrah. I couldn't believe just how easy it was to plane! You should just see the grin on my face.

Have a good weekend.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: First scrub plane

#2

Fun and useful, aren't they?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>My scrub plane is a Stanley No. 40, picked up at a garage sale because it was (a) there and (b) not too expensive, but as I've begun to learn its uses, I've become more and more grateful to the man who decided to sell it.

And I've since figured out that I could have made a wooden one years ago - they are, as you discovered, Derek, probably the simplest plane to do right.

Re: First scrub plane

#3

Re: Fun and useful, aren't they?

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>Good on ya Derek! Not only will you absolutely love your scrubber I'm sure that you'll take great pleasure knowing that you not only partly made this plane yourself, but also founsd a new life for a worn out plane. Talk about a win-win deal, yours can hardly be beaten!

So, do tell, c'mon, 'fess up, hw many pieces of timber did you turn into shavings while just playing? ;~)

And Derek, don't even try to wipe that silly grin off ya' face, it'll just come back when you use your scrubber again anyways. I know mine always does, and I didn't even make mine.

Todd O.

Re: First scrub plane

#4

Re: Fun and useful, aren't they?

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Todd

It's not that I have used the Scrub plane on lots of timber so far - I will admit to several planks getting the treatment in "practice" - it is just that the family are looking a little nervous right now as I have this gleam in my eye that says everything is a potential candidate for a "trim".

I was wondering whether you, or others here, had come across the plane I used. It is a typical horned beech woodie, identical to the ECE, badged "LANGESKOV, V�RKT�J). The plane is approx. 9" long, with a 1/8" thick by 1 3/4" wide blade. I radiused the blade by 1/16" at the corners, roughly a 3" radius (with aid of the template it came out perfectly - yes I know this is unnecessary, but this is a really nice looking plane, and will give much pleasure to use).

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: First scrub plane

#5

Re: Fun and useful, aren't they?

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Bill

I thought long and hard about obtaining a Stanley #40. It was all I could do not to buy one (another tool!!) but I read the posts on Badger Pond (on CD) and there were many who preferred a wood over a steel Scrub plane. While the #40 (and the LN version as well) were well-received, for many the wood plane was lighter and less-fatiguing in use. The ideal seemed to be an ECE or ECE-type (horned Euro woodie). These also came with much thicker blades than the Stanley #3, which was another candidate for conversion owing to the narrower blade.

Of course, I still eye a #40. After all it is another tool!

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: First scrub plane

#6

Re: Fun and useful, aren't they? *LINK*

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>If I hadn't found mine at a bottom-feeder price, I'd probably eventually have made one - as I discovered when making my butt hinge mortise plane, making a woodie is very simple when you don't care about the mouth opening.


Will he ever stop mentioning this plane?

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