How Do I Scrub plane usage

[pop-pop]

I usually use a scrub plane for the first step on rough lumber to remove enough high spots so that I can feed the board thru the planer often skipping the jointer until this week.

As a rule, I scrub-plane across the grain as suggested by many others in the past. This gets the job done quickly but sometimes leaves a rough surface.

The video suggested by Dan (@danmart77) shows Phil Lowe using his scrub plane along the grain. This leaves a fairly smooth scalloped surface.

Tuesday evening during his presentation to Triangle Woodworkers Association, Jim (@creasman) demonstrated his scrub plane usage diagonally across the grain suggesting less tearout that way.

How do others use their scrub planes and why?

 

[Mike Davis]

I use my foreplane in diagonal rows crisscrossing the board. Often I will only plane the two diagonally opposed corners where the high spots are.

 

[Graywolf]

I approach each piece of lumber individually. To me that means I only plane the areas that need to be lowered checking for twist, cupping and bow before a while I’m prepping that surface. I generally take the path of least resistance and plane in the direction that gets the task done. So with the grain, across the grain and diagonal are used to meet the demand of the task at hand. I have tried using a set pattern to plane rough lumber and end up doing extra work that could have been avoided if I only focused on the areas that need to brought down.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

Any work with a scrub plane can be considered prep work for your planer or jointer. Therefore, it doesn't have to be neat and smooth. You're just getting the board flat enough to be stable when it goes into the machinery (Mike's comment). I would follow whatever pattern that caused the least tear out. I would note which direction did this and follow it when I fed the boards into the power machinery.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

I usually use a scrub plane for the first step on rough lumber to remove enough high spots so that I can feed the board thru the planer often skipping the jointer until this week.
View attachment 242836

As a rule, I scrub-plane across the grain as suggested by many others in the past. This gets the job done quickly but sometimes leaves a rough surface.

The video suggested by Dan (@danmart77) shows Phil Lowe using his scrub plane along the grain. This leaves a fairly smooth scalloped surface.

Tuesday evening during his presentation to Triangle Woodworkers Association, Jim (@creasman) demonstrated his scrub plane usage diagonally across the grain suggesting less tearout that way.

How do others use their scrub planes and why?

I looked at the photo of your scrub plane blade and bed again. That is the most extreme curved edge plane blade I have ever seen. How wide a shaving does it cut; I'll guess about 1/4". This blade would make it easy to plane cross grain, which I do not enjoy, but it probably takes a lot of passes to remove much wood. If I need to make it easier to make passes with a hand plane, my first choice is to thin the cut, not reduce its width.

 

[Mike Davis]

I looked at the photo of your scrub plane blade and bed again. That is the most extreme curved edge plane blade I have ever seen. How wide a shaving does it cut; I'll guess about 1/4". This blade would make it easy to plane cross grain, which I do not enjoy, but it probably takes a lot of passes to remove much wood. If I need to make it easier to make passes with a hand plane, my first choice is to thin the cut, not reduce its width.

This is why Chris Schwarz says a scrub plane is not made for flattening boards. There is no such tool in old records(pre-1870s)..

The correct tool is the foreplane with an eight inch radius which will make a chip about 3/4 -1 inch wide and up to 1/8 inch thick. It is also heavier and longer to ease the job of flattening.

 

[pop-pop]

I looked at the photo of your scrub plane blade and bed again. That is the most extreme curved edge plane blade I have ever seen. How wide a shaving does it cut; I'll guess about 1/4". This blade would make it easy to plane cross grain, which I do not enjoy, but it probably takes a lot of passes to remove much wood. If I need to make it easier to make passes with a hand plane, my first choice is to thin the cut, not reduce its width.

That scrub plane is a commercial product with that curvature. European design?

 

[tvrgeek]

Diagonal, or whatever is needed to get it flat enough to be safe in the planer. My scrub is a Handan an modified by Mr. Black.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

This is why Chris Schwarz says a scrub plane is not made for flattening boards. There is no such tool in old records(pre-1870s)..

The correct tool is the foreplane with an eight inch radius which will make a chip about 3/4 -1 inch wide and up to 1/8 inch thick. It is also heavier and longer to ease the job of flattening.

Thanks Mike for this info. Can you put a # on the best foreplane size, i.e. #5, #6, #7. Thanks.

 

[Mike Davis]

Thanks Mike for this info. Can you put a # on the best foreplane size, i.e. #5, #6, #7. Thanks.

5 or 6

I use a 6 since I am not a small person.

 

[mdbuntyn]

Can you put a # on the best foreplane size, i.e. #5, #6, #7. Thanks.

There is no "best" fore plane size. Where Mike likes the #6, I prefer the #5½. Most people that I've come across prefer the #5, and some who are smaller in stature like the #5¼.

The #7 is a 22" jointer, so I can't even imagine trying to use one as a fore plane.

 

[Mike Davis]

There is no "best" fore plane size. Where Mike likes the #6, I prefer the #5½. Most people that I've come across prefer the #5, and some who are smaller in stature like the #5¼.

The #7 is a 22" jointer, so I can't even imagine trying to use one as a fore plane.

I saw someone writing about Paul Sellers (who I do not follow) using a #78 for a 'scrub'. I think that is not a good choice except for a small child, I may do something like that for my grandson. He would likely outgrow it by the time he's 10.

 

[tvrgeek]

I tried to use longer ( fore etc) as a scrub, but find the #4 to be easier. Just hitting ther high spots to make the board stable before a machine. If I was going to doo everything by hand, then I guess the longer plane would be better. Maybe that is why the traditional use was a fore?

 

[Gofor]

The most common defect I run into is twist, so I normally work the opposing corners first. I go diagonal as well as across the grain, depending on the board, but I do go with the grain initially on the edges to prevent massive tear out. After the twist is out, I then will work the ends to eliminate bowing if needed. I mainly use a no name #5 I bought off e-bay for $5. The iron is ground to 8" radius. It works much better than the Lee Valley scrub plane, which I have found unwieldy and too narrow (The only new plane I have regretted purchasing, as I don't use it.)

 

[Charlie]

The switch on my 12" jointer doesn't take much effort to use. Lol.
And I am sure I will be done sooner.

 

[mganthon]

There's a lot of good info in this thread.
I've been using a No. 5 with an 8" radius because it's what I have available. It has been doing an outstanding job as a fore plane. I typically target the corners to bring down any visible twist, then go cross-grain, diagonally, and finally lengthwise. With the 8" radius, I can take a big bite when I need to, and then back it out for a finer shaving once I'm getting close to flat.
The decision on cross-grain or diagonal really depends on the board, and I'll often combine these with skewing the plane to get an easier/smoother cut.

I've been thinking about getting a 5 1/2 to try out, with the theory being that the extra mass and width would make flattening go faster, but a No. 6 might be a good option, and easier to find as well.

 

[Mike Davis]

The switch on my 12" jointer doesn't take much effort to use. Lol.
And I am sure I will be done sooner.

Some people don't have the space nor the budget for a 12 inch jointer.

 

[mdbuntyn]

I've been thinking about getting a 5 1/2 to try out, with the theory being that the extra mass and width would make flattening go faster, but a No. 6 might be a good option, and easier to find as well.

FYI: In 1939, Stanley increased the iron size in the #5½ from 2¼" wide to 2⅜" wide (the same as the #4½, #6, & #7).

 

[ChemE75]

I’m fairly small, short arms, and use my grandfathers #6 with no issues. But then I somehow lost my dads #5, so got used to the #6. I recently got a smaller #4 for smaller tasks and like it’s size, but not really long enough for planer prep. Since I rarely plane anything over 5’, I’ve had very good results simply using a planing sled to compensate for warps and twists or use shims and a good flat board.

 

[Alex]

I have an old Stanley #6 that I picked up for a song years ago. I radiused the blade, and it works like a charm as a scrub plane. (I'm fairly tall with a long wingspan, so the #6 might not be right for everybody.) I attack the board diagonally, from 2 directions, and work with a pair of winding sticks. It leaves a scalloped surface, but that is not what I am worried about at this point - I just want it basically flat, so I can go at it with a jointer plane.

I don't do this regularly. Just when I have a board that is too wide for my 8" jointer.

Alex