Scrub Plane - Too specialist?

[Chris Knight]

Colin,
Great minds and all that..

 

[Scrit]

It is good to know that i am not the only one that sees an handheld electric planer as a good idea

A comment like that might be taken a sacreledge over here. Careful now! :wink:

Scrit

 

[mr]

THe electric planer idea hadnt even occured to me but Ill certainly give it some thought. It would probably save my bench as well. Im convinced that If I let go with a scrub the bench will fall to pieces anyway. It needs some strengthening I think.

 

[Shady]

If the bench ain't tough enough, any hand planing will be a PITA.... The bench is part and parcel of effective hand planing, and it must be robust enough to cope with a good battering if you want to go that route...

 

[Colin C]

:shock: well I was shot down when I said
(muttering its my excuse and I am sticking to it [-( ) :wink:

 

[mr]

:shock: well I was shot down when I said

Not by me

If the bench ain't tough enough, any hand planing will be a PITA....

Yes My bench is fairly hefty, nice solid top but some racking has started to creep in under planing. Ive been meaning to get the top off and get the base reinforced but fighting shy cos of the weight of the top. 12 strips of 2 x 4 at 8 foot apiece its almost a two man lift.

Theres been plenty of food for thought here so thanks all once again.

 

[JesseM]

THe electric planer idea hadnt even occured to me but Ill certainly give it some thought. It would probably save my bench as well. Im convinced that If I let go with a scrub the bench will fall to pieces anyway. It needs some strengthening I think.

I recently added some crossbars on both ends of bench and it dramatically improved the racking. I just used 2x6 pine boards and some 1/4" bolts. I'm gonna build a real bench eventually, but I do not have the room at the moment. This was just a quick fix to make it somewhat usable.

 

[Scrit]

I recently added some crossbars on both ends of bench and it dramatically improved the racking. I just used 2x6 pine boards and some 1/4" bolts. I'm gonna build a real bench eventually, but I do not have the room at the moment. This was just a quick fix to make it somewhat usable.

I did a double take when I read that, thought you were about to write something like "and next week I'm adding a Shimano gear set and a bell to the handlebars....." then I realised - crossbars = braces . I must be getting tired, Time for bed.....

Scrit

 

[JesseM]

I did a double take when I read that, thought you were about to write something like "and next week I'm adding a Shimano gear set and a bell to the handlebars....." then I realised - crossbars = braces . I must be getting tired, Time for bed.....

Scrit

Braces was the word I was trying to think of I think it time for me to go to bed.

 

[bugbear]

Scrit

Braces was the word I was trying to think of I think it time for me to go to bed.[/quote]

Bracing is much easier than perfect M&T's...

http://www.geocities.com/plybench/tour.html#bench_brace

(and nailed-on sheet materials are just as good)

BugBear

 

[bugbear]

So, my 2p worth. If you aren't going for a powered thicknesser a metal scrub (let's face it, off the shelf there is a choice of two) will be a good friend to you.
Hope this helps
Philly

Any reason to categorically prefer a metal scrub over wooden?

http://www.fine-tools.com/schrup.htm

(Of course) I would recommend converting a woodie jack for overall cost/benefit (pace Scrit, I've never seen a cheap scrub in the wild)

woodie jacks are pretty common.

BugBear

 

[Colin C]

There is one more thing that has been missed, is to M&T ( without glue )and bolt together.
Its a great way of putting a base together as it just needs you to tighten the bolts put if it becomes lose and if you need to take it down, it will break down very easly.
Just my 2p

 

[mr]

Thats my current set up Colin , It may be that my bolts just need a bit of a tighten up. Though Bugbears cross braces look useful as well.

 

[Colin C]

I found with mine that I needed to do it a few times before it stopped moving, so I would try that first

 

[Philly]

BB
I have a wooden scrub. But since trying the metal ones I prefer the extra weight. Helps when hogging :lol:
Cheers
Philly

 

[Midnight]

Is a scrub plane too specialist an investment?

short answer is that if you're serious about using hand planes to do your stock prep then the first essential tool on your list should be a proper scrub plane; trying to get by with a reworked bench plane is just kidding yourself...

there's a gulf of difference in their capabilities... then again, maybe you're into watching the blade in your make believe scrub flex like a bakers spatula.. proper scrubs have a real thick iron for a reason... nuff said..??

Can the same job be done with other planes?

I've tried just about every alternative there is (with the exception of the woodie cos in this neck of the woods they aren't exactly common as muck).. Biggest waste of time n money was the hand held electric plane... within 10 mins of using it the air in the shop's so thick with dust that ya canna see what you're doing... abandoning the shop for an hour to let the stuff settle followed by a 2 hour decontamination of the entire shop is hardly an effective use of your time; wearing a mask for that kinda time gets long in a hurry.!! Once that's done, then you need to deal with the tear out the damn things leave behind which can be just as deep as the few passes they've made... frustration happens...

so... save yourelf some time and disapointment (not to mention casssh wasted on half ass'd stand ins)... buy it once, buy it properly and start some serious scrubbing...

just one word of caution... wear your safety glasses.. these things take a vicious shaving.!!

btw if you need to remove 20mm from a board to get to desired thickness, you're buying the wrong stock in the first place...

 

[MikeW]

short answer is that if you're serious about using hand planes to do your stock prep then the first essential tool on your list should be a proper scrub plane; trying to get by with a reworked bench plane is just kidding yourself...

Guess I'm not too serious about scrubbin'--I sold my proper scrub, a LN, in favor of a converted #5 1/4. Had 'em both long enough to make the decision :lol:

Questions. How long has a "scrub" plane been in existence? What did the poor souls do prior to their invention?

Take care, Mike

 

[mr]

short answer is that if you're serious about using hand planes to do your stock prep then the first essential tool on your list should be a proper scrub plane;

SNIP

btw if you need to remove 20mm from a board to get to desired thickness, you're buying the wrong stock in the first place...

I tend to agree, just a feeling, I have no knowledge hence the question in the first place. I've been thinking about the electric handheld planer and I just feel kind of uncomfortable with the idea. As I said previously, I think, I have a 17inch woodie here with a big wide mouth that I might have a go with first and see how I get on.

Re the stock, I was looking at removing about 10 mm I think though your response and Scrits earlier has convinced me that I am looking at the wrong stock as you say and that I need to rethink before placing any orders. One of the things Ive often found is that the yards arent particularly helpful with that kind of info, they obviously want to make a shilling or two, but for the likes of me (green stripe a mile wide) I suspect its all to easy to be taken advantage of a tad. Im probably over reacting but it often seems as though they just want to get off the phone, are really only interested in selling a house full of timber, or its a case of "he doesnt know what he needs who am I to tell him" - insert as appropriate. Another reason why you lot are so valuable to the loikes of me.

cheers.

 

[Midnight]

I sold my proper scrub, a LN, in favor of a converted #5 1/4.

whatever turns your crank Mike...

I'd be lost without my L-N scrub, but then I'm working with roughsawn boards.. none o yer girlie s4s for me..

just keep the O2 tanks on standby for me huh..???

 

[Midnight]

I suspect its all to easy to be taken advantage of a tad.

my 1 experience buying stick from a yard would keep the likes of Scrit chuckling for a week... you don't have monopoly on being a rookie.. trust me..

I gave them a list as long as your arm of pre dimensioned stock I wanted to buy.. they sold me a 20ft length of 8x2 and told me t get at it... first prob was that my shop's only 11 1/2 ft long...

thesedays I buy direct from a sawmill that I've invested some time in over the years.. started out buying just a couple of boards, building up experience with each transaction and subsequent project.. The last load I hauled back was a kick in the wazzoo off half a ton (most of it still in the raw damn near a year on).... The difference is that this last time I knew exactly what I wanted, what to look for (spotting lovely grain beneath a years worth of dirt accumulated while air drying aint easy) and knew that although it was gonna be expenssive, I'd be hard pushed to find better quality stock elsewhere...

Start out small (not birdfeeder small but..... **** you know what I'm saying here) learn to listen to your tools; working wood with hand tools has the benfit of teaching you how wood behaves in a way that you'll never forget... allow yourself enough latitude to make some mistakes, everybody makes em throughout every stage of a project.. stock selection and provider being one of many stages.. Don't be afraid to shop around; reputable mills and yards are exxperienced enough to know that us amature muppets will reward their patience with repeat custom and recommendations to other similar muppets with a masochistic streak...

re stock size... I can't speak for finished sizes that you can get from pre-milled stock, never bought the stuff... working with roughsawn I reckon I'm doing real well if I can get a 18mm thick stick from a 1" roughsawn board.. it might be an idea to consider resawing first if you need thinner sticks from similar board thickness...