setting up a no.5 as virtual scrub

[Paul Chapman]

Because I don't have a planer/thicknesser and do all my timber preparation by hand, I have a few planes set up for scrub-type work. What I've found works best and most efficiently in most cases, is to use my old Record #7, on which I've opened up the mouth, with a heavily cambered blade (about 8" radius), followed by a toothed blade in the same plane, followed by finishing with my Clifton #7 with a normally honed blade and tight mouth. This gives fast results with minimum effort.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Digit]

Still sounds like hard work to me Paul!
Quite made me sweat! :lol:

Roy.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Still sounds like hard work to me Paul!
Quite made me sweat! :lol:

You need to eat more spinach

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Digit]

Eeeaah! YuuuK! I'll stay a seven stone weakling!

Roy.

 

[Modernist]

Well not deterred, but experimenting on a 4 rather than 5 as as result of comments here, I set to today to make a virtual scrubber :lol: :lol:

Since the blade was wider than the original I tried to make the maximum amount of curature so that a narrower section of the blade would be in contact with the timber. I marked a 5" radius camber on the blade and roughed down square to that on the dry grinder

I decided on a 35 degree bevel angle to strengthen the edge so rough ground a 30 deg bevel freehand on the dry grinder.

I set up the flat table tool rest on the Tormek and finished the grinding to 30 deg

A quick freehand hone was all that was needed to get a 35 deg edge as the back was already prepped from, the old set-up

My first attempt to set the cap iron was a bit too optimistic as the blade protruded too far out of the mouth, which I had set right back to gain support from the sole.

In fact I had to hang the cap over the blade to get sufficient adjustment. I should have listened to Paul's 6" radius in the first place

The next pic didn't work out but the blade only spans the centre 2/3 of the mouth to narrow the cutting width whilst having a very heavy cut.

Result!!

I think the experiment is a success although it remains to be seen how long the edge lasts. Certainly on the NBF (Northern Brown Floorboard) there was no chatter at 45 deg and it was possible to reduce the thickness at a frightening rate. I'll give it a go on hardwood next.

 

[Paul Chapman]

it remains to be seen how long the edge lasts.

Good result, Brian 8) I find that for scrub-type work the blade doesn't have to be as sharp as for finishing, so you'll probably find that you can keep on planing far longer than you would between honings for, say, finishing work.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

I've never used a scrub, but can get similar results with a wooden jack - Rob

 

[bugbear]

To get into the hollows to hit the raised parts

That can't be right!

BugBear

 

[bugbear]

I think the experiment is a success although it remains to be seen how long the edge lasts. Certainly on the NBF (Northern Brown Floorboard) there was no chatter at 45 deg and it was possible to reduce the thickness at a frightening rate. I'll give it a go on hardwood next.

I suspect the difficulty of fitting a cap-iron to a strongly cambered blade is one of the reasons that "true" scrubs have single irons. They also have thick irons, even the Stanley ones.

The commonest reason cited for turning a #5 into a scrub is the smallness of the handle area on a #4. A #5 allows the tote hand a far more comfortable grip, which is important, given the physical nature of scrubbing.

edit; I note (from the helpful picture in this thread) that the Stanley scrub, despite being small, has a very simple frog, which also allows more room for the grip than a similar size #4.

Salaman lists the "bismark" as the tool used for scrubbing in the UK, but the bismark is just an English name for a Schropphobel (german scrub plane!).

It appears that in the UK, there was simply a wide range of (what we'd know call) Jacks, with varying degrees of camber, with and without cap-irons.

There was certainly some fierce planing going on - I've seen lots of wardrobe backs with absolutely splendid parallel concave tracks!

BugBear (who converted a razee jack to a scrub)

 

[bugbear]

..scrub mode.....
could he (or someone) explain what this means - bearing in mind my newness to hand toolage - and also how you do it and what the benefits are ?....

I'd never really noticed the 'scrub' plane idea until quite recently, although it gets a mention in aunty joyce p27.

By the time Joyce was writing, scrubbing would be an anachronism.

And he wasn't writing a history.

Joyce is a wondrous reference for furniture making technique, but in quite a narrow period.

BugBear

 

[Modernist]

I suspect the difficulty of fitting a cap-iron to a strongly cambered blade is one of the reasons that "true" scrubs have single irons. They also have thick irons, even the Stanley ones.

Now you tell me you used a #5 :roll: I suppose I could slip the blade/cap assembly into either.

One other problem is that, even with the mouth set wide it is too small for very heavy cuts as the shaving binds on the front edge and/or cap iron. I am reluctant to file the mouth out forwards but I could take it our further at the rear and move the frog further back. This would also be an opportunity to refinish the rear edge to make a suitable support for the blade. It may be worth shortening the cap iron a little if I abandon reversability. I think so long as the blade rests on the sole at the rear then there is a good chance of controlling chatter.

Although the use of the scrub may have almost disappeared I intend to use it in removing major irregularities prior to surfacing sawn stock in the hope of maximising yield. It is sometimes difficult and a little dangerous to do this on the planer alone.