Posted by
Easy WoodCraft on
Dec 5, 2016
A scrub plane (also known as a roughing plane) is another one of those planes that you don't see around the shop very much anymore (
top photo). That's because they're designed to quickly remove a lot of wood—when thicknessing a board, for example—and this job has been taken over by the electric thickness-planer. In many cases, scrub planes were made from old, worn-out jack planes. The throat was widened to prevent jams, as the shavings were thick and rough. The blade was usually a single cutter with no cap iron (
bottom drawing).
Curved profile
What makes a scrub plane cut so aggressively is the curved or "scoop" profile ground on its business end (
middle drawing). A curved grind like this lets you quickly remove a lot of wood. What it doesn't do is leave a smooth surface. But that's irrelevant here; all that a scrub plane is supposed to do is allow you to level a surface quickly, and it does just that.
Basic use
Unlike most traditional planing, a scrub plane can be effectively used against the grain, or more commonly at a 45-degree angle. In addition to leveling surfaces, a scrub plane can also be pressed into service whenever you need to remove a lot of wood fast. The beginning cuts for scooping out a seat, a taper at the end of a work-piece, or even the beginning stages of coopering a door are all tasks that a scrub plane can handle. You can often pick one of these up at an auction or yard sale for a few dollars, or you can make your own by converting an old jack plane.
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