A scrub plane is a kind of plane which can be used to
remove large amounts of wood from the surface of a piece of
lumber. By using this particular kind of plane when
woodworking you will be able to remove the cup or twist
often found in the first stages of preparing rough stock for
use. Also this particular kind of plane is a great way for
reducing the thickness of a piece of wood or a board
significantly and quickly.
The first scrub planes were often used to carry out the
first rough planing on the sawn board before the
introduction of machine planing. If you were to look closely
at antique furniture (especially on the rear and undersides)
that is pre industrial revolution you will often see they
have marks on them that have been caused by the rounded iron
blade of a scrub plane.
You will often find that a scrub plane has short soles and a
narrow but thick blade which is set in to a wide mouth on
the underside of the plane. The blade of this type of plane
will also have a deeply curved edge usually about 3 inches
in radius and is used to make deep gouging cuts into the
wood that is being prepared for use.
Generally when using a scrub plane a person will make
diagonal strokes with it across the face of the wood rather
than along the grain of the wood as you would do with most
other types of planes. Today many people will have a scrub
planer in their workshops as it is a good tool to have if
for example you are having to plane a piece of wood which is
too wide to be able to fit it through an electric thickness
planer.
Certainly most woodworker's today will still find using a
scrub plane a pleasure as it provides them with the chance
to shape irregular objects or in order for them to produce
an interesting finish to the surface of an item that they
have made. Whilst other may use the scrub plane as a way of
backing out a length of molding in order that it can be
fitted properly to an irregular shaped wall.
In order to keep you scrub plane in good working order it
needs to be maintained properly. An occasional light sanding
with a sandpaper of 400 grit or finer will keep the sole in
a good as new condition. Whilst if you own a scrub plane
with an iron body then it should be kept lightly oiled and
waxed in order to prevent it from rusting.
