Replies

1. 
   Peter36 | Jun 20, 2005 03:37pm | #1

   A scrub is for rapid stock removal. It is a very small plane and will take off wood at an astonishing rate. It is also very light to help avoid fatigue. A jack with a toothed blade will remove stock quickly but nowhere near what a scrub will do. A jack is too long and will reference too great of an area, not allowing it to focus well on a high spot. So if you want to seriously dimension lumber by hand you need a scrub, there are no substitutes.        Peter

2. 
   lumberjacksson | Jun 20, 2005 05:43pm | #2

   I've got the LV scrub and have made an ankle deep layer of wood chips with it.  I'm not experienced by any means, just a junior student of the School of CStan and won't be answering your question directly.  I can say that the plane is really nice to use though, fairly inexpensive and pretty to boot.  I don't think you can go wrong for the introductory price. 

    

3. 
   CharlieD | Jun 20, 2005 08:09pm | #3

   Peter is correct. I own both a LN scub and a LN LA jack with a toothed blade. The scrub plane is amazing in the speed with which it takes off stock, and the toothed blade cannot compete.

   That said, though, the toothed blade causes no tearout. There is a place in the middle--a place where a standard jack plane is too slow (or would cause too much tearout, might as well use the scrub)--where the toothed blade makes sense. It will take a very deep cut--by regular bench plane standards--and the high spots above the grooves will shave right off with a standard blade.

   So, while kinda slow, you CAN scrub with the toothed blade. I did it for a long time. And, there are still times, when I'm near my final dimension or when the wood is knotty , that I prefer to use the toothed blade because of the lack of tearout.

   And so, alas, and as usual, the answer is: try to get both if you can. If you can't, and your main goal is scrubbing, get the scrub plane. It really IS a good price.

   Charlie

   I tell you, we are here to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different. --K Vonnegut
4. 
   Midnight | Jun 21, 2005 01:59am | #4

   I gotta agree with Peter and Charlie... for fast stock removal there's nothing can touch a scrub plane; its a brutally efficient tool... a toothing blade will rapidly refine the initial shape cut by the scrub, starting the flattening (as opposed to shaping) process. It'll leave an ideal surface for a course set jack to refine quickly...

   Mike Wallace

   Stay safe....Have fun

5. 
   roblee | Jun 21, 2005 04:33am | #5

   Hi Peter -

   Just approved the toothed blades today - we'll have them for all of our bevel-up and low angle planes (LA Jack, LA Smooth, BU Smooth, BU Jointer(coming in sept), LA Block, and Apron plane). You should see them on the website before fall (probably in 4-6 weeks).

   Cheers -

   Rob Lee

    

1. 
   papanick | Jun 21, 2005 06:21am | #6

   Rob,

   What is the "upcoming new handle design" that was alluded to in the Popular Woodworking article?

   I've noticed that the handles on new scrub and BU smoother are different from my old LA Jack and LA Smoother. (Love my new scrub by the way...)The older I get, the better I was....

1. 
   roblee | Jun 21, 2005 02:49pm | #7

   Hi -

    

   That's the change - the scrub and Bevel-up Smooth have it.

   We've added a toe at the front as a lower hand stop, removed material where the web between your forefinger and thumb would rest at the top, removed a bit more from the front of the top, and added about 1mm to the front edge middle.

   Cheers -

   Rob

    

    

    

1. 
   papanick | Jun 28, 2005 06:21pm | #12

   Rob, I meant to ask if these handles (totes) will work on the older LA Smooth and Jacks.

    I haven't taken the time to check mine yet, and I don't have any bubinga to make my own. I really find them comfortable.

   Will they be available for retrofits?The older I get, the better I was....

2. 
   Lyptus | Jun 21, 2005 03:21pm | #8

   Hi Rob,

   I am anxiously awaiting your LA Jointer.  Will it carry the same 2 1/4" width blades as the LA Jack and BU Smooth Plane?  Also- I know the BU Smooth is a pure smoother but is it really that more effective at smoothing than your LA Smooth?  What circumstances would warrant use of a BU Smooth over your LA Smooth?

   - Peter

1. 
   roblee | Jun 21, 2005 05:41pm | #9

   Hi Peter -

   Yes, the jointer will share the same blades as the Heavy Smooth, and the LA Jack (all 2 1/4")...

   Where the Bevel-up (heavy) Smooth has an advantage over the regular smooth is width, mass, and center of gravity. The LA smooth is designed as a low angle plane, and has machined sides for shooting, less mass, and has a lever cap that's part of the grip when shooting.

   The Bevel-up smooth has more mass, and is intended for working difficult grain at high effective cut angles - the "standard" blade is at 38 degrees (adding the bed angle yields a 50 degree effective cut angle) - and there's an optional 50 degree blade, for a 62 degree cut angle. As the cut angle increases, so does the effort required to push the plane. Adding mass (especially if low) gives the plane more inertia - it "continues moving at a constant speed better" (apologies to Newton).

   Cheers -

   Rob

    

    

1. 
   Lyptus | Jun 21, 2005 06:07pm | #10

   Rob,

   Thanks for the information.  I really appreciate all the direct feedback you've provided to me through list serves such as this one.  What I really want is your LA jointer, LA jack, and BU smooth.  I think that your tools are priced fairly but I'll still need to start saving for all three.  Any chance that Lee Valley will offer bulk discounts or package deals on bench planes someday soon?   Just thought I'd ask.

   Thanks again,

   Peter

    

1. 
   roblee | Jun 21, 2005 06:12pm | #11

   Hi Peter -

    

   I think that's a good bet... :)

   We have to get the Jointer in production first though! (we're milling the first ones now!)...

   We'll have an introductory special on the Jointer alone when it's ready too .....

   Cheers -

   Rob