a sureform rasp (total waste of money 
)
I understand why you say that, but still I disagree with you. I'm not a novice bowyer myself, yet I use my Surform quite frequently. It is just a poorly designed tool; its shape gives you the false idea that you need to use the whole surface of the blade and hold it like a plane with two hands. That's not how it works best for me. Instead, I hold it in my right hand (I'm right handed...I think this technique will not work if you're left handed) and the wood in my left hand, tip on the floor. I hold the Surform at a 45 degree angle to the wood! It will only have a contact surface area of maybe four inches with the wood. I hold the Surform not on either of the two ends, but about 2" from the tip. I make long strokes and am able to create a nice and even surface of the wood. It even works on wood with irregular grain, where a plane would tear out chunks. I use it after the hatchet or draw knife, to remove the bumpy surface and bring the wood to a defined width profile, up to floor tillering. The Surform leaves small grooves in the wood, which are easily taken out with a scraper.
That being said, tools will always be a matter of preference. If you don't like a Surform, I'm sure you can find other tools that will work better for you. Not a single tool is holy and they can all be replaced by some other tool. Some people use a knife for scraping, which I really can't understand myself. I'm also not the spokeshave kinda guy. Just a matter of preference.
You can buy scales very cheap at Dealextreme.com. It comes directly from China, and might therefore take about three weeks before it is delivered (free of charge, by the way). If you need a scale quickly, Amazon is a better, but more expensive option.
