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Need help on repairing plane handle

Posts

Need help on repairing plane handle

#1

Need help on repairing plane handle

Terry in Ottawa

>My #31 transitional plane is missing the top part of the rear handle. It split at the point just level with the top of the attachment rod. I'd like to repair it as my hand keeps slipping up the handle and I need the top curved part to lock my hand in place.

The damage happened a long time ago and the broken piece is long gone. I'm thinking of sawing a new surface to which I'll be able to glue (epoxy?)the new piece.

I expect to have some problems in holding the oval handle steady enough during sawing to get a nice flat and level surface. And it will be necessary to rebore the hole that allows access to the slotted end of the attachment rod.

If I can get past the sawing and boring, I expect to shape the top curve with bandsaw, files, rasps, and sandpaper.

I'm looking for suggestions or links on how to establish a good repair surface and to create the hole to accommodate the end of the attachment rod.

Thanks

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

#2

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA, gettin' soggy

>Why not plane it? YOu might need to figure out some way to cradle it in the vise so it doesn't twist, but it seems like you'd have more control and a smoother glue surface with a plane. I've got a couple of those ankle weights that are bags of sand - I'd try something like that, if you've got something similar. Possibly old mouse pads?

If I recall correctly, those handles are a North American hardwood - birch or some such - so regular white or yellow glue should work. I've used yellow glue to repair a couple of different rosewood totes with no trouble.

I've found that those trigger-type plastic-head bar clamps, the type that inch their way up the bar as you pull the trigger, work very well at holding parts of a tote together for glue-up.

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

#3

Jim DeLaney, Austintown, Ohio

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

Jim DeLaney, Austintown, Ohio

>I agree with Bill. Use a plane to get the surface to a nice flat, then glue on a matching/closely coordinating piece of wood and shape it to fit your hand.

No real need to conform to the original shape exactly. It's YOUR plane - make the tote uniquely fit your hand, or your personal taste.

Jim D.

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

#4

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

Norman (Ottawa, Ont.)

>Terry,

I've done this on a couple of transitionals myself.

I saw off the very end of the tote to make a clean, square,

flat surface. Glue a wood block to it , I used yellow glue

if I recall, maybe epoxy.. The wood I used was walnut for a dark handle, maple for a lighter handle.

I proceeded to carve the handle out after a couple of small passes

on a bandsaw...this will create the rough profile of the tip of the handle.

The hole was interesting. I recall drilling a very small pilot hole to determine where the original was, then drilling through, making

sure to have the holes match... Counter-bored the hole for the screw head also..

Good luck!

Norman

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

#5

What I do...

Bryan in Broad Ripple, IN

>As others suggest, I use a hand plane. No special jig is needed, just hold the hand plane firmly on it's side on a workbench and run the wood across the blade. It will get you a nice, flat surface. I then apply some colored epoxy to the surface, and place the replacement wood onto the epoxy.

With epoxy, you eliminate any clamping issues as epoxy doesn't like clamping pressure. Also, epoxy has excellent gap filling properties, so minor imperfections in the repair surface are corrected by the epoxy.

When the epoxy is dry, I use a coping saw or bandsaw to roughly shape the wood, and fine tune it with rasps, files, then sandpaper.

It works very well. Below is picture of a rosewood tote I repaired with a scrap of walnut.

-Bryan


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Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

#6

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

Norman (Ottawa, Ont.)

>Terry,

A photo of a repaired transitional plane handle.

For some reason, many of these old transitionals have this part of the handle broken off( weak part of the handle?). This particualar handle tip was epoxied on, filed , sanded and shaped afterwards. You need to leave clearance above the screw hole area for the blade lateral adjustment lever to operate freely. Something to consider while creating the profile from the glued blank.

Norman


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Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

#7

Here you go... *LINK*

Scott Burr in really rainy Ben Lomond,CA

>This should give you some ideas...Look towards to bottom of the aritcle.

Good luck!


Bob's article

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

#8

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

Steve Mackay

>Terry ; Norman has got it going on ! ! ! Be REALLY carefull with the hole ! Just a thought though . . . this is the time, the only one, when you can add embelishments, curly cues, and an extra " after market "horn"" to the handle. Glue on an extra large block and use your Dremel after the band saw. In a hundred years it'll be worth the national debt !

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

#9

Re: Need help on repairing plane handle

paul womack

>I'm looking for suggestions or links on how to establish a good repair surface

Gluing surfaces are best planed, if possible.

There are 2 ways I know to plane a tiny surface (e.g. the top of a tote :-) the problem (of course) is that balancing alarge heavy tool on a small surface is difficult going on impossible.

1) Hold the tote in your face vise, with around 1/2" projecting. Set the HEEL of your longest plane (e.g. #7) on a 1/2" piece of scrap, so that the blade is just engaging the workpice. Use small movements of the plane. The plane is now sitting on the scrap and tote, which can be a good distance apart, giving a good reference surface.

2) Use a shooting board. Since the tote is a funny shape, you'll need to mount it on a piece of scrap so that the surface you want to work is presented at the correct angle.

Having made a glueing surface on your tote, fix on a fresh piece of timber; the rest of the work is simple carving.

Oh - to centre the hole, simply drill though from the bottom using the existing hole as a guide; then use the small hole to centre up the larger drill coming the other way.

BugBear

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