Stanley #4 rear handle issue
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- This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 7 months ago by Steve Giles.
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1 August 2016 at 8:00 am #138976
I have been restoring two Stanley #4 planes, and both have an identical problem with the rear handles (totes), which appear to be made from some kind of resin material rather than wood.
If I screw the threaded bar fully into the base plate (without the handle in place), it will still rock backwards and forwards by about 2mm (measured at the top of the bar). Additionally, the angle of the threaded bar (regardless of the 2mm variance) does not correspond exactly with the angle of the hole in the handle. This puts enough strain on the handles when the brass screw is tightened to have cracked one of them near the base.
I’m thinking that a little Araldite epoxy glue on the threaded bar will cure the rocking, and a slight reshaping of the handle’s base will relieve the strain on that.
I’m wondering if this a known problem, or am I just unlucky to have bought two planes that both suffer from it?
Thanks for any replies.
2 August 2016 at 1:55 am #138993Hello Steve,
Yep, this is a known issue, but fairly easy to remedy.
The threaded rods are usually sloppy in their fixing hole in the sole.
When the rod is tightened, the tension secures it enough to eliminate any wobble.
The angle of the rod is never exactly matched to the angle of the hole through the tote.
The whole combination flexes slightly as the rod is tightened and makes for a solid fixing.
If the angle is way out (and it usually is) unscrew the rod a turn or two at the sole end.
Leaving enough purchase to secure it, but allowing it to flex to meet the angle of the tote. Too tight at the sole (all the way in) and it will not want to deviate from that angle, stressing the tote too much.The newer-style ‘resin’ handles are expanded polystyrene. They can withstand the tension of a tightened rod. Someone may have forced yours with the rod too rigid, wrenched the brass nuts too tightly, or it wasn’t flat where the base of the tote meets the casting, creating a pressure-point.
Repair/replace the totes.
Check your tote base is flat using fine abrasive paper.
Check your sole casting where the tote sits. Flatten with abrasive paper/fine file.
Check the length of the rod and unscrew it a turn or two, allowing it to meet the tote angle.I’d avoid using glues of any kind. If it’s glued solid, you’ll have no ‘give’ in it when using it and stresses will be transmitted through to the brittle cast-iron sole – particularly if you were to knock the tote hard against something.
If you decide upon hardwood replacements, your planes will look and feel much better.
The downside is they tend to go for £12 per pair on eBay.
Wooden totes shrink slightly over time and the rod needs to be shortened 1mm-2mm.
Paul’s “Restoration of a Bench Plane” will show you it’s done.Don’t be tempted to use Brasso to polish-up your resin/polystyrene handles.
Brasso usually works well on most plastics, but it does not react well with these!
How do I know? Mine dissolved to a horrible distorted mess and wouldn’t stop melting.2 August 2016 at 12:06 pm #139000Hi Mike and thanks for the reply.
The handle on one of the planes is fine, but the other is cracked and superglue didn’t work too well on it (it cracked again when the brass screw was tightened, despite my attempts to make sure everything was properly aligned).
I think I’ll just use one plane for the time being and eventually make my own hardwood replacement handle for the other one. I’m thinking I’ll go with a laminated structure which will make proper alignment of the hole easier to achieve, and will help avoid that problem where a chunk of the handle falls off due to the grain splitting.
- This reply was modified 7 years, 8 months ago by Steve Giles.
2 August 2016 at 4:35 pm #139008Steve
Sounds like the plane was poorly machined. Is it possible to add a nylon spacer or washer to the top of the handle bolt? Maybe a washer and a star washer to keep the bolt from loosening over time. To reduce the slop in the bolt try a new bolt and maybe applying some teflon plumbers tape.4 August 2016 at 2:54 am #139072If you want to make a new handle, you can find templates here:
- This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by Peter George. Reason: Link not showing correctly
- This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by Peter George.
4 August 2016 at 10:40 am #139084Thanks for the replies.
I’m struggling along at the moment without a printer because I just moved to Bulgaria and couldn’t bring mine with me, so I’ll have to draw around the old handle rather than use the template. Some useful info there though.
Spare parts are expensive to have sent here, so I’m stuck with the parts I have. I’m still thinking the epoxy idea is the way to go, since a Stanley #4 is hardly a collector’s item. If I ever need to remove the handle bolt from the plane bottom, some heat and mole grips will probably do the job. After gluing, I’m guessing I’ll probably never have to deal with it again though.
Having got one plane working satisfactorily, I’m being quite lazy about doing the one with the cracked handle. It may be languishing for quite some time!
Steve-
I had a similiar issue, and just traced my old plane like you plane too. “Pro Tip” for this, drill the hole first in the square stock and then trace the handle with the holes lined up. It may sound harder, butI discoverd it to be much simpler than trying to drill the hole afterwards. Tried it and end up remaking the handle a second time so I could drill the hole before I shaped it.8 August 2016 at 9:04 am #139186Yes, thinking about it, that is the right way to go. I’m ashamed of myself for not thinking of that!
BTW, I started doing some serious planing with the good plane the other day, and it wasn’t long before the tote handle had worked noticeably loose. I broke out the epoxy glue and glued the ‘tote bar’ (did I just make up that name?) to the bottom plate and so far so good. I assume that the slight rocking action as the plane is used was allowing the thread to creep.
- This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by Steve Giles.
- This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by Steve Giles.
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