Glue-up for a cracked Stanley tote?

[Green Woodchips]

Hey guys.

The rear tote on my old Stanley 4 insists on cracking in the same place repeatedly.

I've tried numerous times over the last however long to get a permanent fix using PVA. But no success.

Can any of you recommend the right glue for a lasting hold?

I will, of course, clean the break properly before applying it.

Cheers,
GW

[derekcohen]

GW

Try this link:

http://www.oldtoolsshop.com/Galoots/...staff/tote.htm

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Green Woodchips]

Thanks, Derek.

I think I'll pursue that line.

Cheers,
GW

[echnidna]

Been wondering what a "tote" was.
just realised its just a handle.

[rtfarty]

GW
Check out this product. If this brand is not availiable in Aussie there should be another brand of this product.
My rear tote was broken and a friend used this product on it and it has never moved since. The good thing is that you don't have to clamp it. The bad news is that you have only seconds to get the 2 pieces lined up correctly. Mine is slightly out of line but it is not a problem when using it.
Cheers RT

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product:ph...32&sn=TREMBKIT

[rtfarty]

OOPS! Made a mistake in that web site.
Try this one.
www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php?section=5832&sn=TREMBKIT

[Iain]

I don't know how that works with wood but I made a variety of braided leaders for fly fishing using cyanacrylate to hold the braid splice.
Worked really well, kept the leaders in the dark when not in use then one day in the high country lost a thumper of a trout, well, only about 3lbs, when the joint failed.
This was about two years after making, I tried all my leaders that night and everyone broke.
It appeared that the cyanacrylate had become brittle and turned to powder and was no longer acting as an adhesive.
I don't know if this was due to immersion in water, reaction with the braid material or what, but I have never used it since.

[Mr Brush]

I think this is one of those cases where good old 'slow set' epoxy is the go - something that goes off overnight for example - combined with the clamp setup that someone else posted. I've used West System epoxies for similar wood-wood repairs, and when properly cured the repaired item will break anywhere EXCEPT at the joint when overloaded. Forget about anything 'instant', you just won't get the bond strength.

[Green Woodchips]

Well, I've gone for the old Araldite (standard edition).

We'll see how it goes.

I glued it up on Tuesday, and I'll clean it up on Saturday.

Thanks for the tips!
GW

[Dion N]

Probably a bit late now, since you've already glued up, but....

I replaced a tote for Dad's No 3. Since totes have an annoying habit of breaking across the short grain, I decided to make the tote out of two pieces. Unfortunately, the tote is at Dad's house and I don't have any pics, so I'll have to describe it.

Basically, the two pieces are joined at an angle of about 30-45? degrees to the horizontal. The joint starts at the rear of the tote base and travels across the tote at 30 degrees. The top piece is aligned so that the grain runs in the direction of the handle. The lower base piece has the grain aligned to run parallel to the sole of the plane.

[Green Woodchips]

Well, the Araldite has done okay.

I wouldn't say it's fantastic, because when I bolted it all together, the crack opened up a wee bit (and this was after 4 full days of curing).

Next time I do a planing session with it we'll find out whether or not I've solved it.

Thanks for the help and interest,
GW

[Clinton1]

I wonder if the handle is oil impregnated?
I have seen quite a few totes that look like they have had so much linseed slopped on them that they have gone black. The oil may have got into the crack/split, stopping the glue from going off as planned?

[Green Woodchips]

Hi Clinton.

The handle was given to me by a friend. It was so dry that even the borers had made a dent in it. Oil impregnation really no issue!

Good thought anyway.

GW

[Mr Brush]

A good way to improve the bond strength of the 'slow-cure' epoxies like Araldite (by that I mean the 24 hour stuff) is to cure them at a slightly elevated temperature. Obviously the temperature will depend on what materials you are working with (not much point having a strong joint if your plane tote is burned to a crisp....), but somewhere in the range 50-70 deg.C is good.

This does a couple of things

- Thins the epoxy down dramatically, so that it flows into the surfaces being joined and keys in much better

- Reduces your curing time to just a couple of hours

- Makes the cured epoxy harder and more glass-like

If your Araldited joint doesn't hold up, the other option I would consider is one of the West System epoxies (as I posted earlier). These formulations give much stronger joints than general purpose epoxies like Araldite. Surface preparation is also very important with any epoxy, as Clinton mentioned, and any traces of oil or dirt will prevent a good bond.

[soundman]

heres a clue
I have had a couple of stock plane handles that kept on breaking at the same point no matter what I did

so

put the two halves together as close a possible to straight , clamped in a wood vise.

if you then drill a pilot hole thru the top rear of the rear fixing recess ( on the bottom) you can get a nice long screw in up the back of the handle behind the fixing rod.

this does take some fiddle & skill.

problem solved.

better still when you make handles select nasty crossgrained timber that don't split easily.

cheers