Lateral Play in Tote for Stanley no. 5 1/4-Advice Needed!

[Brett Bobo]

I'll preface this by saying that I hope my nomenclature is correct so this can be easily understood. At the toe of the tote on a Stanley no. 5 1/4 (type 13), there's a pin on the bed that mates to an indention on the sole of the tote, instead of a toe screw. It appears that the indention on the sole of the tote has wallowed out to where the pin on the bed doesn't seat into the tote securely, causing lateral play in the tote. Just to note, the sole of the tote appears to be flat and seat properly on the bed of the plane. Has anyone experienced this issue and are there any simple remedies to eliminate the lateral play in the tote?

Thanks in advance,
Brett

[Bill Houghton]

Yes, I have; it's not uncommon. Make sure your screw is tight.

Pack something compressible in the hole - plumber's lead wool would probably be ideal, if you can find some (I may be dreaming - this may be another item no longer sold). Or, staying in the plumbing aisle, the packing string that's used on faucet bonnet nuts. Cotton string. You get the idea. You want to pack it carefully, putting in just enough stuff that, when you install the tote, it will pack down and take up all the space, without being overstuffed and not permitting the little nib to enter the hole.

A dab of JB Weld would be a possibility too, but you would want to grease the nib and the metal around it to prevent gluing the tote to the sole; I'd try packing of some kind first.

[James Taglienti]

I hate that!

I come across shifty totes sometimes... mine have been known to do it off and on with weather changes. Sometimes I'll take a few shavings off of the heel end, to try and get the little tip to spring just a bit when it gets tightened down. I 've also had luck with a folded piece of sandpaper with a drop of glue in the middle of it, and packing the little registration hole with something.

[David Weaver]

I use small washers for that, I can't remember of they're #10 or #8, just cheap ones from the borg. All you care is that they fit in the top of the tote under the nut. Usually, if they are OK for width, they are too small in diameter, so you can just hold the edge tight in a machinist vise and run a wider bit through them. They get mangled a little sometimes, but I think that's to the benefit of using them in the tote.

Your other option is (if the tote is not damaged) to shorten the tote screw by cutting it and chamfer the thread ends to protect them. I've run across planes where you can't tell which is stripped, the hole or the screw, or they both are partially, and you can take a length off the tote screw to get to fresh thread and they hold fine (though you do have to drill the tote deeper to make that work).

Bench planes aren't pieces of art, so whatever it takes to make it work is fine.

[rick carpenter]

I wonder if you could almost fill the wallowed out section completely with epoxy, wait until it just starts to set, dab the surface with baby powder or oil, screw into place, take it off, let dry, and fiddle with as necessary?