Stanley No.3 loose handle

[Tim Leo]

I am the proud owner of a Stanley No. 3 plane with a loose tote. No matter how tight I can get the tote screw, the handle still rotates just slightly. I think the hole in the front of the tote is a little larger than the pin it sits on.

Any ideas on how to tighten up the front of the toto so it doesn't wiggle?

thanks

[Tom LaRussa]

I am the proud owner of a Stanley No. 3 plane with a loose tote. No matter how tight I can get the tote screw, the handle still rotates just slightly. I think the hole in the front of the tote is a little larger than the pin it sits on.

Any ideas on how to tighten up the front of the toto so it doesn't wiggle?

thanks
Hi Tim,

Sounds like the whole has worn itself too deep -- not too wide. Stick some kind of shim under the brass screw-nut-thingie so you can tighten it a scosh (sp?) more. If you can find a washer just the right size that would be about perfect. If not, use whatever material you can improvise.

Let us know if it works.

:)

[Tom LaRussa]

I am the proud owner of a Stanley No. 3 plane with a loose tote. No matter how tight I can get the tote screw, the handle still rotates just slightly. I think the hole in the front of the tote is a little larger than the pin it sits on.

Any ideas on how to tighten up the front of the toto so it doesn't wiggle?

thanks
OOPS!

Thought we were talking knobs when I made that last post. Sorry!

How about some wood putty or the like. Put some wax on the little pin so it doesn't get stuck, then partly fill the hole in the tote with the putty and tighten it down.

[Dan Moening]

The problem with #3 totes is two fold:

The user tightens the 1 and only screw...the tote expands/contracts and loosens...user tightens the 1 screw...etc...eventually the wood has been compressed in the screw hole.

And all during this time the little bump under the tote is being widened as the tote wiggles left/right because its too loose.

Try Tom's suggestion first....a washer {or two} under the brass top-nut. See if that doesn't tighten her up.

As for a too wide bottom bump...I would think that wood putty might mush loose over time, but would hate to suggest epoxy.;)

[Alan Turner]

I think I will suggest the epoxy, but with a caution. First, coat the metal with wax, as a release. That way the epoxy should form the right pattern, and you should not have a problem with the handle being permanently installed, which should be avoided.
Alan

[Tom LaRussa]

I think I will suggest the epoxy, but with a caution. First, coat the metal with wax, as a release. That way the epoxy should form the right pattern, and you should not have a problem with the handle being permanently installed, which should be avoided.
Alan
Further proof that great minds think alike! :D

[Louis Bois]

Tim,

I have to assume that this little #3 is a user as opposed to a "collector" plane. The suggestions above are good ones...but I'd like to offer up another one. I work with a Scottish feller that used to work in a patternmaker's shop in Glasgow. Whenever they encountered this problem...and it's quite common...they would cut 1/8" or so off the long tote screw to make up for the slack. I guess is was easier and faster than looking around for washers and the like.

Please don't do this if you plan on reselling this item...let someone else make that decision.

Cheers!

[Tim Leo]

Well, you guys provided exactly the ideas and encouragement that I needed to get the handle problem fixed on my No.3.
I took the handle off and plugged the hole that the pin fits into with a short piece of 1/4 inch diameter dowel that fit perfectly. Then I drilled out the plug with an appropriatly sized bit that fit the pin snugly. No glue was needed, just a tight fitting dowel plug. When I replaced the handle, it still wiggled around a little bit. Not as bad as before, but more than I would be able to tolerate if I was to be using the plane on a regular basis.

Then I tried shortening the screw that holds the tote on. I never in a million years would have thought of that idea on my own. I took the screw to my bench grinder and ground about 1/16 inch off of each end. I thought 'I must be nuts' while I was doing it.

It worked. It worked amazingly well. When I retightened the screw and the handle onto the plane, the handle was rock solid. Not even the slightest hint of a wiggle in the handle. Shortening the screw was the single most important step I will make in tuning up that plane.

Thanks for the ideas,
tim

[Sam Shankar]

I know this is an 18yo thread, but I wanted to add to it to emphasize the value of 18yo threads in the world of 100yo tools. I picked up a Millers Falls #9 last week and had this problem. Scratched my head a bit, searched the forum, found this thread and then, 5 minutes at the grinder later...voila. No more wiggle in my tote.

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Sam, nothing wrong with bringing back an old thread with good information. (some call them zombie threads)

Have you ventured in to the Archives? > https://sawmillcreek.org//showthread.php?103805

A link can be found to them at the top of the Neanderthal Haven in the "Sticky Threads."

One of my text files is a list of links to old threads with useful information to share when someone has a question or when needed for my own projects.

jtk

[Eric Brown]

If it's screw length you could also file off a few threads. You might still have to shim the front hole.

[steven c newman]

Here is another option, in case one doesn't want to shorten the bolt(s)...

There is a roll of foam Drawer Liner.....the kind you lay down in a drawer in a toolbox. You cut out a "pad" that matches the bottom of the handle where it meets the base of the plane. Place this onto the base of the plane, then install the handle on top of the foam pad.