Stanley Bailey No 4 loose handle

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
If it's an old plane, the wood may have dried and shrunk or the original handle may have been swapped if the original one broke.

You could try some slow setting epoxy to bed any slack under the heel of the handle and/or a washer or two packed under the screw head.

Paul Sellers has detailed info on making a new one from scratch. The whole video is 1 -1/2 hours.

https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/videos/plane-tote/
If it is a new plane ..... take it back.


Good luck
 
Last edited:
Hi all

I have above restored plane, but the handle wobbles a bit and I cannot tighten the screw any tighter. Any ideas?
Take the nut out and drop in a washer. The perfect fit can be found on a road-bike wheel - the nut from a presta valve.

Screenshot 2023-04-23 at 18.34.01.png
 
Another vote for peterw3035 method it works, you make also need to put a normal/thin standard washer under the nut if it screws down to far - when tight it should just about be level with the top of the handle.
 
Brass would be nicest job I reckon, should you have some old hinges, or even an old brass key possibly knocking about.
Drilled to size then cut roughly thereafter, a bit of rod or whatever, tightly fitting for a mandrel chucked into a hand drill and over to the bench grinder to make round.
 
It depends on why it is wobbling. If the handle is not fitting correctly at the base you may need to adjust that. If it is simply that the threaded rod has bottomed out into the body casting and the blind screwnut at the to top. try it first with a washer and if that works all is good but you can then cut the threaded portion down by an eight
How does that work when you need to screw the nut further down the thread?

If the screwnut has bottomed out but there is thread left on the threaded rod
 
Take the nut out and drop in a washer. The perfect fit can be found on a road-bike wheel - the nut from a presta valve.

View attachment 157779

Alternatively take off the handle, sand a bit off the bottom and refit. Though Jacobs solution is probably better.

Gluing it down with epoxy means it cannot be removed, which is not something thats ideal.
 
Brass would be nicest job I reckon, should you have some old hinges, or even an old brass key possibly knocking about.
Drilled to size then cut roughly thereafter, a bit of rod or whatever, tightly fitting for a mandrel chucked into a hand drill and over to the bench grinder to make round.
It is ill advised to grind non-ferrous metals (aluminium, copper, brass etc) on a bench grinder. They load the stone with smeared metal that generates heat from friction, causing the rim of the wheel to expand and explode. While a washer or two may not do it eventually you will push things too far. It is a practice that kills people. If you want to grind non ferrous use a belt sander/grinder.

Pete
 
@Inspector, good to know these things, cheers for pointing that out.
My grinder gets used often for mild steel most of the time, so gets cleaned regularly.
Would love to have enough non ferrous metals to be in a situation to push things too far, but not came across such a commodity.
Whilst I only recall grinding a small bit of aluminium once, and agreed it was extremely slow going.
Wondering now how similar brass would be compared...for that one time job that is.
I'll surely take your advice to use the belt sander if I ever need to turn some non ferrous stuff into a cylinder, what's not a wee washer, nor something I can't rig up on the lathe.

My belt&disc sander being at the other cleaner side of the shed, as it went on fire, I've not used it for metals since, and kinda wanting to turn it into a edge sander with decent table...
So perhaps a bit touché on that element slightly.

Food for thought, thanks you for your input, as you've gave reason for not making that a slap up job, in favour for making it smarter design, seeing as it might not be the last time it goes out on the lawn again.
All the best
Tom
 
Another alternative is to make a sort of gasket from cardboard or leather, to go between the handle and the body of the plane.
 
Hi all
thanks for your input. There isn't a nut :unsure:
The screw goes through the handle straight into the body, the front has a little notch where the handle sits on. I'll take a photo later if the washer/nut option is not working.
 
The nut’s bottoming out on the threaded bar.
Solution then is packers (under the handle sounds best to me), washers (messy) or gulp,
find a die same thread (anyone?) and add a bit more thread?
A veneer / shaving / whatever shim under the handle sounds the best bodge?
 
Take the nut out and drop in a washer. The perfect fit can be found on a road-bike wheel - the nut from a presta valve.

View attachment 157779
If you haven't got an old inner tube you could ask in a bike shop or a neighbour with a bike. I've got several old planes with these in place as washers.
 
Solution then is packers (under the handle sounds best to me), washers (messy) or gulp,
find a die same thread (anyone?) and add a bit more thread?
A veneer / shaving / whatever shim under the handle sounds the best bodge?
Overthinking this, just do as Jacob suggested and no repair will be visible.
 
Surely it wouldn't bottom out with thread left?
See image of a standard No 4 1/2 tote retaining screw
The thread has bottomed out inside the top brass screw nut. If when tightening it the handle is not securely gripped, then the thread has probably also bottomed out in the casting
Solution is to shorten the threaded portion slightly (either end in this case) or put a washer underneath the brass screw nut
20230424_101230.jpg
 
Shortening the threaded rod is indeed an option; though I've always preferred to leave the rod "original" and just add a washer or two as suggested by others.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top