tote repair, minimalism?

[EricU]

I have a number 5 with a horn that is busted off on a rosewood tote.  I am thinking that I just want to replace the horn, not chop it down like most people do.  Mostly because I don't want to have to fix the counterbore.  Anyone do it this way? 

I swear I have some rosewood scraps, but I'm not sure where.

[Bill_Houghton]

The problem, always, is that you need a good flat surface for gluing on your repair piece; and, if the break in the horn comes low enough to affect the counterbore, well, you're kinda stuck.

I had a jack plane this last year on which the previous owner, an engineer, had repaired a broken horn with J.B. Weld.  Ugly as day old sin, but it was actually quite comfortable.

[Admiral]

Bill is right, flat surface on the tote and the repair piece is key.  Disc sander works for me on the tote, and I plane the filler piece flat in a vice.  I epoxy on the filler, cut to the general form of the horn on the bandsaw, then form to finished shape with a rasp.  If it impacts the rod hole, I actually carve it out with a knife, which can be tedious but this has worked for me, I guess you could use a Dremel as well.  I like to make the horn a bit longer, like the totes on earlier Stanley planes.

[EricU]

I've seen a couple of people that cut the tote down a ways in order to get below the counterbore.  The theory being that you need the strength of the bolt holding the tote together.  When I cut my tote flat, it still will not involve the counterbore

[Bill_Houghton]

Hard to imagine that a good glue job won't be adequate.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

Totes can be problematic. The best solution I have found is to pick up a #5 donor.

But I did a tote rehab a co-worker's #6 a few years back. This plane belonged to his grandfather and his father so there was lots of sentimental value. One side of the horn was sheared off. I cut a lap joint on the tote, usingthe bandsaw and made an "L" shaped patch from rosewood. Titebond III works well for me on rosewood. I held the tote in a handscrew and sawed off the excess. Then I used the oscillating spindle sander to do the final shaping.

Long planes especially seem to have this missing tote horn issue. I guess they are prone to bench dives. Even though they can be used without it, I really appreciate the horn because it traps the web of my thumb and holds my hand in place.

Good luck fixing yours. As usual, we really enjoy pictures.

[Downwindtracker2]

Rosewood because of it's oil content can be difficult to glue. The usual recommendation is G-2 epoxy after a wash of acetone. If memory serves me right, G-2 hardener is slightly acidic, cutting into the oil. System Three now makes G-2, I liked it better when Industrial Formulators made it. If the fit is less than perfect, add sawdust or minifibers.

[Phil S.]

Eric-

Steve has a blog entry covering that here.

Phil

[Phil S.]

Oh, yeah - and there's Dom's thread here.

[EricU]

Thanks for the responses.  I don't remember where I got this plane, looks like it has a new iron and cap iron

IMAG0926 by unterhausen, on Flickr
IMAG0923 by unterhausen, on Flickr
IMAG0924 by unterhausen, on Flickr
IMAG0925 by unterhausen, on Flickr