Repairing plastic handwheels

I don’t think super glue will be strong enough.

Depending on the type of plastic, there may be a glue that will act a solvent and “melt” the pieces together. I used to make underwater camera cases and the Plexiglas was glued together with this type of glue.

Another possibility MAY be to take it to an auto body shop. Some shops have a plastic “welding” machine to repair the newer car body parts. They might be able to help.

Epoxy might be better than super glue. The plastic welding machines use heated air to melt the plastic and then use a plastic rod to fill in any gaps. It might work, I don’t know the strength of plastic welding.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Get yourself some Loctite super glue and I am sure it will hold.
You have to clean it good ,I glued steel with it.

-- --<<<<<< I will not stop until I get it right. >>>>>>--

It might look ugly but maybe a hose clamp around it also.

Get some J-B Weld two part expoxy. The stuff is amazing.

-- Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else

a ring of tubing that will press over the hub would be a good reinforcement. rought up hub, coat with epoxy (and in cracks) and press ring on; fill around the bevel.

-- Fred, Springfield, Ma

I know you guys all like Epoxy I did too until I discovered Loctite super glue.
That stuff will weld anything.

-- --<<<<<< I will not stop until I get it right. >>>>>>--

Something like Fred said too with the glue press a bushing over for more strength.

-- --<<<<<< I will not stop until I get it right. >>>>>>--

go with the sleeve(tubing) and epoxy

Many times the hex has a taper to it so that it can be released from the mold… this kind of cracking(peak of hex) may be caused by overtightening the the bolt that holds it on the shaft.

-- Dane, Fairview Pk, OH. The large print giveth and the small print taketh away...

I’d check out a chloroform based solvent to weld it, see if it’ll melt with that plastic. Otherwise, make a replacement out of a good void-free plywood…

I doubt epoxy will hold that plastic for very long, if you can’t find a solvent that’ll weld it cyanoacrylate (ie: “super glue”) might work, but I think that’d just be a temporary fix.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

Wow!
Thanks for all the replies!
Let me ponder and I’ll show you what I come up with.
Cheers

Anyone who thinks that epoxy will work I say no way epoxy for me is a waste of time.
Go with loctite super glue it is 100% better than epoxy.

-- --<<<<<< I will not stop until I get it right. >>>>>>--

I’d try to buy a new one and keep the repaired one for a spare.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Try Grainger and get a metal one – probably 15-30 bucks.

-- Steve, Webster Groves, MO

Yes my 3 cents bin it and buy new it will never be the same again they are made cheap and disposable for a few dollars get a new one that’s what BIG AL would do and I know him like I know myself.Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Thanks again for the comments and suggestions – all duly noted.

I had a message asking how it has turned out.

Well, I’m still kind of working on it. I’ve used Loctite Super Glue in the actual cracks and then used a hose clamp (as suggested by bentlyj) to close up the gap while the glue dried. The plan is next to find some kind of bushing and epoxy it in (I have some JB Weld someplace).

Actually, it just might hold up with the superglue – I believe I have fixed the cause of the stiffness that caused the previous owner to crack the handles in the first place. If none of this works in the long run, I’ll just buy some news wheel handles, as suggested.

In other news, I’ve now totally re-assembled the saw and tried it at cross cutting a piece of pine – seems to work just fine. Quite pleased with myself. Plus the saw is not super loud (being belt driven). Still got some more stuff to do on it. It came w/o a blade guard and the very least I think a splitter would be in order. Trouble is all these extras add up – I’d like a new saw blade (instead of borrowing one from my miter saw), a zero-whatsit throat plate, that fancy splitter that fits in the throat plate, machined pulleys and that special belt and maybe that PALS setup.

Oh yeah, you’re going to hate me. I was fussing with that saw blade/ miter channel alignment – you know, tapping the trunnions, and all that. Using a dial indicator I got it to where I thought was good enough and then I tightened down all six trunnion bolts. When re-checked with the dial indicator, it was dead nuts on!! Front of blade showed 86.5 thou, rotated blade back and got 86.5!

Cheers for now.

hey I had another thought… if the hub is the right size you may be able to use a female pipe coupling… pipe thread is tapered and may tighten up everything, epoxy or loctite would lock it in.

-- Dane, Fairview Pk, OH. The large print giveth and the small print taketh away...

Dane,
Sounds good! Let me check out Home Depot and see what they have got.

You can also do like I diid with the blade guides on my old bandsaw. They were aluminum and cracked when tightening the set screw. I wrapped them with fine wire, then epoxied over it.
Check the picture it lasted many years.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1