# Hand plane tote replacement



## Scotach (Jun 28, 2008)

*Old hand planes, my first attempt at making my own tote*

One great aspect of learning traditional wooden boat building is that you actually learn the wood working techniques with traditional hand tools. Which is a pleasure if you are used to the modern power tools of todays workshops. And a funny thing happens once you take hold of an old plane, drawknife or the like. You suddenly come in contact with the wood in a whole new way, you actually feel the wood as you move your tool across it. Another plus is that you can actually hear the wood reacting to the finely honed edge.

But along with those newly learned skills, come another more sinister thing. One day, about a month into it, you start *wanting* more. You find yourself scouring tool catalogues, hand tool books, and ebay. You want more! And you realize that there are so many different kinds of edge tools out there. You just have to have that antique Stanley plane. That beautiful No. 5 1/2 plane, not because you need it, but because it is a thing of beauty, another tool that can connect you to that piece you are going to work on next.

Is it just me? Well, I doubt it. At any rate, I indeed found myself in that position after using my first No. 3 smoothing plane. I wanted more, more hand planes one for more than just smoothing or cutting end grain. So I started researching, and settled on a few that I would start out with. So, I figured that I needed a Stanley No. 5 or a 5 1/2 Jack plane. In the end I settled on both. Hey, what can I say?

So, upon researching these planes, weeks of watching the going prices on ebay, ouch! And eying a few on vintage and antique websites, I figured that I did not need a "collector" quality plane. After all, I'm going to use the things. In the end I found a nice Stanley No. 5 type 19 and No. 5 1/2C type 9. Both great looking planes, in good condition by my standards. Both were mainly just dirty from age and neglect. But my 5 1/2C has a crack in the tote which had been repaired at some time during its life.

Now this is not a big deal, and I have been using it with no problems. But today after class, I had about an hour to spare. So I decided I would try to make a replacement tote for my 5 1/2 plane. A buddy of mine had an off cut of curly maple that he said he did not need, so I looked it over and thought, why not? It's not rosewood, I know, but it's my plane, and I can always put the original back on.

So, here's what I've done so far. 








I disassembled my plane and removed the tote. Placed both screws that hold the tote securely to the plane in a safe place and got to work.

I first jointed one edge of the board with my No. 7 jointer plane. This will be the bottom of the tote.
Then I laid the original tote onto the stock and traced it onto the maple.

















After tracing the original tote, I had to work out the layout for the hole bored through the handle to allow for the long retaining screw. I tried to get the angle with a bevel gauge, but the blade was not long enough. So I resorted to measuring. I measured to the center of the hole in the bottom of the tote, getting my measurement from the rear of the tote forward. And the same way I located the center of the top hole. Then I laid those measurements onto the stock. Then I divided the thickness of the stock in half to find the centerline. Marked that on the bottom where it intersected the retaining screw hole, pulled out my drill and twist bits.

I chose a bit size one size larger than the diameter of the retaining screw, to allow for the fudge factor. I laid the stock down flat, sighted my drill to the layout line, made sure I was level and drilled a 3/32 pilot hole. Then I chucked up the larger bit, and sighted again, and pulled the trigger.

Once the hole was drilled, I took the piece to the band saw and cut it out. So far so good, it's beginning to look like it should. 








Once I cut out the blank, I secured it into the bench vise and grabbed my round bottom spoke shave to start the shaping process. 
















This is as far as I made it today. I'll be back at it tomorrow afternoon with rasp in hand. Shouldn't take too much longer to finish the shaping/sanding and then I can test the fit, drill the smaller retaining screw hole and call it good.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Scotach said:


> *Old hand planes, my first attempt at making my own tote*
> 
> One great aspect of learning traditional wooden boat building is that you actually learn the wood working techniques with traditional hand tools. Which is a pleasure if you are used to the modern power tools of todays workshops. And a funny thing happens once you take hold of an old plane, drawknife or the like. You suddenly come in contact with the wood in a whole new way, you actually feel the wood as you move your tool across it. Another plus is that you can actually hear the wood reacting to the finely honed edge.
> 
> ...


Looking forward to seeing the progress. I've seen some info on how to do this along the way. I will try to see if I can find it.


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## BANick (Oct 4, 2007)

Scotach said:


> *Old hand planes, my first attempt at making my own tote*
> 
> One great aspect of learning traditional wooden boat building is that you actually learn the wood working techniques with traditional hand tools. Which is a pleasure if you are used to the modern power tools of todays workshops. And a funny thing happens once you take hold of an old plane, drawknife or the like. You suddenly come in contact with the wood in a whole new way, you actually feel the wood as you move your tool across it. Another plus is that you can actually hear the wood reacting to the finely honed edge.
> 
> ...


Great blog, looking forward to the rest of the process. I have a 4 1/2 with a broken tote and I've been wanting to make one myself but never found the time. This is definitely going to help. Whenever I get to it… Thanks!


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## Scotach (Jun 28, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *Old hand planes, my first attempt at making my own tote*
> 
> One great aspect of learning traditional wooden boat building is that you actually learn the wood working techniques with traditional hand tools. Which is a pleasure if you are used to the modern power tools of todays workshops. And a funny thing happens once you take hold of an old plane, drawknife or the like. You suddenly come in contact with the wood in a whole new way, you actually feel the wood as you move your tool across it. Another plus is that you can actually hear the wood reacting to the finely honed edge.
> 
> ...


I've been considering it for a while, but I suppose I had a lack of confidence issue for a while. For some reason I felt that it would be too difficult or complicated. I watched a few Stanley totes on Ebay, but they're going for more than I paid for my entire 5 1/2! I guess having the nice piece of stock in my hand empowered me. Made more headway this afternoon, but the shaping is taking loner than I expected. I'll try to post more pictures tonight.

I'd love to see some info on making totes to see if I could improve on my process.


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## Dorje (Jun 17, 2007)

Scotach said:


> *Old hand planes, my first attempt at making my own tote*
> 
> One great aspect of learning traditional wooden boat building is that you actually learn the wood working techniques with traditional hand tools. Which is a pleasure if you are used to the modern power tools of todays workshops. And a funny thing happens once you take hold of an old plane, drawknife or the like. You suddenly come in contact with the wood in a whole new way, you actually feel the wood as you move your tool across it. Another plus is that you can actually hear the wood reacting to the finely honed edge.
> 
> ...


Cool. I need to do this too for a little #3. Alf has some info on totes here.

cheers


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## Scotach (Jun 28, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *Old hand planes, my first attempt at making my own tote*
> 
> One great aspect of learning traditional wooden boat building is that you actually learn the wood working techniques with traditional hand tools. Which is a pleasure if you are used to the modern power tools of todays workshops. And a funny thing happens once you take hold of an old plane, drawknife or the like. You suddenly come in contact with the wood in a whole new way, you actually feel the wood as you move your tool across it. Another plus is that you can actually hear the wood reacting to the finely honed edge.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link for the info on tote making. Wish I would have seen it earlier! LOL, I learned something from my mistake boring for the retaining screw. Next time….I'll do it prior to cutting the blank out. Cheers!


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## Scotach (Jun 28, 2008)

*Shaping of my tote*

A quick recap of my process. Started out with rough stock 1 inch thick. Traced original tote onto stock. Cut out the new tote on the bandsaw, and drilled the retaining screw bore. After those steps, I started shaping.
















Here's a shot after most of the rough shaping has been done with rasps. 

















The shaping has taking me longer than expected. I did not have as much time yesterday to get much done, but today I continued shaping with 180 grit sandpaper. I am just a bout 99% done with the shaping. I'll tune it up and smooth it out with 220 grit tomorrow, and add a finish.

One more order of business to take care of before applying the finish. Finish boring the hole for the retaining screw, and counter sink with a forstner bit on the top of the tote to allow the head of the retaining screw to sit inside of the tote. Any ideas as to what finish to apply to this thing? Should I stain to match the dark front knob or leave it bright?


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *Shaping of my tote*
> 
> A quick recap of my process. Started out with rough stock 1 inch thick. Traced original tote onto stock. Cut out the new tote on the bandsaw, and drilled the retaining screw bore. After those steps, I started shaping.
> 
> ...


Why not make a new front knob to match? Looks like a nice job you're doing. I'm not assuming anything, just going by the way you've written your blog, but be sure to counter sink with your forstner bit before drilling your bolt hole, other wise the bit will be all over the place.


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## thetimberkid (Apr 5, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *Shaping of my tote*
> 
> A quick recap of my process. Started out with rough stock 1 inch thick. Traced original tote onto stock. Cut out the new tote on the bandsaw, and drilled the retaining screw bore. After those steps, I started shaping.
> 
> ...


Great job!

Thanks for the post

Callum


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## stanley2 (Jan 4, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *Shaping of my tote*
> 
> A quick recap of my process. Started out with rough stock 1 inch thick. Traced original tote onto stock. Cut out the new tote on the bandsaw, and drilled the retaining screw bore. After those steps, I started shaping.
> 
> ...


Nice job Brian. I agree with Tim since it will be hard to duplicate the knob color, why not make a knob as well then your plane will look super rather than look like it has a replacement tote.


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## sikrap (Mar 15, 2009)

Scotach said:


> *Shaping of my tote*
> 
> A quick recap of my process. Started out with rough stock 1 inch thick. Traced original tote onto stock. Cut out the new tote on the bandsaw, and drilled the retaining screw bore. After those steps, I started shaping.
> 
> ...


This is great!! I have just entered the incredible world of woodworking and bought an old Bailey #5 at a garage sale because I'm trying to not spend a fortune on tools (yet). It looks to be in fairly good shape other than needing a very good cleaning, but the tote is pretty bad and needs to be replaced. I stumbled onto this site and have found some excellent, incredibly detailed instruction!!! One thought that I had was that for locating the angle for the hole that will go thru to the top, it might be easy to lay the original down on its side, run a rod thru to the bottom and trace the entire outline above and below the tote, put the new tote down and transfer the marks. Does that sound like it would work?


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## Scotach (Jun 28, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *Shaping of my tote*
> 
> A quick recap of my process. Started out with rough stock 1 inch thick. Traced original tote onto stock. Cut out the new tote on the bandsaw, and drilled the retaining screw bore. After those steps, I started shaping.
> 
> ...


There are probably several different and better ways of laying out that angle for the bore. Sounds like your idea would work out just fine. Check out this Link that another LJ posted about tote making. Seems that this would be a better way to go, but you would need to make sure the grain of the wood runs basically parallel to the sole of the plane. Glad this post could help out! Best of luck, and let us know when you get it done.

By the way, I still haven't turned that front knob yet. Hopefully soon!


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## sikrap (Mar 15, 2009)

Scotach said:


> *Shaping of my tote*
> 
> A quick recap of my process. Started out with rough stock 1 inch thick. Traced original tote onto stock. Cut out the new tote on the bandsaw, and drilled the retaining screw bore. After those steps, I started shaping.
> 
> ...


One question I forgot to ask earlier is this: what kind of wood is best?


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## Scotach (Jun 28, 2008)

*My finished product*

Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?

My hand drilling for the bore was not quite square and the retaining screw was a tight fit inside the handle. I used a larger diameter twist bit to open it up a bit more. Then I marked out for the hole in the toe of the tote for the second retaining screw. That was simple. Took it to the plane, and fastened it on. It's almost a perfect fit. The screws tightened up nicely and there is not play in the new tote as there was in the original.

So here's the finished product…for now.
























So that's it. All in all a fairly easy project. I think it turned out great for my first attempt at one of these plane totes. It's definitely not show piece quality, but it's going to be one of my users. I'm pretty darn happy with how it turned out. Now, where is that maple…I have to turn a front knob. Thanks for reading this series of posts, and perhaps someone will find it useful! Now…go make some saw dust!


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## thetimberkid (Apr 5, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


Looks good as new, probably better!

Thanks for the post

Callum


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## Phishead (Jan 9, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


I found it useful….I didn't know plane handles were called TOTES! Thanks!


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## jcees (Dec 31, 2007)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


Super job! Should wear and age very well indeed.

always,
J.C.


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## manilaboy (Aug 17, 2007)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


Hi All,

Didn't know that either! 

I have recently purchased a Stanley # 3 new. It came with a plastic tote and knob. For my needs (I am a hobbyist, a new one at that), it foots the bill perfectly. As a Lumberjock (pardon me for taking the liberty to pin that title on myself), I just can't stand the plastic knob and tote. Kinda irritating. I have thought of replacing it with a wooden knob and tote that I have made myself. It is the rainy season here in the Philippines, probably the right time to take on a small project like this. One that I can do exclusively inside my small 10'X10'X10' shop.

Which part of the fabrication process would you say that I have to be extra careful of aside from the drilling of the bore? Nice job just the same.

Rico


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## Scotach (Jun 28, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


Rico,

I would say that getting the hole for the long retaining screw accurate, is the one aspect that to be careful on. The rest is a matter of shaping with small hand tools like files, rasps and sandpaper. I imagine, if you wanted to get the tight radius at the top and bottom of the tote, you could always take it to the drill press with the appropriate size Forstner bit to take care of those quickly. I used the bandsaw to cut the entire shape out. 
You might be able to utilize a spindle sander for some of the shaping. I did not have access to one. 
Also from looking at all my other planes, get the grain orientation correct. If not, your likely going to be in the shop sooner making another one.

Another LJ's member, Dorje, passed on this link which has some good info on tote making. I looked at it after completing most of my rough shaping. Wish I would have seen it sooner.

Have fun. It's a project well worth the time and effort. It's not only a way to fix something, but also a great way to personalize your tools!


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## Hugheser (Sep 10, 2007)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


Nice work. Now go make some *shavings* not saw dust!


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## mattg (May 6, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


Yeah, that is an awesome handle! It is a good contrast to the black iron of the plane! You should work on a front knob to set it right off! Great job!! Personalized handles, and knobs make an ordinary piece, an extaordinary piece!!


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## Scotach (Jun 28, 2008)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


Thanks everyone! LOL, go make shavings indeed. You got me there.
I'd love to turn a front knob to match….I'll have to see if I can find some maple stock thick enough. 
It would look cool with the matching wood toe and knob!


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## sikrap (Mar 15, 2009)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


That did come out nice!! Looks like my first project is going to be a new tote for mine. Thanks again!!


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## ic3ss (Oct 19, 2010)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...












This is the Stanley No. 8 before, and these below are after reconditioning.

Thanks so much for the idea. I found this thread a few weeks ago and it turned out to be the perfect answer for my Stanley No.8 that I got off of Ebay. It had a shaved handle and was in terrible shape. two full days in the electrolosis bath took off the japanning and rust, and a few coats of appliance epoxy were in order, but what to do with that broken tote? I found myself down at woodcrafters and picked up two scrap pieces of figured maple, one for the tote and one for the knob. I cut it out with my new scroll saw and shaped it with my rasp. It turned out great, now I just need to figure out how to do the knob 'cause I don't have a lathe.














































Thanks again!

wayne


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


That's a beautiful plane and a beautiful job on the tote. Good work.


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## swirt (Apr 6, 2010)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


ic3ss Looks great. To make a knob without a lathe, see Mafe's how-to blog here.


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## ic3ss (Oct 19, 2010)

Scotach said:


> *My finished product*
> 
> Alright, I'm excited. I put the finishing touches on the tote this morning, and I think, it's a good fit.
> I sanded with 220 grit for the final detail sanding, then counter sunk for the retaining screw, which was a slight pain in the rear. In hind sight, I should have run the forstner bit first, then bored all the way through with the twist bit. Would a made life a lot easier. But hey, that's how we learn, right?
> ...


Thanks for the link, Swirt, this looks like just the ticket. I don't have a drill press either, but I should be able to kluge something together with one of my drills.

Check back here, oh maybe next week to see how I did. I may get to this on Sunday.

Thanks for the encouragement!

wayne


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