Plastic repair chop on saw handle

[gearhead1]

My old chop saw fell and broke the handle. Bummer. I’ve had it for 20 years and still works good.

I can’t seem to find a replacement handle online because they’re discontinued and the saw is old.

The plastic appears to be very hard type plastic which is not weldable I don’t think.

I am a fan of epoxy/JB Weld. I’m kind of curious how others would tackle this.

 

[The Cobbler]

Oh that *****. Just for grins I looked on ebay and there's one, broken the same way !
if it was mine, I would start by crazy gluing it back together , then look for ways to reinforce it with metal , anchored to whatever .

 

[jweller]

I'd try and build it out of wood. Take 2 pieces of 3/4 in ply and glue them together with a piece of heavy paper between them like a grocery bag. Build a nice feeling handle, then split it apart and rout out a channel for the wiring and switch. Either glue it or screw it back together.

 

[BFBOB]

Looks like there's enough meat to pin it in two or three places. Use ring shank nails, and form more rings on the smooth part to give it lots t hold onto. Drill loose holes, fill with JBWeld, apply to all the broken edges, slam it all together quick before it starts to set. that might be enough, but it looks like the break isn't where you'd grab it, so add a strip of fiberglass mesh (a drywall sanding screen would work) jbwelded over the whole broken area. This has worked for me several times.

 

[gearhead1]

Some good ideas, I haven’t thought of!

 

[American Locomotive]

If it were mine, I'd JB-Weld the inside of it where it cracked (basically fill the break with JB weld and squeeze it together), and then mechanically secure the two with a thin piece of metal strapping screwed into the two halves, with a light coating of epoxy over that.

Wouldn't be pretty, but I doubt it'd ever break.

 

[PugetDude]

I'd try the glue that sets with UV light; it's worked well for me on plastic parts.
If that fails, JBWeld with fiberglass mat would be my second try; be sure to scuff the parts up with really coarse sandpaper to give the surface some "tooth"

 

[southalabama]

I’d JB Weld and see if I could mold and shrink a piece of Kydex around it and then mechanically connect it.

 

[unslow1]

I have one where the handle was rebuilt with JB Weld.

 

[MushCreek]

This Garage Journal. Buy a $500 3D printer, spend hours drawing it up and printing a new handle, then go out and buy a bigger more expensive saw. See? Now you've justified the 3D printer that you know you want.

 

[Dave455]

I’d probably start with super glue, just on the broken bit, to hold it temporarily.

Then, unscrew the handle completely (am I right in thinking it comes apart into two bits?) and fill the back side of the break with epoxy!

I’ve done similar repairs on similar plastics and most still seem to be holding!

 

[seber]

I bought one at a garage sale broken exactly the same. Scrapped it out on Ebay and more for parts than a new saw would cost.

 

[RTM]

I just used JB Weld to repair a broken marble pestle that rolled off the counter. My first ever usage was re attaching a fuel inlet (used to hold the filter) on a 69 chevy quadrajet, 40+ years ago. I think its up to the task, if you do good prep.

I think keeping all the pieces compressed, with epoxy in the gaps, is going to be key to a strong joint. I don't know that just back filling the voids will do it, but it might.

Getting it off the saw, so you can access all sides, will be key. Rubber bands to contour to the curves as you clamp may help keep it together, and the stickiness may allow regular clamps to not slide as you move things around. And if you epoxy the rubber band in place, it can be sliced off easily.

You might need to do one piece at a time, or all at once, depending on the shape of the breaks. DRy run it first. JB Weld usually gives you a good open time, but remember the full cure time is like 15+ hours, so leave it be before you mess with it again.

I use toothpicks to mix and spread the epoxy, especially for something small and complex like that.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I vote Q-Bond. I've used it on a radiator repair, stuff is awesome.

 

[quadrcr87]

Did you try ereplacementparts.com? I usually have good luck with them.

Edit: just checked for you and it looks like that handle is discontinued. They do have a spade handle (d shaped) for the top though.

 

[joshmodelskidoo]

I would take it apart and plastic weld it inside and out and melt a cut off screw or some bent wire for strength and add some more plastic inside. Sand the handle smooth. I tried epoxy on a bumper and it re cracked when i put the bumper back on. I welded another and I believe it stayed together till the car got hit. Tool and bumpers are different plastics so that might have been part of it