fixing a huge handle crack, maybe

[phantomknives]

lets cut the head off the snake before it bites, i put a slit in just under the eye to stop any damage to the tongue

 

[Miller '72]

The butt swell of my Craftsman came to me with cracking...during my rehang process it may have become a more pronounced cracking.
So I gingerly cleaned out any loose debris...

Set in some gorilla glue that I have used on prior wood projects, furniture repair/band aids...

Clamped in the vise for 2&1/2 hours

Carefully cut the handle free from the vise

And the glue...

Light sanding with 220

BLO

And here we go, at least I feel better for trying to preserve this swells integrity as I buck and chop down the road

If gorilla glue is good enough for Tom Silva

 

[Square_peg]

Good move. The swell is a low impact area so it should hold up fine. I've done like this several times with no problems. Good way to save an otherwise excellent haft.

 

[Miller '72]

Good move. The swell is a low impact area so it should hold up fine. I've done like this several times with no problems. Good way to save an otherwise excellent haft.

Thank you Square_peg
I too figured if you have a crack or cracking, the swell might be the best spot to have it for a repair to hold up best.

This handle and I have been having quiet the affair...on/off, on/off, filling the void that is dividing us LOL!

I love this handle far to much to let it go quietly into the night...
Some things are just worth the energy to save

 

[Ernest DuBois]

From what I can make of the image from the first posting it seems to me to be a separation, you can follow the split as the grain runs out into thin air at the critical point on the belly. These are really troublesome to fix up to any degree of satisfaction, never getting the end of the runout to lay flush. The deception of the handle has been exposed, an inherent flaw in the piece of wood that never should have been used from the beginning. All "vintage" handles are not in and of themselves superior handles.

 

[Square_peg]

That split is typical for a handle that someone has been hammering on. It doesn't run past the curve. It should be fine.