wooden screwdrivers

[Joe Judge]

American Woodturner (fall 2005) has an article on turning handles for screwdrivers. So, I turned a few ... screwed up a few ... and figured some things out.

Here are picts (http://www.woodturner.org/sym/sym2005/photos/PhotoDisplay.cfm?record=198) of the author's handles.

Here is mine (purpleheart) ... notes on making it below...

http://personal.intrusion.org/%7Ejoe/sawmill/DCP02276.JPG

Please tell me if you've tried this or learned any tricks to make this work better.

Here is what I've learned:

1- There are a series postings, magazine articles, etc of the "nice tools for woodworkers" theme that is getting to me:
- make your own marking knife
- make your own marking gauge
- replace the cheapie japanese draw/razor/dozuki saw handle with a hand made hardwood handle
... and this ..
- make your own hardwood screwdrive handle

2- The 6-in-1 multi-screwdriver that you get from Home Depot here in Waltham are Buck Brothers (orange handle) and some acrylic handled ones. Prices vary.

3- I've torn apart a couple various brands, they appear to all use the same metal parts
- small phillips + regular bit
- larger (diameter) phillips + regular bit
- metal bit holder that is slightly thicker (diameter) on one 1/2 than the other
- the "nut" that the bit driver sockets into


4- The fatter diameter side is slight but it will BITE you, if you follow the article's drilling details. It says to drill a 7/16" long hole into your wood blank ... then a short 5/8" hole for the nut.

I've found that the 7/16 is just rubbing against the "thicker" half of the shaft -- maybe I've got my 5/8 hole off center? nut in at an angle?

So, I have to figure out what to do about this rubbing. I may just do a 1/2" down the length, instead of the 7/16.

The 5/8" little hole appears slightly larger than needed, but the corners of the nut do bite into the wood. However, the depth needs to be deeper than the 1/2" noted in the article.


5- If you use a hard, hardwood ... it can split when you force the nut in :-(
So, I think you need to chisel some "corners" into 6 points of the 5/8" hole. That way the nut can slide in a bit easier, not crack, and also have something besides epoxy to twist against.

-- joe

[Randy Meijer]

Joe: That is so cool!! I just picked up another one of those screwdrivers at the store with the intent of doing exactly what you have done. It just occurred to me in a dream, recently. I have never seen any of those magazine articles.

I wonder if these could be made economically enough that there would be a market for them at craft shows?? Something to go along with my pens?? I was planning on putting a brass cap on mine.

[Dennis Daudelin]

I've picked up one of the plastic screwdrivers at the Sandwich Aubuchon just for the purpose of putting a wood handle on it. I've not yet broken the plastic off it! It's the same variety as you're showing.

When I look at the AAW pictures, it looks like each of them has a ferrule on it which might mean that it's a different variety (manufacturer?) of the plastic screwdriver.

I'm planning to take some measurements before disassemblying the screwdriver as the instructions in the book may not apply.

I love the look of the handle that you made with purpleheart. That's a great job!! Are you planning to make more of these?

Dennis

[John Hart]

I like what you've done Joe. It's a great idea! I've been wanting to make handles (on a smaller scale) for quite a while....saving it for a winter project.
I want to make specialty handles that fit up to those little Dremel bits and sell them as a set to ancient coin collectors. The thing about ancient coins, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, etc., is they have 2000 years of crud on them and need to be cleaned by hand in fine detail. As of yet, I've found no attractive tool kits for this purpose so I think there's an open market for it....and there's lots of collectors! (I'm one of them)

[Joe Judge]

John --
I think pieces like that are greate ideas -- you can't really buy them, the craft items are so much nicer than what exists, and therefore make wonderful gifts.


1 -- About those ferrules ...

That pict (Tim Heil), and the magazine article, show that the author does put ferrules on the ends of some of them. Apparently, these ferrules (copper pipe, turned down on the end) help keep the wood from splitting when someone uses the screwdriver to pry vs. twist/screw.

I got some copper pipe pieces today to try to put some ferrules on the end of some of mine.



2 -- gifts, sets, etc.

I'm thinking small "sets" might be nice for the friend/woodworker.

So, I'm thinking about ...
a small pull-saw (google images (http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=stanley%20pull%20saw&btnG=Google+Search&sa=N&tab=wi)), and/or a dozuki (rockler page (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1062)) and one of those screwdrivers.


Any other ideas?

-- joe

[Randy Meijer]

Hi Joe: I'm not sure I'm fully understanding all of your comments. Do you, by any chance, have a picture of the screwdriver hardware with the original handle removed?? It might help me better undestand some of your comments. Thanks.

[Ellen Benkin]

I saw one made by the person mentioned in the article. It just felt perfectly balanced in my hand, and I'd love to make some for gifts (and myself). The ferrule can be half of a copper pipe connector that you can get at a home center. Turn a tenon to match the inside diameter and use another connector to hammer it on to your handle.

I wonder if HD is noticing a strange run on the plastic handled screwdrivers!