Source for Cabinet Phillips Screwdriver

[Gary Curtis]

I bought a near-new set of Footprint cabinet drivers with beautiful boxwood knob handles. I've checked all over to see where I could get a Phillips-tipped driver to match. Tools for Woodworking in New York carries the slot-head drivers, but nobody has the Phillips.

Any ideas? Even in England, Footprint-style drivers aren't sold.

Gary Curtis
California

[Philip Duffy]

Have you checked some of the \gun-sales catalogs, ie, Brownells? You may have to put your turning skills to work on a nice piece of wood and putting a Phillips screwdriver shaft into the handle with a nice ferrule and epoxy??

[Brad Woods]

Gary,

I have often wanted the same thing, and haven't been able to find any either. That left me with the make your own option as well. If you decide to go that route, here is the how to on turning the oval handles (http://www.cornishworkshop.co.uk/wwtipstwo.html), and let us know how it turns out.

Brad

[Gary Curtis]

turning would be too much for me now since I'm in a new house, with a new shop (disorganized mess). Can't take on any new projects.

I did luck out in one respect to wood handled tools. I prefer the London pattern handles for chisels because they won't roll off a bench. A fellow on eBay sold me 3 sets of chisels from the 1930s. He lived in London and the chisels were the best grade of Sheffield steel ever made.

He put me in touch with another web dealer living near York who bought the entire inventory of Boxwood handles from a defunt tool company. After all the craziness of dealing with overseas shipping, it turns out that Lee Valley currently sells the same thing.

Alas, nothing for those oval screwdriver handles.

I'll turn to the gun dealers. Thanks to you all.

Gary Curtis

[Ken Bryant]

Dave Jespersen, are you out there? This sounds like a natural for Bluespruce Toolworks. I too have wanted such tools, except I'd also add square heads (the Canadian thingy) to the slot and Phillips list.