Turned Scratch Awl and Screwdriver

[Ben Gastfriend]

Needing a birthday present for my woodworker (not turner, oh well) grandfather, and knowing that he already has multiple pens, and wondering what the heck he'd do with a magnifying glass, bowl, or letter opener, I decided to make him a turned scratch awl and screwdriver set for his shop.

They are Zebrawood, finished with triple E and buffed w/ tripoli and carnuba (I hate white diamond). Thought they turned out well.
78160 78161

Thanks for looking, comments welcome!

Happy holidays.

[Bill Bolen]

As a Grandpa myself I love them! I know he will to. Nice work Ben.
Bill

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very nice work Ben! I'm sure your Grandpa will love them!

[Tim A. Mitchell]

Looks great Ben.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Good lookin', Ben!

The Cobolo really really jumps out at you.

Bruce

[Bernie Weishapl]

As a grandfather and I know yours will to love those kinds of things. Well done.

[Jim Becker]

Great choices, Ben!

[Mike A. Smith]

Lookin' good Ben, he'll use that awl every day.

[Mike Peace]

Excellent! I bet that he's one proud grandpa and will be bragging on you to anyone visiting his shop.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Looks to me like family heirlooms that should be passed down through the generations Ben! Very well done Sir!

[Tom Sherman]

Useful tools are always appreciated and coming from you I'm sure your grandpa will be especially moved. Great job Ben.

[Steve Campbell]

Ben I can't think of a thing that would make a better gift for Grandpa. They sure came out nice. I'm sure they will mean a lot to him, and as well as they look I'm sure that they will mean even more to you when you get them back several years from now. Like them a lot.

Steve

[Bonnie Campbell]

Beautiful work Ben! I'm sure your grampa will love them :)

By the way, always thinking..... how long is the 'pick' on that awl? Looks long enough for an ice pick ya think?

[Ben Gastfriend]

The pick's longer than it looks. About 7". But I'm not sure if it's stainless steel, probably would rust.:D

[Bill Embrey]

Those are really nice. I've been wanting to do some of the screwdrivers for gifts - what kit did you use?

Hate white diamond???? you need that step to remove the tripoli and not "goo" up your carnuba wheel. If you're having an issue with it being too dusty, you're using too much... a little bit goes a long way :)

[robert hainstock]

Very nice work, He will think of you every time he picks one of them up to use. And aint that the best part? :D:D:D
Bob

[Dan Forman]

What a great gift, he will treasure them. Very nice looking tools.

Dan

[Ben Gastfriend]

I used the PSI kit. Word of advice- USE A DRILL PRESS! You drill a 7/16" hole almost all the way through from one end, and a 1/8" hole from the other. If the 7/16" hole isn't perfectly straight, when assembled, the metal tip won't be lined up with the wood- wasted a perfectly good chunck of zebrawood!

I guess I'll have to give the white diamond another go on my next turning, maybe I am using a little too much!

[michael gallagher]

I think they look pretty good.

Your grandpa will love them, because you took the time and effort to make them vs. going out and buying something. The generational comments in the posts above are spot-on: I have some of my grandfather's tools, and I think of him just about every time I pick one of them up. There's something about picking up a tool that has been used for generations that money can't buy - make sure you pass it on to your grandkids!