Screwdriver

Stuart Ablett

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15,917
Location
Tokyo Japan
I've been wanting to make a screwdriver for a while, I got some really LONG bits from Lee Valley that will be perfect for this.

I wanted to make it with the flutes on the handle to increase grip, so I made up a jig for the router.......
flute_jig1.jpgflute_jig2.JPG

Worked well, I put six flutes on the handle.

hairbrush_oak_driver.jpg
Here is the screwdriver I made....... and a handle for my daughter's hairbrush, she broke the plastic handle.

oak_driver.JPG
A close up of the screwdriver....... I don't like it.... I don't know why I try to reinvent the wheel sometimes, but this one is not to my liking.

Honestly, this is more what I wanted.......
wood_screwdriver.jpg

..... classic shape can't go wrong, so this is what I made today.......

rosewood_driver1.JPG rosewood_driver2.JPG
..... I like this one a LOT more. One thing I noticed on the first one is that the ferrel is too large for the size of the driver shaft, I found a piece of chromed water pipe from something :dunno: and I had to use a file to remove the chrome, but I think it looks good now! :D

The driver will be a Christmas present for my Dad, but I'm thinking about a finish, the wood is Rosewood, some special stuff I got from a friend who got it from a buddy who got it from a Bespoke gun maker in Germany.... :)

Now it only has some lacquer sanding sealer, I like the way it feels, but I fear it will no hold up to use, so I'm thinking about some clear lacquer, but, that might become too slippery...... but then again, I wonder how much it will really get used? :huh: :dunno:

Thoughts?

Cheers!
 
The first one looks real nice but I expect that it's shape would be kind of tough on the hand and wrist after a few minutes of use. The second one is a real classic and looks great as well.
Nice work Stu.:thumb:
 
The classic finish for workin' tools was always a hardening oil, never applied till it built up any film, just enough to toughen & seal the wood. Film finishes tend to flake with use & get uncomfortable, besides being slick in the paw.

If ya figure it'll be more of a showdriver, though... a lacquer will be a nice show finish for it... even if it sees a little use, the laquer will stand up to more of it than about any other finish I know of.
 
The classic finish for workin' tools was always a hardening oil, never applied till it built up any film, just enough to toughen & seal the wood. Film finishes tend to flake with use & get uncomfortable, besides being slick in the paw.

If ya figure it'll be more of a showdriver, though... a lacquer will be a nice show finish for it... even if it sees a little use, the laquer will stand up to more of it than about any other finish I know of.

Tim any particular brand of hardening oil you would recomend?
 
Pretty ordinary BLO does a fine job. Back before BLO was a reality, them's as liked to really take care of their tools would use raw linseed & wait (and wait and wait) for it to harden. BLO shortened that down to a few days.

If ya want a little more boost to it, Watco does a nice job 'long as you don't overdo it & end up with a film.

Unfinished was historically a problem 'cause the porcupines'd gnaw on the handles to get the sweaty-hands salt. That problem still exists where folks leave tools outdoors & porcupines cruise the 'hood.
 
The classic finish for workin' tools was always a hardening oil, never applied till it built up any film, just enough to toughen & seal the wood. Film finishes tend to flake with use & get uncomfortable, besides being slick in the paw.

If ya figure it'll be more of a showdriver, though... a lacquer will be a nice show finish for it... even if it sees a little use, the laquer will stand up to more of it than about any other finish I know of.

Thanks Tim, I may very well just go with a couple of coats of rattle can lacquer.

What wood did you use on the first one?

The first one is a bit of wood from my logging in Tokyo adventure, it is called Japanese Evergreen Oak, the tree was sick, hence the neat coloring, but the wood is a bit too soft I think.

Cheers!
 
Nice.
But, that's the least of it.
You jig ingenious guys get a tip 'o the hat from me.
Not only can I not think up stuff like that, half the time I don't understand when pictures are posted.
Very clever.
 
Nice.
But, that's the least of it.
You jig ingenious guys get a tip 'o the hat from me.
Not only can I not think up stuff like that, half the time I don't understand when pictures are posted.
Very clever.

Thanks Frank, but I did not think this one up, I just built it, I believe this is a very old design, been around for a while, it uses the indexing on the lathe to make the flutes in just the right spot. my DVR has only 24 index positions, I wish it has more, but hey, I could always make an indexing wheel to get more than 24 positions :rolleyes: :D

Or is that a sideways S with an A? That makes sense. I like it. :thumb:

The man wins a cigar! :thumb:
 
Bit late picking up on this one, nothing like the satisfaction of making up a usable bit of kit, on the finishing front I use a Hard Wax Oil these days for tool handles.
Don't know if it would be of use though on something that has already had a sealer applied, oils should be able to soak into the wood to form a deep bond.

The brand I use is Chestnuts hard Wax Oil but I suspect that there must be other brands around your part of the world.

The Hard waxes provide good moisture and wear resistance and gloss level can be regulated with coat numbers.
 
Did the screwdriver blade have "fins" (I'm sure that there is a real name for them; I don't know it.)?

How did you insert the blade into the handle?
I have a Snap-On Phillips blade. It is an excellent blade. However, the handle just flaked away over time. I keep thinking about mounting it in a wooden handle. It has two "wings," "fins," "mini biscuits" or whatever they are called. I cannot envision drilling a hole and forcing the blade in because of the biscuits.

I wondered about cutting the handle in half, lengthwise and carving out biscuit slots and gluing the handle back together. Unless the handle was turned after the blade was inserted I would think the handle would look crude because of the material removed by the BS (or whatever) blade.

The net result of all of this pondering is a blade that is too good to throw away...a blade that still does not have a handle after 2-3 years.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
Jim you can surely use that blade, don't toss it.
Lets say the round part of the blade is 1/4" and the total width of the wings and round part is 1/2" yeah, that would be a bit much to pound into a hole in the handle. How about this, grind the wings down until they are say 5/16" and make the wings sharp on the edges, then drill your hole a loose 1/4" and put some 5 min epoxy in there then pound the blade home, or you could even use a clamp ans some blocks to press it home if you like, take a block about 3/4 the length of the blade that will be sticking out of the handle, drill a hole big enough that you can stick the widest part of the blade into the hole, then clamp on that, this way the block will not go shooting off across the shop.

for sure you can use that blade, I've made over half a dozen of these screwdrivers now, in fact my go to screwdriver in the dungeon is one I made, it gets used a lot and the blade is still firmly in the handle, no wings, just a slightly undersized hole, and some epoxy.

Cheers!
 
I totally missed this thread. Nice work on the screw drivers Stu!

Our HS Metals and Plastics class we had to forge our own straight blade screw driver, then shape a handle. We used the plastic screw driver handle stock, but turned it on the lathe to cut the profile, it already had the grooves in it. For ours we drilled a hole in the handle stock, then had to heat the blade and push it into place while red hot, no gluing. Not sure most college/technical schools today would have their students do it this way for fear of injuries, let alone HS students.
 
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