final hinge installation

Re: final hinge installation

Larry Clinton At Frankfort, (Central) Indiana

Bill, I have 2 different sets of Gun Smith screwdrivers. They have various width and thickness of insert blades and can be ground to perfectly fit any screw. I have used them on some woodworking projects.

Amazon carries them: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gunsmith+screwdriver+set&crid=1I5OOBRBQ1X94&sprefix=gunsmith+%2Caps%2C189&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_5_9

Wera or Wiha make ergonomic screwdrivers

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Wera Kraftform, which I have, advertise ..

"Lasertip micro-rough drive tip bites into the fastener to ensure a perfect fit and reduce cam-out effect"

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: final hinge installation

David Yoho

I have a set of the Grace screwdrivers I bought specifically for slotted head screws. I've never had an issue with the shape of the handles but I get your point and you've come up with a good solution.

Re: final hinge installation

Barry Irby

I have taken a worn out Phillips screw driver with a handle I like and ground it to a slotted one. By clamping a piece of wood across it as an index you can hollow grind both sides and get the tip very square. With a little care you can get a fit that will actually hold the screw. And, you can grind the corners off to match the conical shape of the head. It's been a long time, but my recollection is it was easier than it sounds.

I have also made some small lathe tools from old screwdrivers.

And a question....what is bandsaw lube? I have been using paraffin.

Screwdriver ergonomics

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Many screwdriver handles are shaped to deliver large torque, a feature unimportant to diving brass hinge screws. The largely square handles of the Grace drivers, I am sure, are essential to loosen a tight screw in a gun mechanism, but not so useful for woodworking. Square and oval profiles are good for torque, an unimportant factor in brass screw driving. These profiles are not ergonomically attractive for routine driving. They require a fixed counter clockwise rotation about the handle to prepare for another drive deeper.

For example, the task is installing the door on the cabinet. Door in one hand, screw driver in the other, ideally with screw stuck on its end. I can't readily drive a screw with the Grace drivers with one hand. The largely square profile of the handle prevents my hand from reversing my grip to make another turn of the screw. The handle makes this driver a two handed task. With a round profile I can work my fingers counterclockwise to enable another turn of the screw.

Even if both hands are available the square profile makes the re-grip after turning inconvenient. For years I have pestered Lee Valley to offer a perfect driver for cabinet work. There answer was the ergonomically inconvenient Grace and some oval handled affairs even worse than the Grace. I have asked Blue Spruce to consider design of an ideal screw driver for brass screws.

Re: final hinge installation

Philip F Duffy

Yes! I too am asking; Bandsaw lube?? P.

Re: Screwdriver ergonomics

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

Bill, I have a set of old Marples flat head screwdrivers. These are supplemented with Philips heads I made up from handles at Lee Valley.

The Marples are a classic design, with slightly oval heads.

I modified the heads by hollow grinding on the bench grinder ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: final hinge installation

Larry Barrett

I use a Lee Valley Rolgear Bit Driver for the ergonomics

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/screwdrivers/drivers/70725-rolgear-bit-driver

and a bit from a multi-bit set like this one (there are many similar ones) because it is easy to find one that fits perfectly.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/screwdrivers/sets/70158-the-99-piece-not-so-common-bit-set

The near perfect screw driver combination

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/hand-tools/screwdrivers/drivers/70725-rolgear-bit-driver

I regard this Lee Valley driver as the best ergonomics of any screw driver I own. Now how to get the Grace driver end for it. Solution:

Magna-Bits available at Brownwell gun smithing supplies. These gun smithing bits come in every imaginable size. I will be ordering sizes to perfectly fit #2 through #6 screws.

Grace USA.....

roger lance

Bill......A few years ago, I was looking locally for some Grace screwdrivers for gunsmithing and was unable to find a store that was selling Grace. So, I called them.....they are in a small town near Traverse City, Michigan......they were so helpful.....sent me what I wanted without having me pay for the order until after I had their drivers in my hand.....I was amazed a company in today's world would do such a thing.

Maybe, if you called and explained what you wanted, they might be able to turn some round handles for you. Maybe worth a try.

better yet

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

send the shafts and I will add the handle.

However Grace mounts handles I have been unable to get one off to explore making a handle of my preference.

well, not so perefect

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Only one of the Magna bits is perfect, the one for #6. Others for #2 to #4 close and I can hone to make work.

One wonders????

Barry Irby

I gather you bought several driver bits and one of them fit perfectly and the others did not.

Wonder how perfectly the screws are made? Will the next box or brand of screws have slots truly identical to the ones you are test fitting now? If you are trying to achieve a friction fit I suspect the slots in the screws will vary enough to negate it from batch to batch.

Might be good to have a few spare drivers on hand you can fit to match. n OTOH, a box of a hundred brass screws might be a life time supply.

No

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I looked for driver bit of the size needed to perfectly fit slots in #2 to #6 screws and only got one perfect match. These bits are for machine screws and I am proposing to use them on wood screws.

The Grace wood screw #4 and #6 drivers well-fit all the #4 and #6 brass and steel screws I own and I own a bunch of them from different sources.