Oh, what have I done?

7/31/04, 10:07 PM #1

Richard Gillespie
Guest

Oh, what have I done?

Richard Gillespie

>I�ve hated slotted screws ever since I started woodworking. They were an inferior, primitive design so far as I was concerned. Every time I tried to work with them the screwdriver would cam out and I�d usually tear up the adjacent wood.

I inherited my father�s tools and collection of hardware. Included in that were pounds of slotted screws. Those screws are now in the local landfill.

Last week, I bought on Ebay, a 1986 edition of Fine Woodworking�s �on Hand Tools�. The last reprint date on it is August 1996. In it is an article by Michael Podmaniczky on

Sharpening Screwdrivers. As is intimated in the article, the problem with slotted screws is the taper put on the modern, slotted screwdriver. That taper on the blade causes the cam out problem with the screw. The proper way to use slotted screws is with a round shaft screwdriver, bevel ground to exactly fit into the screw in both length and width. That means you should have a set of screwdrivers ground to match all the screws you use. Light bulbs started going off in my head as I read that article.

I�ve seen some examples of round shaft, slotted screw drivers beveled ground as the article describes and thought that they were rather curious looking. Now I know they are the correct style and everything else is wrong. To think, some future archeologist will dig up that large clump of slotted screws and wonder why they were thrown out.

I look forward to grinding a or a set of screwdrivers to match and see how much of an improvement I get.

Re: Oh, what have I done?

7/31/04, 10:34 PM #2

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia
Woodwright
Offline
979 posts

Registered: 12/30/03

Re: Oh, what have I done?

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>That's a shame. I've heard funiture restorers are always looking for a source of unplated steel woodscrews. They are hard to find. New ones are cad plated and junk. JR

Re: Oh, what have I done?

8/1/04, 2:34 AM #3

RJ Whelan
Guest

Re: Oh, what have I done?

RJ Whelan

>Richard .... the style in which I work just doesn't look right with Phillips or square drive screws. I buy pounds of screws whenever I find them at swaps and flea markets and sort out the slots that will be useable for my work. I hope my rejects don't end up in the same landfill as yours - that might really confuse the future antiquarian.

My screwdrivers are ground as you describe. In my case I just did them the way my grandfather taught me - so much of my woodworking practices are based on blind faith in grandpa's wisdom ... rj

Re: Oh, what have I done?

8/2/04, 8:52 AM #4

paul womack
Guest

Re: Oh, what have I done?

paul womack

>I find that as long as the tip of the screwdriver is neat and square, cam-out isn't a problem.

When I say "square" I mean square going on SHARP (albeit obtuse) edges.

It's also important to keep the screwdriver "in line" (co-axial) with the screw. This keeps the tip in the slot. This is actually rather hard to do while twisting your wrist. The classic solution is a long blade, which reduces the errors caused by mispositioning of your hand.

The BEST solution (IME) is a screwdriver bit in a 8" sweep brace, or (more conveniently in the modern age) a 1/4" hex adapter in a 8" sweep brace, used with normal (made for power) screwdriver bits.

BugBear

Re: Oh, what have I done?

8/2/04, 12:01 PM #5

David Miller
Guest

Yup *LINK*

David Miller from Iowa

>Second the bit brace approach. The square shanked screwdriver bits were made solely for driving wood screws and they have the requisite shape/size, plus you can bear down much better.

I just picked up three nice bits of various sizes (along with a couple countersinks) at the Retool Store in Minneapolis. For those how aren't familiar, it's a used tool store franchised by the Play it Again Sports people. They had a bin full of brace bits for $1 each (too much for the auger bits but not for the specialty bits) and with a little rummaging I found some good stuff.

I have also bought some choice vintage handsaws at this place, but have bever found a decent plane - it's mostly power tools.

Retool locations

Re: Oh, what have I done?

8/2/04, 12:30 PM #6

Alice Frampton, UK
Guest

Ah, the good old brace dodge

Alice Frampton, UK

>Only this morning I had the pleasure of rescuing my Dad from "Stuck Screw Won't Budge Horror". There he was getting nowhere with the longest screwdriver he could find, the cordless demons both having baulked. "Got a bit holder?" sez I. "Where've you hidden that brace you borrowed?". Put 'em togther and Bingo! Out she came like a lamb. Talk about Torque... A small revenge for the number of jars he's opened for me in the past with a smirk on his face ;~)

A long way round to say; I agree with BB.

Cheers, Alf

Oh, what have I done?

Posts