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Screwdriver Kit -- pretty fun project

nuhobby

Hello,

I have turned quite a few wood pens in the last year, and recently I tried the new multi-bit screwdriver, specifically this kit:

http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PKSDK4.html

Mine ended up very close to the one pictured in the link. The kit is marked as 'made in Taiwan', and I thought the quality was very good. The finished screwdriver was noticeably heavier than the other plastic-handled 4-bit screwdrivers I have, and that makes for a very pleasant-to-handle driver.

I found the SS Lathe Screw Center, Tailstock Live Center, and Tailstock Chuck Arbor to be well-suited to this project.

Happy Woodworking,

charlese

Thanks for the heads up Chris, concerning these tools and toys. I've been puzzling on things to make for gifts this coming season. The Screwdrivers really hit the spot for our mechanically inclined relatives and friends. Looks like fun!

nuhobby

OK, maybe this small result didn't ENTIRELY justify all the time I spent on it....

I found (in a trash-bin) a poplar carcass/jig of some sort at work. I got it home and realized it MIGHT make that router jig that's been rolling around in my mind. That is -- something to "flute" my next wooden screwdriver.

The jig DID fit on the Mark V way-tubes after a little work. It DID slide nice. It DID nicely accept a PC690 router after I assembled the router backward in the base. And the universal Shopsmith Vise and Sanding Disc DID make a nice easy indexing system.

So here's the photos -- after a day of rest I will sand and finish this guy.

P.S. I altered the screwdriver assembly sequence to glue in the metal shank before the turning work was all done. This made it firmer when it was only supported on one end for the fluting operation. (I wouldn't want to do much longer of a workpiece without getting support on the other end.)

Have a nice week!

Router Jig on Way Tubes.jpg

Reuse of old Miter Hold Down.jpg

Cheap Indexor.jpg

Final Tenon and Parting work.jpg

Ready for Finishing.jpg

regnar

Nuhobby,

I like your ideal but I have seen a few accidents with routers. I don't want to sound like your mom but be careful. 30,000 rpm isnt something to mess around with. You can easily build or buy a nice router holder. Here is a link for buying http://www.k2cnc.com/shop/products.asp?cat=31 Either way have some safe fun with the new jig. Something to also think about is live tooling lathe functions. Brings a whole new level of Turning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ7NYL0HnsQ

wlhayesmfs

I have had one of the router lathes in a box for sometime and have never used it yet. But after watching Youtube I am think I might set up a place and put it to use. Thanks for the site.

You never stop learning from this bunch not matter what the subject.

Worked on a Noahs Ark for my granddaughers Christmas to day was nice to set the two MKV's up and make some sawdust, Will let you see it when it is done and see what you all think

thanks

grouser

Very clever!!!! I like people that take time and come up with there own jigs to get the job done

nuhobby

Hi again,

You know -- there are a couple of Sears router-crafter jigs on the used market not far from here. I may well get one some day. Looks fascinating....

As for the jig I made myself, thanks for the cautions. I did go very very carefully and that router is mounted in an extremely stout way, surrounded with a wood cage. I also used quite light cuts to flute my screwdriver, such that the router really didn't even change speed. All this being said-- it's a very specialized jig that I'll only use for 1 or 2 types of tasks. In fact it is so specialized that it works smoothly on my model 500 way-tubes but tends to bind on my 510 way-tubes. This is because I fine-filled the 'coves' on the bottom of the jig to exactly match the way-tube contours. (I filled the coves with J-B Quik while the way-tubes were protected with 1 ply of wax-paper.)

By the way, also looking forward to getting the OPR I have on order!

edflorence

Hi Nu...

I Like the way you used the sanding disk as an indexing jig. I have often wondered why SS didnt offer a pre-drilled disk for just this purpose. The disk could have a few concentric circles of holes with say one circle having holes spaced every 10 degrees and another circle with holes at 15 degree intervals. The indexing pin would be mounted to the tubes and could slide somehow to allow acess to all the holes. I have even thought about buying a disk and having a local machine shop drill out the holes and then rigging some kind of index pin myself. Up to this point, though, this project has been one of those "maybe later" ones. Seeing the way you used the sanding disk reminded me of it. Seems like it would be a pretty easy accessory for SS to manufacture and I would certainly be tempted to purchase one from them if they did offer such a jig.

BTW...the screwdrivers came out great! Thanks for posting the pix.

bobgroh

The big kicker in this thread was in finding Penn State Industries - boy, what a neat bunch of fun ideas and kits - pretty inexpensive too!! Bookmarked them for a future visit.

Thanks for the idea(s)!

Bob Groh, Kansas City, MO.

grouser

bobgroh wroteThe big kicker in this thread was in finding Penn State Industries - boy, what a neat bunch of fun ideas and kits - pretty inexpensive too!! Bookmarked them for a future visit.

Thanks for the idea(s)!

Bob Groh, Kansas City, MO.

YES TO FUN,,,,get a few pen/pencil kits and you will never throw away a piece of wood that is larger than 3/4 x3/4 x 3 ever again!!!! They are VERY easy to make,,,,very NICE gift, and you can go from start to finish in just a short time.

nuhobby

Hi,

I've made a total of 3 of these for gifts to "handymen" I know. Here are my comments:

- The heavier the wood, the nicer the screwdriver! These have a balance that feels luxurious.

- For nice dense woods with beautiful grain, I like a basic bulbous handle. For plainer or lighter woods, I like fluting features in the wood.

- I've done 2 Penn State kits and one similar Rockler kit. The Penn State has more detailed assembly drawings and spec's. The Penn State also provides for the likelihood that you'll have a hole all the way through the wood -- they provide a brass top-cap to cover such a hole. The Rockler kit doesn't have a top-cap so you have to be pretty careful when setting your boring depth stops.

Happy Woodworking!

hoagie

I put together two of the Rockler kits for gifts this year. They were very well received. I used Black Palm for the handles which I found a bit messy to deal with, but it yielded a superior, very hard, dense handle. Too bad I didn't take any photos before the DW wrapped them up. I could post them here. :rolleyes: