Turning a wood handle to use for a screwdriver is a great project. The result is that you get a lovely wood handle in your choice of woods. It's easy to do by using the insides of the readily available plastic handled screwdrivers available at most hardware or large home improvement stores!
In this photo tutorial, Richard shows us how he designs, lays out and turns handles to fit the Lee Valley screwdriver shanks.
The end result of this project is a 3-piece set of screwdrivers. And Lee Valley makes these 3-piece shank sets available in slotted, Phillips and square tips.
Richard does a great job of explaining his thought process and how he figures out the size and shape for his handles. He then explains how to efficiently make all 3 pieces using a single piece of wood using a story board. Richard also provides a couple of alternatives for drilling the holes to hold the shaft. He then explains his turning process and his unique finishing process!
Richard also provides a diagram of the handles that he designed and his story board to get you started in making your own set.
Making a screwdriver with a custom handle is a project so easy and useful that every turner should make one. You can use anything from highly figured stock to common shop scraps. To jazz it up, we laminated a turning blank from maple and cherry. And, with a double-ended bit (source included in the article) in each end of a reversible shaft, you’ll always have the right tip for the job at hand.
In this project, you can read about all the steps that are needed to make a wood handle and insert the screwdriver components into it. Even though there are no pictures, it's pretty easy to understand what they mean and to be able to do it yourself.
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