dancrane
Well-known member
I was in the garage looking at how far I'd got making the outboard bracket, and remembering how frustrating it had been, swapping between large and small drill-bits for pilot holes and main holes, then again for countersink, flathead and crosshead screw-bits. I was thinking it would be smart to get another drill...
...when for some reason I remembered James May on his show 'The Reassembler', where he proudly displayed the pre-electric solution to rapidly driving in screws.
I had a look at whether anyone still makes the clever, spring-loaded 'Yankee' screwdriver which uses a telescopic shaft to convert downward pressure into rotation at the business end. I found that Silverline make a replica, but the reviews are not uniformly favourable. Then I found an original, very clean Stanley for sale; and now it's mine.
It is magnificent! It's also enormous...42cm long retracted, 62cm maximum. (Let's keep responses non-carnal, please?) I couldn't find a record of a model in that size, so I can't tell which it is. Does anybody know how old it might be?
In the first five minutes after opening the box, I had made two loony mistakes...
...firstly, I hadn't guessed that when I twisted the knurled end, the chuck would come bombing out with enormous speed and force, eight inches from the end, like something abattoir-staff use to dispatch cattle...SWMBO screamed and I nearly needed dentistry. Then, out of curiosity, I began unscrewing the back end, thinking the handle might contain a void in which to house the big crosshead and flathead bits that the vendor kindly included...
...it's beautifully made and the big screw took a good few turns to remove...then there was a musical twang, and something like the Alien foetus sprang out and bounded round the sitting room for a while. With more hope than skill, I used a narrow aluminium rod, narrower than the spring, to guide the spring back into the handle...and I'm relieved to say it all now works again as it should.
I'll probably get another Bosch cordless anyway, for pilot-holes and countersinking. But I think the Yankee screwdriver is the best tool I've ever had.
Is there a particular grease or oil to use (or to avoid) for the working section?
Any other fans out there?
Thanks for reading.
...when for some reason I remembered James May on his show 'The Reassembler', where he proudly displayed the pre-electric solution to rapidly driving in screws.
I had a look at whether anyone still makes the clever, spring-loaded 'Yankee' screwdriver which uses a telescopic shaft to convert downward pressure into rotation at the business end. I found that Silverline make a replica, but the reviews are not uniformly favourable. Then I found an original, very clean Stanley for sale; and now it's mine.
It is magnificent! It's also enormous...42cm long retracted, 62cm maximum. (Let's keep responses non-carnal, please?) I couldn't find a record of a model in that size, so I can't tell which it is. Does anybody know how old it might be?
In the first five minutes after opening the box, I had made two loony mistakes...
...firstly, I hadn't guessed that when I twisted the knurled end, the chuck would come bombing out with enormous speed and force, eight inches from the end, like something abattoir-staff use to dispatch cattle...SWMBO screamed and I nearly needed dentistry. Then, out of curiosity, I began unscrewing the back end, thinking the handle might contain a void in which to house the big crosshead and flathead bits that the vendor kindly included...
...it's beautifully made and the big screw took a good few turns to remove...then there was a musical twang, and something like the Alien foetus sprang out and bounded round the sitting room for a while. With more hope than skill, I used a narrow aluminium rod, narrower than the spring, to guide the spring back into the handle...and I'm relieved to say it all now works again as it should.
I'll probably get another Bosch cordless anyway, for pilot-holes and countersinking. But I think the Yankee screwdriver is the best tool I've ever had.
Is there a particular grease or oil to use (or to avoid) for the working section?
Any other fans out there?
Thanks for reading.