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Jeff Frieburg
04-20-2009, 7:16 PM
Hi all.

I'm in need of good quality "woodworking" (whatever that means to anybody) screwdrivers - flat and phillips - and looking for recommendations. My criteria are this: hardened tips that hold their egdes well, a good "feel" in the hand, aesthetically pleasing, and heirloom quality. Any ideas?

Jim Nardi
04-20-2009, 8:07 PM
LV sells some really nice ones. Made in Japan.

Jeff Willard
04-20-2009, 8:07 PM
The only ones that I am aware of that are made specifically for woodworking are manufactured, IIRC, by Crown and are available from The Best Things. I'm sure there are other suppliers selling them, but that's the only one I can think of off the top of my head. They have a cabinet tip and the flat on the shank for the application of a pair of pliers. They are all for slotted screws. I don't believe that I have ever seen a Phillips driver made specifically for woodworking. I use Craftsman-got boxes full of 'em.

Marc Casebolt
04-20-2009, 8:14 PM
Not sure about woodworking specific, but Klien (Klein?) screwdrivers are the best ones I have ever used. They fit all of your criteria, and are available at a reasonable price.

Marc

glenn bradley
04-20-2009, 9:26 PM
Maybe these but I have no experience with them: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21412&filter=screwdriver

David Gendron
04-20-2009, 10:17 PM
Glenn, these screw drivers look great and with a goog warenty to top it!
Thank you for the info!
David

george wilson
04-20-2009, 10:18 PM
Brownell's sells sets of gunsmith's screwdrivers that have magnetic interchangable tips,if you want screwdrivers that won't mar the screw slots.

David Gendron
04-20-2009, 10:19 PM
I also remember, LN make beautiful screw drivers!

Bruce Haugen
04-20-2009, 10:35 PM
Marc says: Not sure about woodworking specific, but Klien (Klein?) screwdrivers are the best ones I have ever used. They fit all of your criteria, and are available at a reasonable price.


I've gotta second this. I've got a bunch of Klein stuff, pliers, cutters, screwdrivers, and it's all top-drawer. Most electricians won't use anything else. I work at a public utility, and that's all our linemen use.

Bruce

Bill Houghton
04-20-2009, 10:39 PM
Most electricians won't use anything else [than Klein]

Funny about tool traditions in different trades. I've heard the same from other electricians, but when I fixed cars for a living, the senior mechanics universally swore by Snap-On screwdrivers.

Scott Stafford
04-20-2009, 11:01 PM
I have the Lee Valley Japanese made screwdrivers. While they're still not my ideal drivers, they're the best I've been able to find with all three styles... flat, phillips, and square drive. I don't like plastic or rubber handled screwdrivers as they seem to blister my hands quicker.

Scott in Montana

John Gornall
04-20-2009, 11:10 PM
We use Bondhus drivers in our shop - they last forever. Bondhus also markets Felo in North America - good German drivers.
No slot or philips allowed - only square drive thanks.

george wilson
04-20-2009, 11:13 PM
My actual wood screw drivers are Marples I bought back in 1965.They have boxwood handles.Now,you only get beech. The Brownell's aren't my idea of artistic,but they have hollow ground tips to save your valuable gun screws(and wood screws,too.)

Scott T Smith
04-20-2009, 11:27 PM
I've owned or used many of the major brands listed on this string, and if I could only have one it would be the Snap-On ratcheting screwdriver. If I could have more than one I'd add the non-ratcheting Snap-on's to the list.

Klein makes some great tools, but I find the Snap-on's to be more comfortable in my hands.

Bruce Haugen
04-21-2009, 12:24 AM
Bill,
I think that Snap-On rules the mechanics because the tools are sold from trucks that go right to the shops. And yes, they are darn good tools. I was having a problem fixing my bike (old wing) and needed an inside, right-angle snap-ring pliers. The only one that worked was a Snap-On. $15 did the trick in ten seconds, which I'd been trying to do for two days.

I've been to a bunch of gun shops, too, and as George says, the gunsmiths sure seem to like Brownells.

Bruce

Doug Shepard
04-21-2009, 7:44 AM
I'm still looking for a good similar Phillips set but the type Woodcraft currently has on clearance http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=148105&FamilyID=20354
work great for slotted screws. I think the set I have is a 6 piece but I dont recall where I got them.

george wilson
04-21-2009, 9:10 AM
Why must a person use"authentic" screwdrivers to put in non authentic screws? I try to avoid Phillips screws like the plague. I know slotted screws are getting hard to get.I'd get them while you still can.You can take the plating right off them by putting several into a cup.Pour in muriatic acid.Takes a few minutes for the fizzing to stop,and you have unplated screws. Killing the acid with baking soda and water needs to be done at once. I generally kill the acid,and to make sure it's gone,heat the screws to a spring blue color. On the Queen's box,and David Brinkleys compass,I used these blued screws with brass hinges.It is the authentic way to do it. They didn't use brass wood screws in the 18th.C. on small hinges,as the brass was cast,and would wring off.I thought this looked peculiar when I first came to Wiliamsburg,but that is what they did because it was practical for them.

Later,cold rolled brass was available,so small brass screws started being available.

David Keller NC
04-21-2009, 9:33 AM
All - you can remove the ugly zinc plating on steel hardware (chest handles, hinges, screws, etc...) with citric acid. Just about any acid, both strong and weak, will work, of course, as zinc is highly reactive. However, the advantage to citric is that it's readily available, completely safe (it won't burn you if you splash it on your skin, and the fumes won't burn your sinuses and lungs like muriatic (hydrocholoric) fumes can), and, probably most importantly, won't react with the underlying steel, so you don't have to watch the reaction. It also is a good deal faster than acetic acid, since it's tough to come by any other strength of acetic other than vinegar, which is about 2%, and a bit too weak (and slow) for my tastes.

I did this to a bunch of elcheapo zinc-plated steel chest hardware from Lowe's last week - I was building a set of three molding plane chests out of white pine, and it seemed out of place to blow $85 each on nice brass hardware. I played around with the concentration of citric, but found that about 2 teaspoons in a pint of hot tap water was effective at removing all of the zinc plating on a handful of the plated hardware in about 20 minutes.

I ran four batches of the de-plating operation, and did have one set that must've had a very thck zinc coating on it, as the first citric bath almost, but not quite, removed all of the zinc, leaving behind some splotches. This was also pretty easy to remedy - I threw in one additional teaspoon and waited another 15 minutes, and was down to bare steel.

Jeff Willard
04-21-2009, 11:50 AM
Highly concentrated forms of acetic acid are available from photo dealers that handle darkroom supplies. Look for glacial acetic acid stop bath. I don't remember the exact concentration, but it is potent. The fumes will burn your nose. Can be diluted to whatever concentration is desired.

Jeff Frieburg
04-22-2009, 7:38 AM
Thanks all for your input(s). I'll look into those recommendations and hopefully there will be a new set of woodshop screwdrivers in my future.

Izzy Camire
04-22-2009, 3:37 PM
Brownell's sells sets of gunsmith's screwdrivers that have magnetic interchangable tips,if you want screwdrivers that won't mar the screw slots.

I have this set they are great screwdrivers. They hold when you are trying to get something apart.

Thomas Crawford
04-22-2009, 5:24 PM
I use Wiha - German made, very precise.