seating hex shank tool

[Zach England]

Has anyone ever tried seating a tool tip (like from an interchangeable screwdriver) into a wood handle? I have a split nut driver and a few countersinks and I'd like to put them on handles like the Lie-Niselsen ones but I don't want to have to use any other metal parts.

Can i just drill a 1/4 inch hole on my lathe and just jam the bit in there, letting the wood conform the the hex shape? I do have some ferrules I can use on the ends.

[Bob Strawn]

Has anyone ever tried seating a tool tip (like from an interchangeable screwdriver) into a wood handle? I have a split nut driver and a few countersinks and I'd like to put them on handles like the Lie-Niselsen ones but I don't want to have to use any other metal parts.

Can i just drill a 1/4 inch hole on my lathe and just jam the bit in there, letting the wood conform the the hex shape? I do have some ferrules I can use on the ends.

Here is how I did it.

I drilled a hole and ground a tool for cutting the corners out. Note the relief on the side opposite the long cutting edge. More of a scraper than a cutter at this blade angle.



By tapping it in, pulling it out, rotating it and then tapping it in, you can make a nice hexagonal hole.



This is how I made my carving gauges. They are sort of a cross between a slitting gauge and an OWT. I use them constantly.



Bob

[Zach England]

Thanks. Those are neat. Did you just grind down an allen wrench to make the tool?

[Bob Strawn]

Yep, I ground down a hex shank. You can take a 1/4" hex drive tool of the longer sort and make one of these that will be an exact fit.

Bob

[Dominic Greco]

Yes,....yes I did.



And I did exactly what you are describing. But I used epoxy to help hold the shaft securely.

And I used a piece of copper pipe for the ferrule.

In retrospect I wish I had embedded the hex shank a bit more. It's just a tad too long for comfort.

[Bob Strawn]

I like it Dominic! Long can have advantages at times however. You probably need a second one.




I have made a few screwdrivers this way and tested a wide range of quick release bit holders.

The best bit holder, no question about it, is the Fast Cap Taper Lock.



It will lock onto a regular bit, a dimpled bit and a quick release bit with a solid no wobble connection. Because of the tapered octagonal wooden handle and the Taper Lock, I seriously think that the one shown above, by the mechanical pencil, is the best screwdriver I have ever held.

Bob

[Zach England]

I am trying to make some where I bypass the bit holder and mount the bit directly in the wood. I suppose it would work the same way.
basically, I want to reproduce the Lie-Nielsen countersink and split nut driver, but I want to have a fixed handle on each bit.