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Off Topic / Tool Idea: Hollow Ground Screwdrivers
« on: March 17, 2017, 07:48:57 PM »
Perhaps some of you are members of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America and have already seen this, but if not...
There was an article about the usefulness and value of using hollow ground screwdrivers on antique motorcycles. Hollow ground screwdrivers differ from traditional screwdrivers in that they do not taper the way a traditional screwdriver does and they are sized specifically to the screw head so that the screwdriver fits exactly within the screw slot and exactly perpundicular to the edges so that pressure is applied evenly to both sides of a slotted screw. This keeps you from camming out the screws and damaging the fasteners. Hollow ground screwdrivers, when sized properly to the fastener, also slip out of the fastener far less often than traditional screwdrivers. They are, however, much harder than a traditional screwdriver and can have the tips snapped off if over torqued. Perhaps best explained with a photo:
Gunsmiths use these sort of screwdrivers almost exclusively, so the place to go to get them is Brownell's in Iowa, a gunsmith tool supplier. They offer various sets of them made in the USA and ranging in price up to about $130 for their full set. They have what is basically a magnetic bit driver set. I decided I wanted to try them, so I bought a used set on eBay so that I could see what they were all about. They're great. Taking the time to properly size a hollow ground bit to the screw makes me slow down a little and be more careful with my projects and thus saves the original and sometimes difficult to replace fasteners from damage. Of course if something is super stuck or rusted, don't use a hollow ground screwdriver on it because you'll break it. But, if you'd otherwise be using a traditional screwdriver, try these instead. The Chapman set (where the diagram is from) is a less expensive way to get into hollow ground screwdrivers than the US made Brownell set, just FYI.
There was an article about the usefulness and value of using hollow ground screwdrivers on antique motorcycles. Hollow ground screwdrivers differ from traditional screwdrivers in that they do not taper the way a traditional screwdriver does and they are sized specifically to the screw head so that the screwdriver fits exactly within the screw slot and exactly perpundicular to the edges so that pressure is applied evenly to both sides of a slotted screw. This keeps you from camming out the screws and damaging the fasteners. Hollow ground screwdrivers, when sized properly to the fastener, also slip out of the fastener far less often than traditional screwdrivers. They are, however, much harder than a traditional screwdriver and can have the tips snapped off if over torqued. Perhaps best explained with a photo:
Gunsmiths use these sort of screwdrivers almost exclusively, so the place to go to get them is Brownell's in Iowa, a gunsmith tool supplier. They offer various sets of them made in the USA and ranging in price up to about $130 for their full set. They have what is basically a magnetic bit driver set. I decided I wanted to try them, so I bought a used set on eBay so that I could see what they were all about. They're great. Taking the time to properly size a hollow ground bit to the screw makes me slow down a little and be more careful with my projects and thus saves the original and sometimes difficult to replace fasteners from damage. Of course if something is super stuck or rusted, don't use a hollow ground screwdriver on it because you'll break it. But, if you'd otherwise be using a traditional screwdriver, try these instead. The Chapman set (where the diagram is from) is a less expensive way to get into hollow ground screwdrivers than the US made Brownell set, just FYI.
) but do have a collection of several other makes and "specialize" in the Doodle Bug Scooter. I have a personal preference for "factory correct," but can certainly appreciate something modernized and updated as well.