# YANKEE SCREWDRIVERS



## dennis (14 Jun 2008)

For the past few years I have worked for a construction firm doing maintainence,alterations and new work in a large chemical factory although they are downsizing and have already demolished several large buildings wich means less work for us,their are a lot of flameproof areas in the factory where you cannot use electric or battery tools and air tools are not always an option so I use my wheelbrace,swing brace and yankee screwdriver a lot, well this week I broke my last pozi bit so this morning I went to my local toolshop and the owner said that he has not been able to get bits for a while and that a rep had just told him that stanley have discontinued yankee screwdrivers as with the advent of battery drills there is no market for them so I would advise anyone that does use them that if you see one going cheap snap it up as I intend to one thing you dont have to worry about batteries being charged,I have been trying to find an adapter but with no success yet but will keep trying.


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## Paul Chapman (14 Jun 2008)

No problem  







Adaptors are not easy to get over here, but Lee Valley do them http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... 43417&ap=1

Also Dieter Schmidt http://www.fine-tools.com/schr2.htm (scroll down a bit)

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## dennis (14 Jun 2008)

Thanks Paul 

I will give them a try 

Dennis


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## Paul Chapman (14 Jun 2008)

Dennis,

If you need a Stanley Pozidrive bit, let me know which size screwdriver you have and which size bit you need and I'll see if I have a spare.

Cheers

Paul


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## dennis (14 Jun 2008)

Paul

Thanks for the offer I will have a good look round first I might just have one hiding somewhere as I used to have several but have also broken several as they get a lot of heavy use Iwill let you know if I get stuck thanks again.

Dennis


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## paulm (15 Jun 2008)

Tilgear do the yankee bits I think, though not adaptors.

Cheers, Paul.


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## Jeff Gorman (15 Jun 2008)

By filing the arrises from an hexagonal shanked magnetic bit adaptor and also filing a notch for the retaining spring, I've made an adaptor that fits the larger sized Yankee screwdriver.


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## Paul Chapman (15 Jun 2008)

One adaptor that is readily available in the UK is the Trend Snappy one. It's only available in one size to fit the largest Yankee, and you need another adaptor if you want to use short bits with it











Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## dennis (15 Jun 2008)

Thanks all

I should be able to sort something now, an adapter is the best way as bits are expensive and soon wear or break with the heavy use that mine get.

Cheers

Dennis


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## TheTiddles (21 Jun 2008)

Paul Chapman":29fxyik3 said:


> No problem
> 
> 
> 
> ...



What on earth do you use all those for??

Aidan


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## Paul Chapman (21 Jun 2008)

TheTiddles":3pwbvona said:


> What on earth do you use all those for??



Screwdriving usually :wink:


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## Karl (21 Jun 2008)

I took mine apart as some crud had got into the ratchet mechanism. That was 12 months ago, and I still haven't got round to re-constructing it.

Does anybody know how these things go back together?

Cheers

Karl


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## Paul Chapman (21 Jun 2008)

Hi Karl,

Here's a Stanley site that lists various spare parts for Yankee screwdrivers (click on the individual screwdrivers) http://www.stanleytoolparts.com/yankeeratcheting.html Maybe if you email them they could let you have an exploded diagram.

I've never had the pluck to dismantle mine :wink: 

Hope this helps.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Karl (21 Jun 2008)

Thanks Paul, i'll check it out.

I think i've got all the parts, just now the "krypton factor" mental power to put it back together again. But an exploded diagram would be a good starting place.....

Cheers

Karl


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## Jake (21 Jun 2008)

Paul Chapman":2utor0fc said:


> TheTiddles":2utor0fc said:
> 
> 
> > What on earth do you use all those for??
> ...



The thing you have to take into account, Tiddles, is that Paul is an octopus.


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## Derek Cohen (Perth Oz) (22 Jun 2008)

Hi Paul 

Nice collection.

I use Stanley Yankees all the time. I have a 31A (used least), a 30A, and two 35s.






I found this one on eBay a few years ago ..






Before adapters were available, I began to grind to shape some of the magnetic holders. Last year, however, I discovered that there were snap-on holders available for power drills. I have used them quite a bit, not only for my Panasonic, but also for a brace and a couple of screwdrivers I built. The scale does not show, but it is small enough to fit in the palm.

Here is one of the screwdrivers with a snap on fitting - same as yours but a lot slimmer ..






... and with a range of bits, including a birds cage awl ..






Regards from Perth

Derek


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## TheTiddles (22 Jun 2008)

Jake":2kcemojr said:


> Paul Chapman":2kcemojr said:
> 
> 
> > TheTiddles":2kcemojr said:
> ...



Well now it makes perfect sense!

Aidan


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## Paul Chapman (22 Jun 2008)

Hi Derek,

Nice collection :wink: That small, shop-made screwdriver is nice. I have one that Chisel on here made






I find it very useful and use it a lot. I don't have a lathe so I'm hoping Chisel will show me how to make one on his.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## dennis (22 Jun 2008)

The old saying was that screwdrivers were for taking screws out hammers were for putting them in

Dennis


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## digitalbot (30 Jun 2008)

When I was an apprectice in a previous life...many years ago I had the pleasure of having to dismantle and repair about 50 various types of yankees used in the shop. They are prettyeasy to do. The only thing that usually needs replacing if I remember correctly are the small shims that enable the ratchett to engage. They wear over the years and you find the ratchett over-riding itself and so not turning the bit.


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## Paul Chapman (30 Jun 2008)

digitalbot":3vq0b4gk said:


> When I was an apprectice in a previous life...many years ago I had the pleasure of having to dismantle and repair about 50 various types of yankees used in the shop. They are prettyeasy to do.



Hi digitalbot,

Any chance of a step-by-stem description of how you dismantle them? I have one where the slider for altering the direction of rotation needs replacing, but I've been a bit nervous of attempting the dismantling 8-[ 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Racers (30 Jun 2008)

Hi,

You can get parts from Stanley Tools in the USA.
http://www.stanleytoolparts.com/

I just ordered some parts for a Stanley 80 scraper plane that I found in the skip at work and they came in under a week!


Pete


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## Tom K (1 Jul 2008)

Ordered a set of adapters from Lee Valley June 24th they arrived today!
Only $32.00 US including air mail. Excellent service and nice adapters accept short magnetic and click fit bits no duty to pay ( I think because they cost less than $19) :tool: 

Regards Tom


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## dennis (1 Jul 2008)

I have ordered some just waiting for delivery now, my foreman has broken his collar bone so am getting by using his pozi bit till they come.

Dennis


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## paulm (1 Jul 2008)

Paul Chapman":23mrt6iw said:


> I don't have a lathe so I'm hoping Chisel will show me how to make one on his.
> 
> Cheers :wink:
> 
> Paul



Sure will Paul, hoping to book a few days off work in the next week or two so will let you know and we can make a few shavings  

Cheers, Paul


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## Paul Chapman (1 Jul 2008)

chisel":2eedk4yx said:


> Paul Chapman":2eedk4yx said:
> 
> 
> > I don't have a lathe so I'm hoping Chisel will show me how to make one on his.
> ...



\/ \/


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## paulm (1 Jul 2008)

Paul Chapman":3muxa0h3 said:


> chisel":3muxa0h3 said:
> 
> 
> > Paul Chapman":3muxa0h3 said:
> ...



You'll be pleased to hear that my turning is a little bit better than my sawing and dovetailing :lol: 

Cheers, Paul


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## Paul Chapman (1 Jul 2008)

:lol:


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## digitalbot (4 Jul 2008)

Any chance of a step-by-stem description of how you dismantle them? I have one where the slider for altering the direction of rotation needs replacing, but I've been a bit nervous of attempting the dismantling 8-[ 

I'll have think about it this weekend and try and post something next week. 
You'll need some degreaser, a wire brush and a clean flat surface with no holes in it or underneath ( so you dont loose the little fiddly bits ) Should take about an hour in all to strip and reassemble. 
Watch this space


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## Paul Chapman (4 Jul 2008)

Thanks, digitalbot, that will be very helpful :wink: 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## digitalbot (5 Jul 2008)

Most of the Stanleys have the same basic mechanism, just a bit bigger or smaller depending on the model. But I suppose that Stanley have economised over the years ( an understatement I think ) and some of the internals are a bit different ( I learnt this on all pre-eighties models ) but it looks like you all have mostly older models, as I do - and i'll be going by a 135A that I have.
Work on a clean, flat surface with a lightish background ( a light coloured old sheet or large cloth over a table would do ) so you can see small bits if you drop them. And have a piece of paper and a pencil handy to make notes about what goes where and what way round it is. 
First clean the extending ratchet mechanism with a wire brush and get all the muck off. If you use it for mainly woodwork it shouldn't be too bad but if it's ever encountered any metalwork and grease, they do clog up. It should pretty much shine when done. 
Then remove the tiny grub screw holding the cylindrical chrome cover onto the gear housing. Set the selector to the middle lock position. To remove the housing slide it backwards whilst depressing the tiny ridged selector button. Take it slowly because the thing is sprung slightly. You may need to depress it fully into the slot with a small screwdriver or something similar. ( If you find that the selector has gone a bit limp over the years and it's not really worn or in need of replacing, use a pair of needle nose pliers and carefully bend the sides downwards slightly along the folds that are already there to give it more resistance upwards in the slot. ) There is also a flat selector cover which sits on top of the ridged selector which should come out with it. 
Take note of the position of the "h" selector shims when the chrome cover is removed and what it all looks like for when you go to reassemble. 
Remove the "h" shaped gear selector shims. Make a note of which one goes to the top and which goes to the bottom ( although you can usually tell by looking underneath at the worn, shiny part ) If those two are very worn you can sometimes reverse them on reassembly, ie: top to bottom and vice versa and get it to work fine. 
Remove the big endcap screw from the handle and take out the big spring. The ratchett will be limp now. 
On the back of the gear housing you will see three little metal spigots that have to be removed to continue dissassembly ( well the top two do..I've never removed the bottom one. But it must do something ) Carefully drift them out. Some are stiff, some just fall out. The small one goes into the center slot and holds the two brass forward and reverse gears apart and the top one prevents the ridged locking collar from being removed. Now unscrew the ridged locking collar and slide it up the ratchett being careful because underneath it are two small ball bearings. If it's badly worn they will drop out. Now slide the brass gears up the ratchett shaft and start cleaning with whatever you use. 
At this point you may ask, "how do I get the ratchett to come apart from the handle". The short answer is i've never had to take it off because when I was doing this and getting paid ( ha! ) we had heavy-duty compressed air hoses and I just blew the rubbish out of the little housing with that. I noticed in this thread that Karl said he had stripped one down so I would be interested to hear how far he got and if he managed to get the thing apart totally. It certainly comes apart because Stanley sell the spares and you cannot replace a broken ratchett, or anything else, without doing so.
If this is a far as you need to disassemble then use a small toothbrush with cleaner/degreasent and maybe an old collet brush to get it clean in the gear housing ( fiddly but do-able ) and all the other bits. If you wash the degreaser out of the housing afterwards just let it all dry in a warm place overnight. 
The brass forward and reverse gears may need a tidy up with a needle file to sharpen up any worn edges and remove any burrs.
When everything is clean just give it all a light oil and reassemble in the reverse order. It should feel a lot smoother now when in use.  

Can't do that with a bloody 300 quid li-ion drill! 
And they don't last 40+ years!!


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## Tom K (5 Jul 2008)

Having read the thread and ordered a set of Lee Valley adapters I spotted some on the Bay so I have been waiting to see what they go for :shock: 

ebay link

I reckon auction fever took over :lol: The same buyer also got the other two sizes for £5.50 and £9.00 hope they at least combine postage  

Regards Tom


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## Paul Chapman (5 Jul 2008)

Many thanks for taking the trouble to do that description, digitalbot - I'll order the part I need and give that a go.

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## Benchwayze (5 Jul 2008)

Dennis, 

I have managed to hang onto the bits for my Yankees, as there came a time when Tennis-elbow caused me to abandon the Yankee and fit the bits into an electric drill. I think this was about ten years before the first dedicated power driver, but I doubt I'm the only one to have done this.

If you are stuck, I will check tomorrow to see if I have a spare bit, because I have two of the larger Yankees. One of them is u/s, and I am sure I didn't ever throw out the bits. 

HTH 

John


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## dennis (5 Jul 2008)

John

Thanks a lot for the offer it is much appreciated but as the adaptors are due any day now and I have use of my foremans no2 pozi bit while he has a broken collarbone I should be fine.I also have a snap-on ratchet screwdriver that I use a lot for smaller screws.

Regards

Dennis


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## dennis (11 Jul 2008)

Well the lee valley adaptors arrived today,they look good quality,I see that it says made in taiwan on the boxes.I should have no trouble if I break any bits now.

Dennis


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## Benchwayze (11 Jul 2008)

Best of luck with them Dennis. I am quite sure they will be fine. 
Not ALL Taiwanese products are U/s. 
Regards 
John


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## dennis (12 Jul 2008)

Yes John I agree, its just a pity that we dont see made in great britain on as many things now.


Dennis


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## Benchwayze (12 Jul 2008)

Agree Dennis; in fact I begin to wonder what is Great about Britain any more. Listening to conversations on the bus this last month or so, makes me realise why there are so many glum faces in the streets! 

All the best and I hope the adapters prove to be the answer. At least, after a day's work, you don't have to plug in a Yankee-Driver!

Regards
John


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## Grinding One (12 Jul 2008)

The Britt`s I knew back in the Army during my time overseas 1960`s ,Were GREAT


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## dennis (12 Jul 2008)

Grinding one

Is it true that where the brits say that something is US meaning un-serviceable, the yanks say it is GB meaning goddam busted.

Dennis


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## woodbloke (12 Jul 2008)

dennis":31n5jw4h said:


> Grinding one
> 
> Is it true that where the brits say that something is US meaning un-serviceable, the yanks say it is GB meaning goddam busted.
> 
> Dennis


I think another couple of quaint expressions from across the water are FUBAR or possibly SNAFU, both equally descriptive for somat wot's broke :lol: - Rob


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## Benchwayze (12 Jul 2008)

Rob

U/s was the term we used in the RN for something that was unserviceable or useless. Here's another 'acronym' from my Navy days;

A Sanfu

A Self-Adjusting-Naval-Foul-up!
regards
John


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## woodbloke (12 Jul 2008)

John - one does of course have to use one's imagination and substitute a more appropriate adjective (is it and adjective?...I think so) in the correct place. As my old dad was Fleet Air Arm for 25 years (hence the reason I hate it when folk refer to 'planes'... I use planes, my dad always worked on aircraft all his life) your expression was often heard when I were a lad as well :wink: :lol: As a matter of interest, Yankee screwdivers were banned in the FAA, one slip when driving a screw in the surface skin of an aeroplane and the bit went right thru'  - Rob, who's just waiting for the matelots terminology for someone in the FAA :wink:


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## Benchwayze (13 Jul 2008)

:lol:  :lol: 

HF

Fair-e-nuff Rob?

Regards
John :lol:


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## woodbloke (13 Jul 2008)

:lol: :lol: :lol: - Rob


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## Benchwayze (13 Jul 2008)

Hi Rob, 

For that feat of memory, I reckon you owe me 'sippers' at least! 

   
John


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## woodbloke (13 Jul 2008)

John - if we ever meet at a Bash or show you can have 'gulpers'...and I haven't heard those two RN terms for many a year now :lol: - Rob


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## Benchwayze (13 Jul 2008)

Rob, 
I will hold you to that promise!

'Stand Fast the Hily Ghost!'

See you at Stoneleigh I hope

Regards
John


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