# Cap iron screwdriver



## powertools (19 Jun 2020)

I think that I am bored. 
Having purchased a set of Vaunt diamond stones from ITS I have sharpened all my chisels and have quite enjoyed the process and it's now time to move on to the planes I thought it would be nice to have a screwdriver that fitted the screws . I searched through what I call my building tools and found that I had 3 of these hard a scrapers that are a perfect thickness.







After a few mins with the angle grinder I have this






It's a perfect fit and not to long.


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## powertools (19 Jun 2020)

WEll that went wrong.


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## worn thumbs (23 Jun 2020)

I use the lever cap since its always where the plane is.


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## novocaine (23 Jun 2020)

With his thumbless on this one, the lever cap is the way I was taught, that's by the by though.

Nice job on re-purposing something to a different task, give the handle a quick rub and some linseed and you'd be hard pressed to know what it was to begin with.


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## Phil Pascoe (23 Jun 2020)

Yes. I have read that it shouldn't be done, but we were taught at school to do it.


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## Bod (23 Jun 2020)

As far as I know, only one plane manufacturer advises the use of the lever cap as a screwdriver, that is WS, who put a relief into the lever cap for this purpose.
http://www.wstoolsbirmingham.com/handpl ... omponents/
Scroll down to Lever caps.

Bod


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## heimlaga (24 Jun 2020)

Judging by the number of lever caps that have had their front edges broken off from being used as screwdrivers I rekon there are very good reasons not to do it.
It is easier to make a screwdriver than to make a lever cap...... and secondhand flat screwdrivers in resharpenable condition are not very hard to find. A new Wera screwdriver is indeed affordable to most though not all of us.


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## Trainee neophyte (24 Jun 2020)

worn thumbs":38irlwix said:


> I use the lever cap since its always where the plane is.



Well, I learned from YouTube that the lever cap is the "professional" way to do it, but the cap on my plane is too thick to fit in the screw slot. It's not a very good plane, but perhaps the manufacturer is making a hint? It's entirely possible I'm doing it wrong, though.


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## MikeG. (24 Jun 2020)

Trainee neophyte":19btiz67 said:


> ........ It's entirely possible I'm doing it wrong, though.



No, I think you've been forced into doing it right. Using the lever cap as a screwdriver is a great way of ruining it.


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## Just4Fun (24 Jun 2020)

I have 2 identical cheap planes that I bought new at the same time. On one I use the lever cap as a screwdriver but on the other the lever cap is too thick. It surprises me that there can be so much variation between supposedly identical & interchangeable parts.


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## D_W (25 Jun 2020)

MikeG.":1mvjzik2 said:


> Trainee neophyte":1mvjzik2 said:
> 
> 
> > ........ It's entirely possible I'm doing it wrong, though.
> ...



This is kind of absurd. On some later planes, the lever cap is too fat to fit in the cap iron screw. 

On planes where it's not, it's a complete waste of time to haul around an extra screwdriver or hunt for one when you're sharpening. I've seen lever caps with the front edge chipped and would guess that someone tried to release a rusty screw on a long disused plane. Who knows. 

Using the lever cap on an in use plane is the practical thing to do and the only way it will come up short is if you try to find someone who has actually done that on something other than a basket case and managed to break one. 

Much like the "hollow grinds are weaker" argument or "you can never set a plane down anywhere on its sole because you'll ruin the iron", it's a case of buying suspenders because you're afraid that the belt that came with your pants may not work well enough.


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## Phil Pascoe (25 Jun 2020)

Braces, David. Suspenders are a rather different thing here.


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## D_W (25 Jun 2020)

I should've looked it up first after the last time the word pants came up, someone posted a picture of a fellow in tighty whities!

Braces go on teeth here. 

(google tells me that your suspender is our garter or sock suspender, depending on what's being suspended)


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## powertools (25 Jun 2020)

D_W":3qezmuof said:


> MikeG.":3qezmuof said:
> 
> 
> > Trainee neophyte":3qezmuof said:
> ...




Blimey bloke you need to chill.
As I said in my op I am bored and was looking for something to do in my workshop.
I am happy with it I did not say that everybody needs it.


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## D_W (25 Jun 2020)

yeah, not aimed at you. Aimed at mike's comment about what's proper and what's not - he's perpetrating old wives' tales, but you're not. 

I am by no means immune from making tools and bits just for fun either. Apologies for not making it clearer that none of that was intended toward your original post.

I'm not a fan of Chris Schwarz at all, but interesting that he more or less found the same thing (someone chewed him out for using a lever cap on the screw, and he's spent all of 20 years wondering why people offer advice that they seemingly don't know that much about). 

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/wood ... -or-is-it/

Mike has already informed me elsewhere that he knows everything about planes, but other people may benefit from practical experience.


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## MikeG. (25 Jun 2020)

D_W":2dsken85 said:


> .......Mike has already informed me elsewhere that he knows everything about planes........



Give it a rest, David. In fact, back that up with a quote if you can (you can't) or withdraw. This bickering is tiresome. I'll give you a direct quote here that you might usefully remember : I don't know everything about planes.


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## powertools (26 Jun 2020)

Well I will leave you girls to your bickering.
Photo of finished item.





After nearly 50 years of woodworking I have never had a cap iron screwdriver and never considered it to be a must have tool but out of boredom and wanting something to do I have to say that I wish I had had one years ago. 20 mins of my time and a scrap tool put to a new purpose I can only say I wish I had had it years ago it is far better than using a long screwdriver that does not fit the slot. It is also a good paint tin opening tool.


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## MikeG. (26 Jun 2020)

powertools":270tnb49 said:


> .....Photo of finished item.
> 
> .....



Are you absolutely sure?


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## D_W (26 Jun 2020)

powertools":2iefm71a said:


> Well I will leave you girls to your bickering.
> Photo of finished item.
> 
> 
> After nearly 50 years of woodworking I have never had a cap iron screwdriver and never considered it to be a must have tool but out of boredom and wanting something to do I have to say that I wish I had had one years ago. 20 mins of my time and a scrap tool put to a new purpose I can only say I wish I had had it years ago it is far better than using a long screwdriver that does not fit the slot. It is also a good paint tin opening tool.



you hit the nail on the head, perhaps accidentally. Using mis-sized screwdrivers is a far bigger pain than using the lever cap to tighten and loosen the cap iron screw. 

Early on, I bought a stubby large-blade screwdriver at home depot over here, and it worked well, but once in a while (it was stout), it wouldn't fit in a fine cap iron screw. More often, I'd placed it at the bench and I was 20 away, or i was at the bench and I'd placed it 20 feet away. It's fairly uncommon, though, that I'd go to use the plane and not have the lever cap.

as a want, the single purpose screwdriver was great. As a need - it was about as much needed as never putting a plane down on its iron (because the very thing it cuts will somehow obliterate the iron). The people who know what's "proper" (mike always seems to) are of the same type as those (LN employees) who walked up to a headley cabinet shop maker here in the states and told him he was holding a dovetail saw the wrong way.


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## powertools (26 Jun 2020)

MikeG.":1kmcmo0h said:


> powertools":1kmcmo0h said:
> 
> 
> > .....Photo of finished item.
> ...




And your problem is?


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## MikeG. (26 Jun 2020)

powertools":26l0bgmh said:


> MikeG.":26l0bgmh said:
> 
> 
> > powertools":26l0bgmh said:
> ...



:lol: =D>


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## marcros (26 Jun 2020)

Phil Pascoe":10x4q0l1 said:


> Braces, David. Suspenders are a rather different thing here.



so are pants, but ironically the two americanisms go quite well together.


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## worn thumbs (26 Jun 2020)

heimlaga":3femogmh said:


> Judging by the number of lever caps that have had their front edges broken off from being used as screwdrivers I rekon there are very good reasons not to do it.
> It is easier to make a screwdriver than to make a lever cap...... and secondhand flat screwdrivers in resharpenable condition are not very hard to find. A new Wera screwdriver is indeed affordable to most though not all of us.



Well i have to say that in over forty years of professional woodworking I have seen just about nobody using anything other than a lever cap.I'll leave you dedicated hobbyists to do it any way you like and continue to argue about it.


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## powertools (27 Jun 2020)

Well at least this thread shows that I am not the only one who is bored.
Unlike some of you I am still trying to amuse myself in my workshop while some of you are spending your time sitting at your computer.


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## MikeG. (27 Jun 2020)

powertools":1yeh826a said:


> .........Unlike some of you I am still trying to amuse myself in my workshop while some of you are spending your time sitting at your computer.



Yeah, I'm sitting around doing sweet FA.


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## D_W (29 Jun 2020)

powertools":25ook3ce said:


> Well at least this thread shows that I am not the only one who is bored.
> Unlike some of you I am still trying to amuse myself in my workshop while some of you are spending your time sitting at your computer.



who in the thread might that be? 

Mike and I dicker with each other all the time. I wouldn't guess that he's not doing something or making something all the time. You could guess the same for me, but I generally get about 15 hours a week in the shop. What I don't do is watch TV and talk about how busy I am and I "just can't get in the shop" and discuss things on the computer (due to binge watching netflix or something).


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## sploo (27 Jul 2020)

powertools":2emqodsl said:


> It is also a good paint tin opening tool.


I keep my best chisel for that.

(I'll get my coat)


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## powertools (27 Jul 2020)

D_W":3t11f4pf said:


> powertools":3t11f4pf said:
> 
> 
> > Well at least this thread shows that I am not the only one who is bored.
> ...



Not quite sure what dicker is but if both you and Mike enjoy it fair play but I don't think I will get involved.


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