The Woodshop Shed

4-Axis Wera Style Screwdriver

Furnished content.
(from Lumberjocks.com)


After experimenting with several shapes for screwdriver handles, I finally settled on one that resembles the Wera screwdrivers. This was pretty easy to do by simply marking the proportions with a piece of tape on the tool rest where the lobes needed to be. I made one for a gift to a friend last year (2nd picture, massaranduba) but I decided I wanted to try making one that was not perfectly round to get an even better grip. I decided to try to use the same shape on a 4-axis turning—1 centered and 3 offset (5th picture). I tried to do this free hand with the tape markers on the tool rest but getting the depth uniform on all 3 sides was tough. After several failed attempts it hit me that I needed a template so I had a buddy help me weld a flat bar to a a round post for a custom tool rest and I made a template that I can screw down to it. I clamped a dowel to a carbide tool to follow the template (4th picture) and got what I think is a very comfortable shape. The first picture is the result. The template makes it really quick to get a consistent shape, not only on each axis but it should make it easier to get the same shape on multiple screwdrivers. It was made from Bradford pear using a multi-bit kit from Woodcraft and finished with Tried and True varnish oil which is my go-to finish for handles and tools. I made this one as a bonus item for the 2019 Spring Surprise Swap.

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