Military Hand Tools

[David Dunlop]

Two of the tools supplied for the Wireless Set No. 52 is a pair of slotted screwdrivers, (See attached photo). The background scale is 1-inch squares and the illustrations are typically very accurate.

For these two, the name 'New Perfect' shows up a lot describing a style of handle that is wooden, and a smooth, teardrop shape, not this fluted style, so I am assuming in this instance, the name is quite likely the name of the manufacturer, possibly Canadian, USA or England in the 1930's or 1940's.

I was showing these illustrations to a friend today and right off the top, he noticed a small rectangular protrusion on the lower edge of the metal collar at the base of the handle on the shorter screwdriver, and he asked if this was by chance a ratchet style screwdriver. The type with the click set "IN, NEUTRAL, OUT' switch typically in this location.

I had not noticed this detail before and it peaked my curiosity.

Were these switch controlled ratchet screwdrivers in use as military hand tools during World War Two?


David

[rob love]

Pretty sure that is just a rivet to stop the cap from sliding down. The cap is likely to prevent the wood handles from splitting.

If it was a ratcheting screwdriver, the nomenclature would have mentioned it.

[Mike Kelly]

This is the screwdriver in the NOS Canadian Chorehorse tool kit .

[David Dunlop]

There was something a bit odd about this illustration, if the screwdriver had been a ratchet design. That would have been unusual enough the Illustrator would have ensured a full face view of the three position selector switch on the collar had been clearly visible to identify the nature of the tool. The drawing was also oriented almost as an end quarter view compared to the second screwdriver that was a basic full side view.

My thanks to Rob's eye for the clarification. The short screwdriver has been built in a manner that uses a full shaft blade assembly that runs from blade tip to top of handle. fully round all the way, other than the working tip. A hole runs through the collar cap, handle and shaft with a rivet securing g the blade assembly to the handle. The head of the rivet is what the Illustrator was focusing on. It is large and easily seen. Directly opposite, on the collar cap is the end of the rivet that has been flattened to secure everything. It is not as easily seen.

Two ways of finishing off the top of the handle can be used with this production method. The simple one is to just have the end of the blade shaft terminate at the top of the handle and get varnished, or painted. The other option is to end the shaft at the bottom of a countersink in the end of the handle that gets glued and filled with a wooden plug. It seems it is this latter assembly the Illustrator was taking note of.

The longer screwdriver probably uses an alternate assembly process where the blade shaft only runs part way into the handle. On these, the end of the shaft will have a pair of flat tabs punched into the sides of it and the shaft is then pressed and glued into a hole in the handle and the collar cap applied.

Mike, that screwdriver looks a lot like the style of these two in regards to the handle shaping. Do you know the length of the blade shaft from tip to the collar cap? It is probably Tool # 400082 in the Chorehorse Kit?? It would be interesting if it was the same screwdriver posing under a completely different stock number in the supply system.


David