Homemade split nut driver

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

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June 17th, 2010 2

In response to my Toolbox column on screwdrivers, maker “Funky Space Cowboy” sent this picture and explanation of his “split nut driver:”

My favorite driver is one I made from scratch. It’s a sawmaker’s split nut driver, used in making traditional Western style hand saws.

I’ve made several of these over the years but this one is my favorite and it was gift for a friend a very talented saw maker in Stuttgart. The handle is East Indian rosewood I turned on my mini lathe, the ferrule is a 1/2″ copper pipe end cap from the hardware store that I polished and the bit itself I ground down to the correct profile from an old 1/2″ spade bit. The ‘2’ on the blade is the bottom half the 1/2 mark ;-)

Awesome job! Love the end-cap ferrule. Clever.

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