91 - Planer Stand, страница 48

A Fast Action. With each push of the handle, the shaft spins several times to quickly drive screws.

the handle back to its starting position. It acts like a pogo stick. With a couple of quick pushes, you can drive a screw in a hurry.

Features. If you look at the photo below, you'll see a few other features that make this tool so ingenious. At the "business end" is a chuck that's designed to hold a variety of bits. You can get different ^ sizes of Phillips, straight, or square-drive bits for driving screws. And there are even bits you can use to drill pilot holes for screws.

Using a Yankee. To get the most out of a Yankee, it's a two-handed operation. One hand grips the chuck collar to give you good control. (The shaft spins inside the collar or sleeve of the chuck, which means you can hold tight onto the chuck while driving screws.) The other hand pushes on the handle.

Yankee-style

Screwdrivers

Learn how this traditional tool will find new uses in your shop and home.

Traditional bits have a round shank with notches to lock bits in

Slider sets the ratcheting mechanism for driving or removing screws or locks it for hand-driving

Chuck collar spins freely to provide grip and help hold bit in position during use

48 ShopNotes No. 91

spiral grooves cut into the shaft. One allows the shaft to turn clockwise and works for driving screws and drilling. The other spiral groove works in the counterclockwise direction for removing screws. A slider "switch" in the handle controls the direction. (You'll learn more about that later.)

What you can't see is a spring in the handle that extends the spiral shaft. As you push on the handle, the shaft retracts and rotates several times. Then the spring pushes

Knurled ring locks shaft in retracted position

There's one tool that has been around since the late 1800's and can still find a home in your toolbox today. That's a spiral ratcheting screwdriver, commonly referred to as a Yankee-style screwdriver. In fact, the U.K. division of Stanley still makes the original Yankee.

The Secret. What makes the Yankee-style screwdriver so unique is its spring-loaded spiral shaft. You can see what I mean in the photo above. You'll notice there are two