MEMORY-LANE-L Archives

Archiver > MEMORY-LANE > 2006-01 > 1136145379


From: Cora Henricks <>
Subject: Re: Yankee screwdriver/drills
Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 14:56:19 -0500
References: <db6536d70601010948o78479ed8tc6fdea837e0e8a15@mail.gmail.com> <43B82289.74D9673D@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <43B82289.74D9673D@gmail.com>


Have you or valentine ever tried to drill a hole with one of these or
even SEEN it done? Have you actually seen a DRILL bit in one of them?
I still maintain that they are SCREWDRIVERS with the ability to fit
various sizes and types of screwdriver "tips", not something one could
drill a hole with -- too hard to hold it straight AND apply the
pressure to activate the racheting action.

Here are the hand braces and drills:

http://www.tooled-up.com/SubCategory.asp?CID=14&SCID=360

Cora

On 1/1/06, WJFreeman <> wrote:
> Actually Cora, it is a hand drill and a screwdriver as well. The seller does indeed probably know what he has. You see these
> are actually old tools and are an alternative to the side mounted wheel and gear light duty drills.
>
> These devices are known as "Yankee" screwdrivers/drills. The handle and shaft has a spiral grove cut into them along with a
> spring in the inner shaft. One pushes down on the handle and the shaft moves up into the handle portion causing the shaft to
> turn. There is an opposite hand set of grooves so that the return stroke continues the motion of the bit in the same direction.
>
> Very clever and very old.
>
> I have such a screwdriver/drill, and there is a story/memory behind it.
>
> In high school and college, I worked in a TV/radio repair shop. Electronics has been a long standing interest to me, and I have
> taken many electrical engineering courses in while I was in graduate school and on sustaining fee, which I could do for no extra
> charge. So many EE courses, that I was within one course of having enough for a EE major requirement. But as I was finishing my
> Ph.D. at the time, I wasn't very interested in actually completing a degree in another field.
>
> So my passion for both chemistry and electronics led me from physical organic chemistry to physical chemistry. I served as the
> NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) technician for the chemistry department for several years. Today you would know NMR by another
> term, MRI for Magnetic Resonance Imaging so popular these days in modern diagnostic medicine.
>
> During this time, I was befriended by a wonderful, wonderful gentleman, who I both loved and respected, Mr. Alex Vivod. He is
> gone now, but Alex, a retired Col from the US Army Signal Corps, did the electronic repair for the Chemistry department. He was
> very good. I learned a lot from him and always thoroughly enjoyed his company.
>
> I still did a little TV repair on the side in those days as did Alex. So one day, Alex, who had an account at the local
> electronics parts wholesale company in Wilmington DE, Wholesale Electronics, invited me to attend a serviceman's open house one
> evening down at the Wholesale building in downtown Wilmington.
>
> I went with Alex, and as we came in the door, he showed his invitation and told the doorkeeper I was his guest. Well, it was a
> lovely evening, one which I thoroughly enjoyed and could relate well to given my many years of being associated with the business
> at that point.
>
> But surprise, surprise, surprise to quote Gomer Pyle, I won the door prize!
>
> It was a Stanley Yankee screwdriver/drill set, which I still have to this day. I felt bad that here I was a guest at a party to
> which I was not invited by a company, who was trying to do something nice for its regular customers, and I won the prize and
> deprived one of the bigger customers from it.
>
> Alex shushed me and said that I had as much right to the prize as did they. So I accepted it most gratefully.
>
> At that time, I was not familiar with this particular tool, but I quickly became a big fan. It sure beats a regular screwdriver
> at times. If you are drilling small holes for instance, it is a lot handier than a power drill, which we only had in those days
> and which one had to plug into an electrical socket. The Yankee drill needed no power and could be easily carried in a pocket.
> I have seen an occasional sheet metal man use one in assembling rigid duct work just for the reasons mentioned.
>
> Neat tool.
>
> <http://www.tooled-up.com/ManProduct.asp?PID=10554>;
> <http://www.nickh.org/yankee/>;
>
> Walter
>
> Cora Henricks wrote:
>
> > ADVERTIZED as a "hand drill" but looks like a racheting screwdriver to
> > me. IMO, a hand drill has a small crank which turns a wheel about
> > 3-4" in diameter which is geared to turn the shaft the drill bit is
> > inserted into and held with a chuck. It is held by a wooden hand
> > "knob" similar to, but larger than this one. Device looks a bit like
> > a hand-operated egg-beater.
> >
> > I think the seller does not KNOW what he has!
> >
> > Cora
> >
> > ------------
> >
> > Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 21:46:24 -0600
> > From: ".... valentine53179" <>
> > To:
> > Subject: oh gee i wrote about this not too long ago...DOUG...WHERE IS DOUG
> >
> > http://cgi.ebay.com/ANTIQUE-YANKEE-NO-30-HAND-DRILL-NORTH-BROTHERS-CO_W0QQitemZ6239777193QQcategoryZ13872QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
>
>

This thread: