The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

First Aid For The Ailing Houses

The end of a new handle is usually larger than the hole in the head and must be trimmed down. The most effective way to do this is with a rasp or Surform. As the wood is shaved off, the handle should be frequently fitted to the head to be sure too much wood is not removed. When the handle fits, tamp the handle against a solid surface until the head seats itself firmly about 3/8 inch above the bulge on the handle. Then saw the handle off even with the top of the head.

Wedges, available in hardware stores at the time the handle is purchased, are used to split the handle out to fit the space in the head. If wooden wedges are used, saw cuts must be made in the handle. Metal wedges do not need such cuts.

The wedges are driven in to jam the handle out as far as it will go. Then a rasp or file is used to smooth the handle and wedges even with the top of the head.
Screwdrivers are as frequently used as the hammer, if not more so. Most appliances around the house are assembled with machine screws and slotted bolts. Furniture and cabinets are usually put together with wood screws.

There are two main types of screwdrivers—common-slot blade and Phillips—which come in a variety of sizes and shapes. There are also ratchet, spiral-ratchet, offset, electricians', socket, and jewelers' screwdrivers. Each one is intended for a specific job.

While the common-slot blade screwdriver is one of the most used tools in the home, it is also one of the most misused. It is used for an ice pick, can opener, chisel, and wrecking bar. By the time it is used for its proper purpose, to drive or loosen a screw, it has developed burred edges or has become twisted. A screwdriver should not be used for anything but driving or loosening screws or slotted bolts.

Because a slot-bladed driver can slip and ruin the screw head or gouge the work, it is important that the blade fit the slot. Screwdrivers are not expensive tools and three or four different sizes should be kept in the tool box. A thin blade in a wide screw slot will tend to twist and break. A thick blade in a narrow slot is likely to slip and mar the screw or the surrounding surface.

Radios, autos, and various appliances often use Phillips screws because there is less danger of the special blade's slipping. The blade of the Phillips driver is shaped like a tapered cross to match the slot in the screw head. A firm pressure is necessary to keep the blade in the slot, but if it slips, it ruins the screw and not the surface of the work.