Turning the Cap
Figure 6: Start cutting the cap using a parting tool to cut out a 3/4″-diameter tenon on the stock.
The cap has both a dome-shaped top and a 3/4″-diameter tenon. I laid the template on the tool-rest to guide me and, on the headstock end, scribed a circle around the blank for the 3/4″ and 1″ dimensions. With the lathe reset at about 1,600 rpm, I used a parting tool to cut a 3/4″-diameter tenon into the cap (Figure 6).
Figure 7: After you’ve made your tenon cut, start carving out the domed shape of the cap.
After the tenon was formed, I switched to a spindle gouge and shaped the cap’s top to a dome profile (Figure 7).
Figure 8: To complete the turning of the cap, make a deep cut between the cap and the rest of the scrap on your stock piece.
Now it was time to finish-sand the handle and the cap (avoid sanding the cap’s tenon). I set the speed to below 1,000 rpm and worked from 150- to 180- to 220-grit papers. After the sanding was done, I made a deep groove on the top of the cap with a thin parting tool, leaving about 1/4″ diameter of material there (Figure 8). I then parted off the whole cap from the handle.
Hollowing the Handle
Figure 9: Use a Forstner bit to cut out the hollow in the handle for the screwdriver bit compartment.
After marking a center point on the top of the handle, I chucked a 3/4″ diameter Forstner bit into the drill press and bored a 2-1⁄2″-deep, 3/4″-diameter hole, forming the compartment in the handle (Figure 9). (Again, you can do this with a drill chuck and scroll chuck on the lathe.) I checked for a good fit of the cap in the hole, light-sanding to resize the inside edge of the hole if necessary. After I was happy with the fit,
Figure 10: Use a handsaw to remove the screwdriver cap from the rest of the body waste.
I used a fine-tooth handsaw to saw the cap free of the waste stock (Figure 10). I lightly sanded the freshly cut area to remove all the saw marks. I take pride in the work I do and like to sign it in some way, so I hammered my initial “M” on the cap top with a punch stamp.
Making and Installing the Cap Lock
The press-fit cap alone might fail due to repeated use or changes in temperature and humidity. I addressed that concern with a slick magnetic “lock” that consists of a 1/10″ x 3/8″-diameter rare-earth magnet and a 2-1⁄2″ #6 wood screw.
Figure 11: Using your drill press, bore out a small hole in your cap to mount your magnet.
First, on the drill press, I bored a 3/32″-deep x 3/8″-diameter hole, centered on the underside of the cap (Figure 11) and epoxy glued the magnet in the hole. Next, I drilled a 1/2″-deep x 1/8″-diameter pilot hole at the bottom of the compartment. As a last step, using a bench grinder, I ground the screw head down to about 3/16″ in diameter to provide passage for the screw bits to go into and out of the compartment (Figure 12).
Figure 12: Use your bench grinder to take down a screw head to 3/16″ diameter to open up the passage for the screw bits in the compartment.
To complete the locking mechanism, I drove the screw into the pilot hole until the screw was about 3/8″ (the height of the cap’s tenon) below the top of the compartment opening. I adjusted the screw up or down so the magnet was in contact with the screw when the cap was replaced. Finally, I test-fitted the bit holder shank into the hole and, after making sure there was no wood dust in the hole, I epoxy glued the bit holder shank into the handle.
Finishing
I rubbed a few coats of low-luster oil finish (for example, mineral oil or boiled linseed oil) on the handle and cap top, leaving both the cap’s tenon and the compartment unfinished. To make it a multi-bit tool, I simply put several 1″ screw bits into the compartment. The cool thing is, the steel bits usually come out attached to the cap’s magnet, making it easy to select the proper bit for the task at hand.
This is a fun and easy evening shop project, and now you won’t have to settle for one of those store-bought screwdrivers!
