Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [screwdriver]

Questions pertaining to the (hand) tool used to turn screws.

Screwdrivers are used to turn (or drive) , thus fastening or unfastening the pieces the screw is connecting. The term screwdriver can apply to both the powered and manual version of the tool, although it is more widely used to refer to the manual version.

Screwdrivers come in a variety of drive types (e.g., Philips, Torx, Robertson), to fit the various sizes and shapes of screw heads. Some screwdrivers come with interchangeable tip, allowing the same handle to be used to drive multiple types of screw, in the same vein as a powered . Others are designed to drive only a single type of screw.

Some screwdrivers have a clutch to allow for precise torquing of screws.

More information

Wikipedia

91 questions
31
votes
12 answers

How can I remove a really stuck screw?

I often come across screws that just won't budge with a manual screwdriver or even a driver bit in a drill. They are of different screw types and heads in a variety of different materials. What are some techniques I can use to try and remove them?
Tester101
  • 133,087
  • 80
  • 327
  • 617
24
votes
6 answers

What is the right tool for old, rusty, flat cross head bolts?

I'm trying to restore an old park bench, and I am struggling to unscrew the bolts. The heads have this wide (~12-14 mm) "flat cross" pattern that I have never seen before (see photo), and I don't have any screwdriver that nearly wide enough to get…
Nicolas Payette
  • 343
  • 2
  • 7
14
votes
5 answers

Safe to screw on a paper towel holder way above socket?

I'm probably overthinking it, but I'm trying to mount the SimpleHuman horizontal paper towel holder. It turns out that the best place for it is in the middle of the inner wall (5.1 inch wide) but above a socket which is located on the bottom of the…
Zhanwen Chen
  • 251
  • 2
  • 5
12
votes
10 answers

How can I turn these table leg attachment screws?

I bought a used table and the screws holding it together are of a kind that I've never seen before. Unfortunately, some of them are loose and I need to tighten them. They are impossible to turn with any of my tools. The problem is that when sticking…
B K
  • 389
  • 2
  • 7
12
votes
7 answers

What tool should I use to remove this screw in my miter saw motor housing?

I have a miter saw from the company "Elektra Beckum", which went out of business several years ago. The saw worked flawlessly until my house got flooded last summer. Now I had the time to clean it. The saw runs again, but it is very loud. I want to…
steloe
  • 223
  • 1
  • 4
12
votes
4 answers

What screwdriver I should use for this screw head?

I am trying to unscrew the screw head you see in the picture. It is from the kitchen faucet handle. From looking online, it is usually a hex screw head. I tried a hex-key wrench, it didn't work, and tried every tool I have that could fit with no…
Lloyd
  • 121
  • 1
  • 4
11
votes
4 answers

How is a Phillips screwdriver size determined?

I have two different sized Phillips screwdrivers that both say they are 00 sized (click here for full-sized image): The green screwdriver came from an iPhone 3/4 disassembly kit, and on the package it says "Phillips#00". The tip is about 1.5mm…
pacoverflow
  • 554
  • 2
  • 5
  • 15
11
votes
4 answers

What's this bolt head type and how can I open it?

There is a bolt screwed inside a long hole: I don't know the bolt head type. Is there a trick to open it?
Megidd
  • 269
  • 2
  • 10
10
votes
4 answers

How do I unscrew a hex screw that doesn't have any grip anymore?

I messed up the screw that fits this tip of this particular type of screwdriver bit (circled in red): That screw now has almost no edges and is basically oval. I tried lubricating the screw so that I can get it by the neck on the opposite side with…
Vrankela
  • 203
  • 1
  • 2
  • 5
10
votes
8 answers

How can I buy screwdrivers that are useful most of the time?

I am really a newbie in terms of DIY things so I have a rather very basic question. I have been buying some screwdriver sets both large and small to have handy and whenever I actually needed them none of them fit screws. On the other hand I see some…
Jim
  • 405
  • 3
  • 7
  • 15
10
votes
2 answers

Identify this screw head (was: Security Torx)

Am attempting to open an old device cover (an adapter) and it has these screws (please see attached image, sorry for the bad quality, I couldn't get better focus than this.) Would really appreciate if someone could guide me identify it and/or point…
spcsLrg
  • 203
  • 1
  • 5
9
votes
8 answers

Why does my drill bit destroy the screw head?

I have a craftsman drill which I use for drilling. When I use a screwdriver head to fix screws in drywall or wood, it keeps on destroying the head of the screw. So much so that the screw head is unusable. What I am doing wrong? I have the drill on…
abhi
  • 233
  • 2
  • 8
  • 15
9
votes
2 answers

What is the purpose of this inverted Philips head screwdriver bit?

I have a set of jewel screwdriver bits, for torx, Phillips, etc. However, there's one bit that looks like a Phillips head that's inverted or backwards, and I can't figure out its function. The bit is a female Phillips head, and the label in the kit…
Stephen S
  • 207
  • 2
  • 6
9
votes
9 answers

Need more torque for driving screws

I put up some shelves at the weekend, and had a tough time driving the screws into the wall plugs (drilled a 6 mm hole in the masonry, then used brown wall plugs and #8 screws). I got there in the end, but not without lots of effort and blisters on…
microlambert
  • 91
  • 1
  • 4
8
votes
2 answers

What's the correct way to think about wood's integrity when driving screws?

I've been reframing a closet door and have two studs that I've driven screws into and am now fastening sheets of drywall. I did this pretty haphazardly as a result of not having the correct tools initially and then gradually acquiring them. So my…
user8340913
  • 123
  • 2
  • 8
1
2 3 4 5 6 7