Introduction: 1/4 Inch Nut Driver

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About: I miss the days when magazines like Popular Mechanics had all sorts of DIY projects for making and repairing just about everything. I am enjoying posting things I have learned and done since I got my first to…

These are nut drivers for 1/4 inch square drive sockets. I made the one on the left after one like the driver shown on the right fell down into something where I cannot find or reach it. At the present socket drivers are for hex bits and fixtures, but that is not what I want. I know there is a hex to square adapter, but that is not what I want, either.*

*After posting this, I was in a larger Lowe’s Home Improvement store. The tool department did have a nut driver like I made. I had looked on-line, and found none in any of the stores selling tools, not even eBay. This was still a fun project, and it could be adapted to make a different type of tool.

Supplies

Materials

  • Red oak 1 1/4 inch square
  • 6 inch extension for 1/4 inch sockets
  • 1/4 x 1/4 inch square steel stock
  • 1/8 x 3/4 inch steel flat bar
  • 1/8 inch steel rod

Tools

  • Table saw
  • Lathe
  • Drill press
  • Handheld electric drill
  • Tailstock chuck for concentric drilling
  • Handsaw
  • Files
  • Welder

Step 1: Make the Wooden Handle

I ripped 2 x 2 inch oak stock to 1 1/4 x 1 1/4 inch stock and cut it to length just a little longer than my hand. Then I chucked it in a lathe to make a handle shaped like a cylinder. I made it rather plain. Embellish according to your own desires. I used a file and sandpaper to smooth my turning. The concentric hole is 21/64 inch in diameter. That is just large enough to pass the socket extension. Note: If the handle piece is no longer than the drill bit when chucked, it is easy to drill a concentric hole that passes all of the way through the handle.

Step 2: Keep the Socket Extension From Spinning

A short piece of 1/4 x 1/4 inch steel stock will slide into the female end of the socket extension to keep the socket extension from turning freely. I welded it to a piece of 1/8 x 3/4 inch flat bar. In preparation for welding, I used a shim to place the 1/8 inch stock so it is centered vertically on the 1/4 x 1/4 inch stock. The 1/8 inch stock is centered along its length on the 1/4 x 1/4 inch stock. The 1/8 inch stock is just a little longer than the diameter of the oak handle.

Step 3: Determine the Depth of the Larger Diameter Hole

Slip the square steel stock into the female end of the socket extension. Place the assembly over the handle for marking. I need a second concentric opening just large enough to pass the female end of the socket extension. I determined the hole needed to be 31/64 inch in diameter. I held an electric drill by hand, and that worked well enough. I wanted a hole 1 7/8 inch deep. Unfortunately, the drill grabs easily and my hole came to be 2 inches deep. I could dismantle the driver and add a shim in front of the bell expansion on the socket extension or female end.

Step 4: Marking for a Cut

Place the welded section and the socket extension into the concentric hole from the larger diameter end. Mark alongside the 1/8 inch steel stock. Use a handsaw with a fairly fine blade to make a slot on each side of the handle to fit the 1/8 inch stock. In the second photo I am driving the handle onto the 1/8 inch stock to shave excess material. Use a file, too, to avoid splitting the handle. See the third photo to understand how it is supposed to fit.

Step 5: Locking Pin

I drilled a hole and used a 1/8 inch rod to lock the assembly in the handle.

Step 6: Grind and File the Steel Smooth

I used a grinder to remove excess steel on both sides of the handle. Then I finished it for a nice smooth fit with a fine steel file. The second photo shows the finished driver. I want to rub the oak with motor oil for a finish.