Flexible shaft for a screwdriver DIY

The flexible shaft allows you to screw in / unscrew the screws in those places where the dimensions of the screwdriver do not allow it to be placed coaxially with the self-tapping screw.

And therefore, someone came up with a wonderful nozzle for a drill called "flexible shaft".

Basically, it's cheap. Having skimmed through the sites, I found from 109 p. up to 900 rubles So ... there is a shaft for any thickness of the wallet ...

However ... if you have the time, desire and materials, you can assemble a home-made flexible shaft for a screwdriver.

Schematically, the design is shown in the figure below.

To make this shaft, you will need:

- Spring. You can use a door spring, you can use a spring for bending metal-plastic pipes.

- Steel cable. The cable should be straight, like a string. Do not use twisted rope obtained by dismantling the rope.

- Adapter square / hexagon. factory product.

- Cable ends. Perhaps these are the most difficult details. About them a little later.

It is worth noting that the maximum diameter of the product that can be installed in the screwdriver chuck = 13mm. From this further and "dance".

Ideally, cable ends can be machined on a lathe, which you probably don't have...

Therefore, your task is to find a steel tube with an outer diameter of 12-13 mm. Having a tube, we select a cable whose diameter will correspond to the inner diameter of the tube. It is desirable that he enters the tube tightly.

Tips.

The length of the tips: 40mm - for the tip of the screwdriver installed in the chuck and 25mm - for the tip into which the bit adapter is mounted. At 10 mm from the edge located on the side of the spring, a nut is welded, which will serve as a stop for the spring.

Adapter for hexagon (for mounting bits). This is a factory product.

We put the cable into the spring. But first, you need to carefully trim its edge so that the wires do not “fluff”. You can temporarily tie the edge of the cable with wire.

After that, we wind the cable into the tip. When mounting the tip that will be clamped in the chuck, align the edge of the cable and the tip for subsequent welding.

Put the second tip on the cable so that there is room for mounting the adapter. In this place, it will be more difficult to weld the cable to the tube, because. you need to leave a cavity for the adapter. Therefore, it is possible to drill two or three holes on the side of the tube and “grab” the cable to the tip through them.

Do not forget that the cable must rotate freely, without effort, inside the spring!

The final step is to install the bit adapter into the tip cavity. Accordingly ... they need to be welded.

Ready product.

Install the tip into the screwdriver chuck, into the nozzle - a bit and ... let's turn the screws !!!

This is how the "flexible shaft - screwdriver" system looks assembled.

Learn more about flexible shaft assembly in the video below.