This is a Stanley Yankee No. 131A spiral ratchet screwdriver. Spiral ratchet screwdrivers of various designs were patented in the mid to late 19th century. One of the more successful versions was manufactured by the North Brothers foundry in Philadelphia between 1880 and 1946 and sold under the “Yankee” brand. Stanley, operating on the philosophy of “if you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em,” acquired the rights to the Yankee patents in 1946.

This example of engineering excellence is called the Stanley Yankee and was obviously made after 1946. Stanley apparently made these into the 2000s, but I suspect this one is from the 1950s or perhaps early 1960s. Not quite the “dawn of the industrial age,” but it’s still a very cool tool.

By the way, I stole the title of this post from a weekly feature on a satellite radio station I listen to called Little Steven’s Underground Garage. Each week they feature “The Coolest Song in the World This Week,” often featuring artists I’ve never heard of. It’s good to hear some new bands – it adds some variety to the rock I normally listen to.

Back to the tool. As mentioned, the Stanley logo means it was made after 1946. The knurled ring in the picture below rotates to lock and release the spiral grooved shaft. The knurled rings on the ring are pretty worn, which makes me think it was made in the 1950s-60s. The build and material quality on this tool is pretty good, so perhaps it’s from the 1950s, before Stanley started making everything cheaper in the 60s. The term “enshitification” hadn’t been coined yet, but it certainly applies to Stanley’s products from then on.

Next. The screwdriver bits are inserted by pulling back on the spring-loaded knurled sleeve (see below left) to open the collet lock, pushing the bit in and releasing the sleeve to lock it in place. Changing bits takes just seconds, a breeze. Removing them is similar. Make sure the bit is snug and secure; it needs to be rotated so that the details on the bit shank line up with the locking mechanism in the collet.

I made the background out of my best rags. As you can see, I spared no effort when it came to the optical effects. The business end. This part looks unused.

The bit locking system. You need the special Yankee bits or it won’t work.

The direction of rotation is controlled with a simple slide switch. The front position, shown in the photo below, is clockwise, which drives the screw in. The middle position locks the drive for manual operation, and the rear notch is counterclockwise, which removes the screw.

My find is in great condition; the slide switch works smoothly and there is no need to take it apart. Just leave things alone, Einstein – that’s my philosophy.

The handle is made of local hardwood. After WWII, Brazilian rosewood, which Stanley used for most of their tool handles before the war, was no longer as available or too expensive. Whatever the reason, they virtually stopped using it after the war. They did still use the rosewood handles on their Bailey hand planes in the ’50s, but that was their flagship product. Like Cadillac to GM or Lincoln to Ford.

So here they used a local hardwood (I’m not sure which one it is) and a dark paint to recreate the rosewood look. There’s very little of the paint left here, but I’m leaving it as is.

This is a sturdy tool. Fully extended, with the drive bit inserted, it is 27 3/4 inches long. Retracted and locked, it is just over 19 inches long. It is unexpectedly heavy, especially if you are used to seeing/handling regular-sized screwdriver versions.

There is a spring in the handle that extends the shaft. Be careful, it will snap out with a bang when you let go. If the screwdriver bit is not inserted correctly, it will fly out in the direction it was pointed when you let go. I speak from personal experience.

No real “restoration” was required here. The shiny parts had some light rust pitting, but I removed it with some jeweler’s paste and a polishing wheel after wiping and cleaning.

The spiral fluted shaft was bent so it would jam when fully extended. I found the top of the bow, laid that side on the edge of my workbench and stretched it in at full extension, one hand on the handle and the other hand on the collet sleeve at the other end, until it no longer jammed. We use the latest cutting edge technology here whenever possible. Lastly, I gave the moving parts a few drops of 3-in-1 oil and that was it, it was done and ready for work.

Sorry for the bad table layout. I’m not a formatting genius.

When compressed and locked, it is a little more compact for transport. However, it is best stored extended so that the spring does not lose tension.

Here you can see the spiral (screw-shaped?) grooves on the shaft. That’s precision machining!

I have several bits for this: a large and a small Phillips bit, and two identical larger slotted bits. I believe there are drill bits for this as well, but I haven’t looked for them yet.

So that’s the coolest tool in the world this month. These are pretty common; you can find a decent one for about $50-$75. As of last night (10/24/8), there’s one available here that’s comparable to mine. I got lucky and found a nice one that just needed a bit of cleaning and straightening with a little mechanical coaxing, but they’re not that hard to take apart and fix up if you have one that’s a little rough. There are instructional videos on YouTube.

Here’s a snapshot from our recent trip to Glacier National Park in Montana. Stunning scenery, dizzying heights, and…not too many glaciers. I’ve seen side-by-side photos of similar scenes from the 1910s and today, and there’s a lot less ice and snow now. The National Park Service should probably look into a new name for the park.

Pro tip: If you go, plan for the first half of September or late May. July/August is the peak holiday season and it was crowdedNext time I would wait until the kids are back in school.

Yesterday was finally our 40th wedding anniversary! We grilled ribs with friends and then chilled on the porch with wine and weed. We are real party animals. However, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend the last four decades with anyone else in the world. I am truly a lucky man.

Take care everyone!

-HE