Everyone is familiar with a screwdriver. This is a hand-held power tool designed for twisting and unwinding a variety of fasteners. This is the main direction of its application, but not the only one. With the help of a screwdriver, you can create a great many useful and necessary things.
Screwdriver as a generator
A screwdriver can be used as a generator. It is very easy to do this. It is necessary to remove the battery, connect the wires to the terminals using alligator clips and connect them to the consumer. Be sure to first check the polarity with a multimeter. You need to insert and clamp the hex wrench into the cartridge to assemble the furniture. By rotating the spindle, a current will be generated that will go to the consumer. True, it is worth noting that the voltage generated by this electric machine is only enough to charge a mobile phone or operate a small LED lamp.
Using wind energy with a screwdriver
According to this principle, wind turbines are built from a screwdriver, but the generated current is so small that the game is not worth the candle. Its installation is more effective in areas of high wind load, although the result does not justify itself there.
Carpentry equipment
A few more interesting suggestions on how to make equipment for home carpentry based on a conventional screwdriver.
Wood lathe
When making wood products, it is difficult to do without a lathe. It can be built with your own hands. A flat wooden workbench is ideal for the bed. A screwdriver can be used as a headstock and rotation drive. In a wooden bed made of a bar in the shape of a screwdriver, you need to lay the tool and fix it with a clamp. The bar can be fixed with a clamp, and with constant use of the machine, fastened with self-tapping screws. A tooth mandrel must be inserted into the chuck. The tailstock is made of two bars with an adjusting screw, which is sharpened to a cone. It is installed opposite the fixed screwdriver so that the axis of the tool coincides with the axis of the tailstock adjusting screw. The design of the back stop is fixed with a clamp. If you plan to process large parts, then the fastening should be more reliable. A handguard can also be made from a bar by attaching it to a workbench with a clamp. A primitive lathe for the home workshop is ready.
Table drilling machine
Another equally important piece of equipment is the drill. It can also be made from a screwdriver. To do this, you will need a used screwdriver. It is necessary to take an engine with a gearbox and a cartridge from it. Now you need to make two clamps from textolite, which will perform the function of fixing the drilling head of the machine. To achieve maximum alignment of all holes on the clamps, it is better to process them together, in one set. Then it will be possible to avoid distortions.
Sleeves with internal thread are used as limiting posts. They must be the same size, corresponding to the distance between the clamps. After that, another clamp is made from textolite and two bosses from caprolon. They are drilled off-center, getting two eccentric bushings. The clamp is installed on the bar and the backlash is selected with the help of eccentrics. After that, a wooden lever is installed on a spring so that the drilling head returns to its original position. To supply power, you must use a transformer with a power of more than 150 watts and an output voltage like that of the screwdriver used. After that, you need to put a diode bridge and a capacitor, install the drilling head on the bed.
Manual milling cutter from a screwdriver: step by step instructions
It can be converted into a manual router. For this, you do not need to purchase expensive materials. Everything you need can be found in the workshop or garage almost under your feet. To equip a manual milling cutter from a screwdriver, you will need pieces of thick plywood or chipboard, a tool clamp, fasteners in the form of bolts and self-tapping screws, a plumbing tool and a feather drill for wood. In the latter case, you can use a drill bit.
Assembling a homemade router is quite easy. For this you need: 
- From pieces of the selected material, cut out the base, a vertical stand, on which a screwdriver will be fixed with a clamp, an emphasis and a scarf to stiffen the structure. The dimensions of the parts are chosen arbitrarily, in relation to the dimensions of the power tool.
- Drill a Ø 40 mm hole in the base using a drill bit for free access of the cutting tool to the processing area.
- Make a clamp according to the diameter of the hand tool.
- Fasten the screwdriver on a vertical stand with a clamp so that its cartridge is a few millimeters from the base.
- Install stiffener.
- Fix the screwdriver on a vertical stand with an emphasis.
- Install the cutter in the tool chuck.
Screwdriver cutter is ready for use. Such a machine cannot become a full-fledged replacement for a manual router due to its low power and low spindle speed, but it will solve the issue of milling small parts in a home workshop.
Circular Saw
In addition, for your carpentry workshop, you can make a circular from a screwdriver. To do this, you need to make a work surface using a chipboard sheet or thick plywood. In the countertop, you need to make a cut for the exit of the circular saw. The screwdriver must be securely fastened to the underside of the work surface using metal or wooden clamps. In the same way, it is necessary to mount the shaft. It is important that the saw blade extends no more than a third of its diameter above the working surface of the table.
Modernization of children's vehicles
And of course, all the best goes to the children. On the basis of a screwdriver, you can upgrade many children's vehicles. For example, convert a children's pedal car into an electric car.
electric car
To make an electric car you will need:
- Frame from a steel profile pipe. It can be made by hand.
- Wheels can be used from a garden trolley with rubber running.
- The body can be taken from an old pedal car or come up with some creative solution. For example, to solder from plastic pipes.
- As an electric drive, it is necessary to use two motors from screwdrivers and a gearbox from the same power tool. Separate housings are made for them, in which the output shaft is mounted on 201 bearings.
- Battery. You can use a regular car 6ST60.
After all the components are prepared, it remains to assemble the electric car. This process is simple and within the power of every man who has even a superficial idea of \u200b\u200bplumbing.
Electric scooter and electric bike
Another use of a screwdriver in the creation of vehicles can be called an electric scooter or an electric bike. The principle of such modernization is based on the installation of a chain transmission between the wheel sprocket and the sprocket of an electric motor with a screwdriver gearbox. This device is powered by the battery of the hand tool. Such a solution does not require large expenditures. As a result of the improvement, a vehicle with a speed of 5 to 15 km/h is obtained.
Electric snowmobile
Using a screwdriver, you can make not only vehicles on wheels, but also a real snowmobile. For this you need to use an electric car, having carried out a number of appropriate upgrades. It is necessary to improve the frame of the electric vehicle to install the drive wheel on it. Instead of driven wheels, you need to install skis, replace the plastic steering wheel of the car with a metal bicycle steering wheel. The drive of the drive wheel is carried out through a chain transmission from a screwdriver.
The assembly of such a miracle technique will not take much time, and most importantly, money. All costs will pay off with the joy of the child, for whom the electric vehicle will be a real gift.
Cool ideas and tricks for using a screwdriver in the household
In addition to the mechanisms listed above, a screwdriver can also be used to implement other ideas in the household. This hand-held power tool will help you automate the opening of the entrance gate, make a winch for a car or scissors for cutting metal. If you attach a nozzle for cutting tin to it, you can turn an ordinary rubber boat into a motor boat, modernize the process of drilling holes in ice fishing. In addition, everyone knows that a screwdriver is used as a drive to a mixer, meat grinder or juicer.
After reading the article, the reader has gained knowledge about the non-traditional use of a screwdriver. Now he can use this hand tool to create carpentry equipment, upgrade children's vehicles, and other useful household items.
This idea was not born by chance. The fact is that on my model sometimes the engine stalled at high speeds. Patience snapped when the spring snapped and eventually the lanyard of the manual starter broke ...
To begin with, I purchased a gearbox on an internal combustion engine, which I replaced the old manual starter with ... 
Well, directly the electric motor from the screwdriver 
But here is a problem (There is not enough space. I had to make a gearbox that would move the electric motor away from the gearbox on the internal combustion engine. I started by making a case for this gearbox. 
.
It may seem strange that there are so many gears, but I had to make such a "row" in order, as I said, to move the electric motor away, due to lack of space. And I made a spacer between the plates from moisture-resistant plywood. 
And finally, the result 
A bit miserable, so I decided to grind on sandpaper) 
As you can see in the photo, a pin is installed on the drive shaft to engage with the gearbox on the internal combustion engine. 
Now it's time to install this miracle on the car. Long thought how to do it. And here's what I thought... 
And finally, all together... 
Although the model has become heavier by 300 grams)) But it starts up soooo much !!! And + better grip!!
And here is the video report:
In the very near future I plan to connect all this to the 3rd channel. I will describe the details in the second part of the article ... In the meantime, I am waiting for the arrival of the details necessary to complete the project!
Cordless screwdriver is used everywhere in workshops and households. Such a tool is valued for not being tied to a 220 V household network. It is compact, does not take up much space and is able to replace a drill in simple jobs that are sometimes found around the house.
In building stores and on the market, such equipment can be found in a wide range. Its cost sometimes makes you think, and sometimes even makes you want to save. What if you make it yourself? Today we will support this quite reasonable idea with a master class from one of the lovers of tinkering.
Necessary resources for homemade
Materials:Tools:
We assemble a screwdriver with our own hands
Stage one - preparing the handle for a screwdriver
The shape of the handle should be comfortable for the hand, and functional for filling the screwdriver. We make it from two pieces of plywood 10 mm. Cut out the template from a piece of cardboard.We transfer the contour of the handle to the plywood with a marker and cut out both parts with an electric jigsaw.
We connect them with PVA glue. Gluing will be better if you put the workpiece under a press, clamp it in clamps or a vice.
We drill a through hole in the middle of the handle with a 3 mm drill. It is necessary for the engine mounting plate.
We make the next hole for the button from the side edge. We drill it first with a 3 mm drill, and then expand it by 8-10 mm. Depth of expansion - about 15 mm.
We clean the edges of the plywood with sandpaper, and cover the part with paint for moisture protection.
Stage two - install and connect the engine
We cut a strip 20-25 mm wide from a piece of galvanized steel with scissors for metal. This will be the clamp for the engine.
We mark the holes on both sides of it and drill it with a thin drill. We bend the plate with an arc, and fix the engine on a thin bolt with a lock nut.
We fix the drill chuck through the clamping adapter, and fix it with a hexagon bolt.
We put the power button into the hole on the handle, and place the wires on its reverse side. We solder the wires to the engine and the charging socket, insulating the connections with heat shrink.
Stage three - we mount the batteries
In a plastic container, we make four holes with a 3 mm drill, and one with 10 mm for the charging socket.
We fix the connector with the outgoing wiring with a clamping nut on the container body. We fix the container on the end of the handle with several screws.
We wrap three batteries with tape or cling film. We combine their contacts sequentially.
We combine the supply wires from the batteries with the outputs from the connector, twist and wrap with electrical tape. Connection for reliability can be soldered with a soldering iron.
We pack the resulting power supply into a container, and close the lid.
More and more anglers are thinking about installing a motor on a boat. It allows you to speed up the movement on the reservoir and save your hands from hard work with oars. When a man's physical strength becomes less, ingenuity comes to the rescue. It turns out that you can make a boat motor with your own hands from various household appliances. For those reservoirs where it is forbidden to use gasoline engines, electric current is used as a driving force. In other cases, it is better to choose devices with gasoline power units.
Many anglers have faulty electrical or gas equipment in their closet or garage. If the motor in it is working, then such a device can be modified for an existing boat. In some cases, it is even cheaper to buy a new screwdriver or a lawn mower and modify the device than to buy an outboard motor. It is the financial issue that pushes numerous "left-handers" and "homemade" to unique developments.
- To make a homemade electric outboard motor, you will need a cordless drill or screwdriver. In this case, the angler will have to solve the following problems.
- Unfortunately, the capacity of the standard battery will not be enough for carefree sailing, so you will have to take a 12V car battery on board. Accordingly, the device must also operate at the same voltage. As for power, an electrical appliance that produces more than 300 watts can handle a light rubber boat.
- The rotation speed of the screwdriver is quite high, so it is necessary to install a reduction gear.
- You also need to purchase or make your own drive shaft and propeller.
A homemade outboard electric motor will work silently, which is very important for good fishing. In addition, it will be cheaper to replace a failed electric motor than to repair a boat engine.
- Do-it-yourself gasoline engines made for the boat allow you to significantly increase the fishing area. These can be power units from chainsaws, lawn mowers, walk-behind tractors, etc. The choice of installation depends on the size and design of the vessel, as well as on which of the devices is available.
- Trimmers require the least modifications. They seem to be designed to be installed on a fishing boat. It is enough just to put a propeller instead of a reel with a fishing line and the outboard motor from the trimmer can already be tested on a nearby pond.
- Engines from a chainsaw, motorcycle or walk-behind tractor will require more intervention from skilled hands. Requires an angle gearbox from a grinder, a shaft and a propeller.
All homemade boat motors require a special fixture to attach to the side of the boat. It's one thing when the ship has a transom, to which you need to attach the engine. It is somewhat more difficult to fix the power unit on a conventional rubber band with inflatable sides around the perimeter.
Making an engine from a screwdriver
Good homemade motors for boats are obtained on the basis of cordless screwdrivers. The use of a device with a battery voltage of 12V looks optimal. It will be possible to connect a car battery with a capacity of 45-55 Ah to such an electric motor. Refinement will consist of several stages.
lifting mechanism
The propeller of an electric motor for a do-it-yourself boat must move not only in a horizontal plane, but have a certain immersion limit and rise completely out of the water. The simplest design would be a clamp system to which the engine is mounted. It is rigidly attached to the transom with a steel frame and plate. Clamps are equipped with rings through which the tube will pass. A shaft of steel wire or bar will pass inside. Bearings of suitable dimensions are pressed inside the tube to ensure easy sliding.
Reducer and propeller
The screwdriver is capable of developing high speeds, which is required when drilling. A homemade electric motor for a boat does not need such high speeds, so a gearbox is installed to reduce them. The most suitable option is to attach a gearbox from a grinder. In the screwdriver's chuck, it is enough to clamp the top of the shaft to ensure a secure connection.
The role of a propeller can be played by an impeller from a car pump or a computer cooler. But such a do-it-yourself electric motor will not be able to provide the boat with the necessary speed. You can make a propeller from a piece of stainless steel 2.5-3.0 mm thick.
- First you need to cut a square blank measuring 30x30 cm.
- A square with a side length of 5 cm is marked in the center. Diagonal lines are drawn through the corners. They will be cut to a small square.
- Each petal should be rounded and rotated along the axis by 30 degrees.
- A hole is made in the central part for fastening to the gearbox.
- It remains to securely connect everything and test the resulting outboard electric motor with your own hands.
Refinement of lawn mowers
The outboard motor from the trimmer requires a little refinement in order to get a workhorse for the boat. The advantage of gasoline trimmers is their low price and maintainability. Homemade motors for boats based on lawn mowers have a built-in tank, shaft and gearbox. You can look for a special conversion kit, which will have a propeller and a stainless steel drive, as well as a set of adapters to the trimmer shaft. Often there are kits with a clamp for installation on a transom, so there will be no problems with fastening to a watercraft. If you act according to the attached instructions, then the outboard motor from the lawn mower can be done in 20-30 minutes.
More skills will be needed from the angler if he decides to radically change the design of the trimmer. In this case, there is a huge scope for imagination and ingenuity. One option involves the manufacture of a vertical leg.
- To rotate the shaft 90 degrees relative to the engine, you need a gearbox from a grinder.
- The existing tube from the trimmer must be shortened with a cutting machine. Inside the sleeve it is better to replace the bearings.
- A simple screw can be made from a strip of duralumin 10x30 cm 2 mm thick. Having attached a stencil with a two-bladed screw to the workpiece, it is necessary to make markings. You can cut the screw with a grinder and a chisel. The edges must be filed. Putting the plate on a flat surface, bend both blades to a height of 1 cm.
Advice! During the test, you can make the necessary adjustments. At low speeds, the blade is undercut or the pitch of the propeller changes.
- A hole is drilled in the center to connect to the shaft. So that during rotation the blade does not touch the vessel's balloon, it is better to make an annular nozzle. The outboard motor based on the trimmer is ready, you can go to the pond.
Manufacture of mounting and installation on the boat
Homemade motors for boats require a special mount. The principle of its manufacture is as follows.
To securely install the outboard motor from a lawn mower, you must use a ring to which the belt is mounted. To connect the braid to the transom, you can use an old manual meat grinder. The lower part is cut out of it, a hole 12 mm thick is drilled in the transverse plane of the body. It is important to carry out some refinement with a hairpin with a diameter of 12 mm and a length of 10 cm. One side is flattened, a hole 6 mm thick is drilled in it. An M6 bolt is inserted into it, then the eye of the lawn mower is mounted and the nut is screwed on.
Installation of a home-made installation on a vessel is carried out in the following order.
- A self-made mount is mounted on the transom of the boat using a stud and the corresponding nut.
- Now the motor is installed and fixed with a threaded connection. It remains to check how it turns on the boat in different directions.
Homemade motors for boats are not only an opportunity to increase the speed of your boat. The manufacturing process will allow the brain to turn on at full speed, as a result of which another folk invention may be born.
The ability to make a windmill from a used screwdriver has not only a theoretical, but also a practical basis, however, it is worth thinking about the end result.
The screwdrivers on sale today are quite powerful tools, its operating voltage when charging from an 18 volt battery, as a generator, can provide about 40-50 watts of power. Such power will allow you to light a couple of LED bulbs, this is when the wind blows, and if it's calm?
If we are talking about free time and recycling of trash, then it makes sense to deploy activities. If you need a working model, then a windmill made on the basis of an axial disk generator will generate more energy.
The process of turning a screwdriver into a home windmill is useful for the accumulation of general information in the field of physics, aerodynamics, electronics, which is also informative and interesting.
Components
All that can come in handy is the rotor from the same screwdriver.
Other missing parts will have to be bought, these are neodymium magnets of suitable dimensions, various rectifiers, converters, inverters and charge controllers.
Or find, for example, a chain reducer to correlate the speed of rotation of the rotor and generator.
Something to get - bearings for the blades.
The result is a wind generator with a capacity of 30-40 watts at a wind speed of 5-7 m/s.
But that's not all, you need to make your own hands:
- blades: from improvised materials, aluminum sheets 2-3 mm thick;
- casing: protecting the overall structure from the weather;
- wind generator tail: turns it in the direction of the wind;
- pipe support mast: on which the wind generator is mounted.
No less responsible is the issue of manufacturing blades of a certain shape; for this, the problem of aerodynamics is solved. 
To obtain useful working power, the blades of a windmill must be 1.5-3 meters long, and this requires a usable area. When attaching them to the generator with bolts, it is necessary to calculate the position of the fasteners very accurately in order to have a properly balanced, adjusted rotation of the blades.
Here a reasonable question arises whether a windmill made from improvised materials and a screwdriver is worth such labor and effort, especially since its payback tends to zero. If we compare the costs of making a windmill with our own hands and the cost of a ready-made standard configuration of a wind turbine (wind power plant), the second option is more preferable.
Preliminary preparation
When constructing a windmill with your own hands from improvised means, if the goal is to have a working, useful device in the household, and not a reminder of a rash desire to create something, it is necessary to calculate the dependence of the possible initial power of the installation on wind speed.
It should be taken into account that the wind power is directly proportional to the area of the blown surface and the wind speed raised to the 3rd power. The simplest arithmetic will show that the received energy is sufficient only to charge a mobile phone. 
Before proceeding with the process of manufacturing a device “so useful” in household use with your own means and with your own skillful hands, you should determine the characteristics of the accompanying parameters:
- wind speed and its main seasonal directions;
- the surrounding area;
- type of wind generator;
- social aspects.
When building a windmill from a screwdriver, it is advisable to choose a horizontal-axial type of wind generator, since the axis of rotation of a windmill of this type can work in any direction of the wind. The tail blade of this design balances and rotates the working head of the structure on the mast in the direction of the wind.
The power generated by a horizontal type wind generator is directly proportional to the height of its mast, since at a height of 6-10 meters the wind speed is greater than at lower levels. There is also a “but” here, such an installation cannot be located in close proximity to buildings. It is better to place it at a distance of about 300 m from the residential area, where there are no trees, but rather on a hill, in this case, problems begin with the maintenance of the windmill and its safety.
Service
Like any mechanism, a wind generator, even if made by hand, needs some maintenance.
For example, in case of sharp gusts of squally wind, the installation should be equipped with a braking mechanism, bought in a store or also made by hand, in order to avoid structural damage.
Other protective measures are the mandatory grounding of the mast and the presence of switches so that you can approach the structure if necessary.
The harsh climatic conditions in winter cannot be discounted, since during this period the blades or pipes of the generator can freeze and cause an accident. 
There is no need to talk about the lubrication of the rubbing parts of the windmill, since the wind generator itself is already a source of albeit small, but noise, and the additional rattle and creak of other parts of the installation can cause frustration not only for neighbors, but also for family members of a homegrown designer who, by his own hands made discomfort to himself and his loved ones.
Conclusion
Taking the opportunity to create a device with your own hands to use practically free, otherwise God-given energy, especially if you are far from civilization or just want to save money, is very commendable, but economic justification begins when the wind speed is at least 4 m / s.
I would like to ask the homegrown Kulibins whether it would be better to buy a typical wind turbine for almost the same money. Such an installation is assembled in 2-3 hours, generates electricity at a wind speed of 1-2 m/s and has a payback period of 5-7 years.