Torque Screwdriver

[carlyai]

What are the recommendations for a torque screwdriver, for torquing up electrical screw etc connections.

Lots on Lazada, don't know which is best.

[Crossy]

Hate to admit that I don't have one, a decent one is not a cheap item ???? 

 

Tighten to somewhere between "wuss" and "gorilla" and you'll be fine ???? 

[sometimewoodworker]

17 minutes ago, carlyai said:

What are the recommendations for a torque screwdriver, for torquing up electrical screw etc connections.

Lots on Lazada, don't know which is best.

Having had a quick look there are two companies you can be sure of that I’ve seen they are Wera and Wiha both are excellent, though not cheap, and I use Wera tools. Though at ฿5,000 and up even on Lazada are too rich even for me.

 

The no name Chinese tools may be perfectly functional and the Japanese dial gauge one is almost certainly accurate but will be a pain to use. 

[OneMoreFarang]

37 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Having had a quick look there are two companies you can be sure of that I’ve seen they are Wera and Wiha both are excellent, though not cheap, and I use Wera tools. Though at ฿5,000 and up even on Lazada are too rich even for me.

 

The no name Chinese tools may be perfectly functional and the Japanese dial gauge one is almost certainly accurate but will be a pain to use. 

I bought not long ago lots of Wera tools. As far as I remember they had little torque wrenches or screw drivers with limited adjustability. To be able to "adjust" from a little torque up to a lot it would be necessary to buy 3 of them.

 

Torque screwdrivers (wera.de)

 

In my personal experience for electrical work torque screwdrivers are not necessary. I think it is pretty obvious if you fasten the screws with your hand what is reasonable.

 

With big screws like a cylinder head that is a different problem and for that kind of work a torque wrench is definitely a good idea or even necessary. 

[Crossy]

I find that using a Phillips driver on those dual "slotted+Phillips" heads it cams-out before reaching what I think is decently tight so I have to get the slotted driver on the job too.

 

Your Mileage (and torque) May Vary ???? 

[carlyai]

To me that's a bit surprising, seeing that many people have Solar and battery setup. 

But cost is expensive.

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

I find that using a Phillips driver on those dual "slotted+Phillips" heads it cams-out before reaching what I think is decently tight so I have to get the slotted driver on the job too.

 

Your Mileage (and torque) May Vary ???? 

Nothing like a bit of battery spot welding with your socket wrench!

[carlyai]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Nothing like a bit of battery spot welding with your socket wrench!

So what type of torque screwdriver did you use for your battery setup?

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, carlyai said:

So what type of torque screwdriver did you use for your battery setup?

I just tighten them up until the wrench no longer moves easily.

[farmerjo]

Old trick is to use an adjustable spanner on the grip of the screwdriver for extra torque.

[carlyai]

7 minutes ago, farmerjo said:

Old trick is to use an adjustable spanner on the grip of the screwdriver for extra torque.

I've had the meter box screws loose causing HR joint problems, and my first consumer unit the installer overtightened and stripped the thread and cause HR joints as well.

If I'm going to do my own solar installation next year, thought I should have one.

I know from working on car engines that a torque wrench is a must (for me anyway).

Just have to cut SWMBO budget from giving the Monks expensive meals in the morning. Still think she can be reborn with just sticky rice offerings for a while. ????

[Muhendis]

This is an interesting thread.

It reminds me of when I did some bus bar work for a Korean company.

The bus bars were big and copper and were to carry around 80k Amps for an electroplating plant.

Torqueing the many bolts was very specific because the copper has a certain amount of elasticity which needs to be retained for expansion-contraction purposes. Too much torque and this elasticity is lost and the joints will become loose. In order to have the right pressure between busbar surfaces, we used special spring washers under the bolts which had to be compressed but not flattened. 

[sometimewoodworker]

2 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Old trick is to use an adjustable spanner on the grip of the screwdriver for extra torque.

That works for a moderate amount of extra torque for (usually) cheaper/smaller tools, but if you have tools that are designed and made well you don’t have to do that kind of common bodge as they are likely to be designed for the job.
 

This is an actual English screwdriver designed for a ½ AF spanner. So you can add as much torque as the screw will stand without any damage to the grip.

 

an alternative are the screwdrivers with a square shaft like these,

 

though they are only really useful on slot headed screws,

it’s quite possible to break one of the driving faces off a Philips screwdriver with a square shaft if you have the @Crossy^TM  patented,  gorilla attitude. ???????? 5555 or just get hungry!