Tuffy Screwdriver - Swallow Air Craft Co.

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Garage Sale Score...

http://sabertoothowl.blogspot.com/2007/01/swallow-airplane-co.html

 

[HeelSpur]

Interesting read, I picked one up at a yard sale last year.

 

[woody 73]

very interesting read thanks for sharing that.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

...another.... thing to watch for / collect..... this is the first one I've seen.. but now I'll probably see them all over ..now....

 

[markbugno]

Great write up.


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[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Nice Tuffy! Those things are pretty much bullet proof. Your appears to be in nice shape than most. Many I've seen had hammer damage on the end of the aluminum handle from being used as a chisel.

Yeah, I expected that when I picked it up.. It sort of looked like a cheap shop class project laying there amongst the other tools that were rusty.. Lucky for me that my son and I dug a bit and found the hand full of jems like this screwdriver..

 

[CNGsaves]

Great snag on unique screwdriver OP . . . . definitely a sought-after tool !!

Interesting reading the write-up and history of Wichita aircraft. Growing up my dad worked at Cessna but I've never heard of Tuffy. Had heard of Swallow Airplane Co and Stearman from back in the day.

Interesting how screwdriver was manufactred at different locations with suppliers across the midwest.

I'll be keeping a keen eye on snagging one myself. Thanks for post OP.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Yeah.. I cannot wait to find the Philips version of this tool .. I could have used it numerous times in the past..

 

[FireWrench]

I have a Tuffy 3/8 in. driver that is still in like new condition.

I can't remember exactly where I got it. I think I might have got it on a high school field trip to the Belleville Pennsylvania flea market. Which was an Amish run flea market /swap meet that my flakey high school psychology teacher arranged a totally inappropriate (had nothing to do with anything in class field trip) just because he had a fascination with the Amish / Pennsylvania dutch.

I do remember I found in a box of old tools on a venders table of swap meet junk. And it just stood out and said quality to me. So I bought it thinking I would use it to work on my dirt bikes which is what I was wrenching on when I was a teenager. I know I didn't pay more than 5 dollars for it…

I will try and post some pictures of it.

 

[BMack37]

That is really cool and a great read. I wonder how many eBay searches this thread has caused, I know of at least one! I could definitely use a phillips 2, why doesn't a big name make these? Ugh

 

[1badbird]

I was lucky enough to just find 3 of them last weekend, their tough as nails

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yippee, I found my first TUFFY today!

If you're not familiar with TUFFY's, just read the article linked in post #1. It is a long but good read, and will tell you everything you want to know about this screwdriver and the Swallow Airplane Company.

The "reader's digest" version goes like this...

Matt Laird started Swallow in the 20's. Guys with names like Cessna and Beech worked for him before splitting off to form their own companies. In 1945, long after Swallow made its last airplane, they started making tools for the aviation industry. One of them was this screwdriver. They have a steel shank and an aluminum handle, they are indestructible, they come in a few different sizes, also Phillips, which are the rarest, and have a cultish following among some aviation mechanics and some vintage tool collectors. Everything from the looks to the branding to the utility to the story is appealing.

Here is the patent title page and diagram...

 

[Private Lugnutz]

OAL is 9 inches.

 

[Outlawmws]

I haven't seen one of those, but would love to find one.

I do have 2 copies of the more modern Bit driver version made by Makita, Probably as a high torque accessory to a power driver. It has a triangular plastic grip, and the red handle folds inside that. Not as cool as the Swallow version, but useful.

 

[r_olson_06]

Yippee, I found my first TUFFY today!

If you're not familiar with TUFFY's, just read the article linked in post #1. It is a long but good read, and will tell you everything you want to know about this screwdriver and the Swallow Airplane Company.

The "reader's digest" version goes like this...

Matt Laird started Swallow in the 20's. Guys with names like Cessna and Beech worked for him before splitting off to form their own companies. In 1945, long after Swallow made its last airplane, they started making tools for the aviation industry. One of them was this screwdriver. They have a steel shank and an aluminum handle, they are indestructible, they come in a few different sizes, also Phillips, which are the rarest, and have a cultish following among some aviation mechanics and some vintage tool collectors. Everything from the looks to the branding to the utility to the story is appealing.

Here is the patent title page and diagram...

Nice find Lugz. I do find a couple a year but never a Phillips. I am pretty sure they made them. Also find quite a few with the flip out piece broke off and gone.

Looking for the following Plomb Pebbles Wrenches 3061, 3070,

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I've heard there are a few modern take-offs, Outlaw.

The Saber Toothed Outlaw guy has a Phillips, Roy. They are definitely out there, but rarer. It doesn't surprise me you have found a few or that have seen even more of them with the lever snapped off in the wild. You're in the right area!

 

[RubiconJK]

Very cool. I was wondering what the fold out portion of the handle was for, but now see from reading the article that it is a "torque wing". Wonder how many of these I missed while digging through boxes and pails of old tools?

 

[Outlawmws]

I was just looking at completed Eprey listing and they actually made sets with #2 Phillips, blade and 1/4" socket drivers with sockets!

Also had several sizes of straight blade drivers.

That sets the bar MUCH higher!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yes, I didn't put that in the summary, but the article linked in post #1 goes into the full complement.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I was wondering what the fold out portion of the handle was for, but now see from reading the article that it is a "torque wing".

Sorry, Roob, I see that I left that out of the summary, too. I thought I had described it as a leverage lever, but that was in the Garage Sale thread post where I first reported the find.

 

[SilverDeck]

Great to see some new “converts” to the Tuffy cult. I learned about these about 5 years ago and put together a set of the slotted drivers. They are quality tools. If buying on eBay, look the photos over carefully. When I was hunting for them online, I saw many that were missing the retaining ball that holds the folding arm down.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Mine was snapped off. It seems to be fairly common. I imagine from being popped in and out of the hole after so many times.

 

[HeelSpur]

Great to see some new “converts” to the Tuffy cult. I learned about these about 5 years ago and put together a set of the slotted drivers. They are quality tools. If buying on eBay, look the photos over carefully. When I was hunting for them online, I saw many that were missing the retaining ball that holds the folding arm down.

How many are in a set? And did you ever see the phillips Swallow? The 3 I have.

DSCF2268 by wvwheaties, on Flickr

 

[Private Lugnutz]

HeelSpur,

According to the guy who maintains the Tuffy research site (see link in post #1), there are four (4) in a set, all slot blades:

12-3/4"
10-3/4"
9-3/4"
9-1/8"

Looks like you're only missing the 9-3/4" to me!

Note that he is referring to the original TUFFYs, made by Swallow Airplane Company, in Wichita, KS, not the clones made by TUFFY TOOL CORP, Quinter, KS; KP Enterprises, Inc, Denver, Colorado; or Salem Tool & Mfg Co., Daleville, Indiana. It sounds like those clone companies may have made a greater variety and diversity.

Collectors saying they have TUFFYs probably need to identify whether they are original or not if they don't show the marking.

He says he has two Phillips heads, but he doesn't say what lengths, implying that they came in the same OAL (I am guessing #1 through #4 tips?).

He also says there is a socket wrench spinner, 3/8-inch drive.

EDIT: I am eager to see SilverDeck's set!

 

[Sevenhills1952]

My Tuffys

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[HeelSpur]

HeelSpur,

According to the guy who maintains the Tuffy research site (see link in post #1), there are four (4) in a set, all slot blades:

12-3/4"
10-3/4"
9-3/4"
9-1/8"

Looks like you're only missing the 9-3/4" to me!

Note that he is referring to the original TUFFYs, made by Swallow Airplane Company, in Wichita, KS, not the clones made by TUFFY TOOL CORP, Quinter, KS; KP Enterprises, Inc, Denver, Colorado; or Salem Tool & Mfg Co., Daleville, Indiana. It sounds like those clone companies may have made a greater variety and diversity.

Collectors saying they have TUFFYs probably need to identify whether they are original or not if they don't show the marking.

He says he has two Phillips heads, but he doesn't say what lengths, implying that they came in the same OAL (I am guessing #1 through #4 tips?).

He also says there is a socket wrench spinner, 3/8-inch drive.

EDIT: I am eager to see SilverDeck's set!

Just checked mine and all say Swallow Airplane Co., but the sizes aren't matching up.

12 1/4"
10 1/2"
8 5/8" (bent but may stretch to 8 3/4")

 

[SilverDeck]

EDIT: I am eager to see SilverDeck's set!

I have three sizes so I must name missing one of the nines. I’ll hunt them up next week and post a pic or two. They are in my tools at work at the Nebraska State Capitol. The slotted drivers are the only ones I have use for there because our Capitol was built between 1922-1932 and all of the original fasteners on things have slotted heads. We have some monsterously-large decorative bronze floor grilles held down with slotted machine screws. The largest slotted Tuffy with the wing deployed is just the ticket for generating the torque to bust those fasteners loose. Probably am making myself sound like a mechanic. In reality, I’m a preservation architect who isn’t afraid of getting my hands dirty.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I’m a preservation architect

I knew that! There are three jobs I want: yours, the one that Rubicon dreams of (combination of Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins and American Pickers), and the guy who owns/operates the Urban Remains companies.

 

[RubiconJK]

I knew that! There are three jobs I want: yours, the one that Rubicon dreams of (combination of Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins and American Pickers), and the guy who owns/operates the Urban Remains companies.

I've been watching this thread and now have my eyes out for one of these!

 

[SilverDeck]

Back to the office this morning and dug out my Tuffy screwdrivers. Found a 12 1/2" and two 9 1/2" slotted drivers. I know I have a 10 1/2" somewhere and suspect it may be at home. Will have to check the garage tonight. All of mine came from eBay. All have the retaining ball that helps hold the folding arm in the down position, although one of the 9 1/2" drivers seems to have a broken spring. I believe all of mine came to me with mushroomed ends on the handle from having been hammered on. I used a file to "dress" the ends and remove the mushroomed metal. These drivers seem to be very tough (I guess, hence the name "Tuffy"). Wonder what the alloy on the aluminum is and how they heat treated the tips.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice group shot! (Was the checkered ruler a happy accident or did you do that as an intentional allusion to the common vintage paint scheme on flight line ground vehicles?! )

 

[SilverDeck]

Nice group shot! (Was the checkered ruler a happy accident or did you do that as an intentional allusion to the common vintage paint scheme on flight line ground vehicles?! )

Happy accident, I guess. Just thought a graphic scale in the shot might help give some idea of the size. Have a bunch of those around the office for photographing hardware, artifacts, etc.

 

[SilverDeck]

Here an ad from the Feb 1946 issue of "Popular Mechanics." Looks like the sizing was measured at the exposed shank. In that case, the drivers in my photos above are and 8" (7 3/4" actually since I think it has been reground at some point) and two 5" models.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Nice find. Now we have some actual branding terminology ("Power-Arm") to call the lever!

Back on the happy accident of using a checkered rule in your photo. Just for a visual reference, or so that you don't think I'm cuckoo, this is the aviation ground vehicle paint scheme I was alluding to!

 

[SilverDeck]

Here's are some images of a set in the box from a completed listing on eBay. Someday the listing and pics will be long gone so thought it would be worth uploading here.

 

[SilverDeck]

last two pics from the same listing

 

[SilverDeck]

Here are more pics from an auction listing years ago. I saved the pics in my electronic file on Tuffy Screwdrivers. This was a set of three Philips drivers.

 

[SilverDeck]

And here's another pic I had saved of a set (slotted, Philips, and 1/4" socket driver) that I had saved. This set from the later Tuffy producers in Quinter, Kanass.

Second pic is another 1/4" driver. Looks much older to my eye.

 

[SilverDeck]

Here's another pic I had in the file of an earlier prototype (prior to the torque arm). Can't recall where this pic came from either, might have been the Sabertoothowl blog years ago. Looks like the these handles were hexagonal aluminum.

 

[B17E1943]

Great stuff, SilverDeck!