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What is it?

LeeLamb | Posted in Tools for Home Building on September 3, 2007 09:42am

I bought an interesting tool at a fleamarket yesterday.  It has a six-fingered collet/chuck on the working end, controlled by a sleeve that slips toward the nose to engage.  Opened, the jaws are a 7/16″ diameter,  Closed the jaws are 1/4″ diameter.  The jaws are about 3/16″ deep.  When closed the jaws have about a 3/32″ hole in the center. 

It is well made (machined).  The patent number is 3,339,439.

I’ll find a use for it, but I would like to know what it was originally intended to do.

I attached some pictures to help with the identification.

Thanks!

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Replies

  1. john7g | Sep 03, 2007 09:45pm | #1

    Googled the patent number and found

    http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5213015.html

    A variable nut driver includes a multi-fingered collet with individual jaw faces at the free ends of the fingers and a ring connecting together all of the fingers at their other ends. The collet is contained within a tubular member secured to a handle. A flat thread follower within the collet has projections which extend between the fingers and through opposing elongated slots in the tubular member. The projections engage the inner thread of a rotatable sleeve surrounding the tubular member and collet at axially displaced positions. Rotation of the sleeve moves the thread follower and collet axially forward or back. As the collet is moved back the jaw faces extending past the open end of the tubular member are cammed toward each other. Conversely, as the collet is moved forward, the jaw faces move away from each other. Rearward movement of the sleeve is restricted by the position of the handle relative to the tubular member. This prevents the sleeve from becoming disengaged from the thread follower.
    1. User avater
      Sphere | Sep 03, 2007 09:51pm | #3

      Dang, first response and ya cheated. You should be ashamed of your bad self.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

      "If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"

      1. john7g | Sep 03, 2007 10:02pm | #4

        Who says it's a closed book test?  :)  I was just using the tools available.  For really cheating I could've done the search and then spouted it off like I really knew it, but that's not my style.  Giving the patent number is like giving away the answer. 

        Cheers & Happy (non)Labor Day!

        1. KenHill3 | Sep 03, 2007 10:19pm | #5

          Good job and a quick ID. Never thought of using patent search. I see 'Penncraft', so it was sold by J. C. Penney.

        2. User avater
          Sphere | Sep 03, 2007 10:25pm | #6

          LOL. Yeah, fair is fair , he gave it away with that.

          But ya know what? It REALLY could be a plain old adjustable Zerk fitting remover..has much more ..uhhh how you say? Panache...LOL

          Ecch. I hadda be on a job this am, so no holiday here.

          Carpe diem.  I mean unseize the day, with a zerk fitting. (G)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

          "If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"

    2. LeeLamb | Sep 03, 2007 10:44pm | #7

      Yep, it'll work as that.

      I did google the patent number but came up with zilch. I just entered 3,339,439 along with the commas - no other text.

      Thanks. 

      1. john7g | Sep 03, 2007 10:50pm | #8

        I think my entry at google was patent and then the number.  Pretty fickle, isn't it?

    3. frenchy | Sep 04, 2007 12:19am | #11

      john

       Your answer festinates me, That is the way you searched out an answer.. I'm old enough so my mind doesn't think along those lines and anyone who can is impressive..

        Often I'm the source of negative comments because I don't use a search engine or know how to post the source of items.. I suppose I could learn but to what purpose? I'm beginning to be set in my ways and don't adapt easily to new stuff.. Heck if I had my way cars would still have hand cranks and you'd need to set your points every month..

       Am I a closet Luddite?  

      1. LeeLamb | Sep 04, 2007 12:36am | #14

        When I was young I had two cars that I started with cranks. An MG-TD and a Triumph TR-3. The TR-3 had a magneto that put out about a gazillion volts. It always started on the first pull of the crank.  Turn on the ignition, wait until the fuel pump quit ticking, set the choke, insert the crank and give it a sharp lift. It ALWAYS started.  Remove the crank and tuck it behind the seat. 

        BTW, I don't miss setting points, changing plugs, or doing any of the other tune-up work.  Today's cars are great!

         

        1. frenchy | Sep 04, 2007 01:41am | #23

          LeeLamb,

           I still own both a Ford Model A and a MGTD.  I can turn the ignition on and give the crank a pull and she's purring like a kitten. first time every time..

           I have yet to restore the Model A but she'll do the same thing..

          1. LeeLamb | Sep 04, 2007 02:22am | #28

            I never had a Model A, but my dad had a coupe. I remember riding in the back. That thing really could accelerate.  Dad sold it when I was about six or seven years old. Everything he had after that was post-war. 

      2. highfigh | Sep 04, 2007 12:44am | #15

        "Heck if I had my way cars would still have hand cranks and you'd need to set your points every month.."How fast would people get sick of setting their points and just do it when it stopped running or starting easily? Or, "I lost the crank, just park it on a hill", followed by "No, pointing downhill, stupid!".
        "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

        1. frenchy | Sep 04, 2007 01:43am | #24

          highfigh,

          Just when I became a wizard at setting points. tuneing up distributors and finally bought my own distributor machine.. they became obsolete. ! People don't know just how neat it is to do a perfect tuneup any more..

          1. highfigh | Sep 04, 2007 02:21am | #27

            "People don't know just how neat it is to do a perfect tuneup any more.."People don't want to learn how to do things like that, now. Most people I have talked to about cars, trucks, boats and motors think the automakers are screwing us by making it impossible to do a tune-up. I also see a lot of cars and trucks going along, belching smoke and unburned gas, with the drivers not fixing them because "they can't afford to", while they waste more gas in a month than the repairs would cost. Add the money saved by not wasting gas to the conversation, and they just don't see it.
            "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

      3. john7g | Sep 04, 2007 01:23am | #17

        Thanks Frenchy.

        Luddite?  I've seen you called other names but I don't think Luddite is appropo.  ;-)  So I doubt you're a Luddite unless you don't listen to the following.  You have to appreciate the tool that's at your finger tips.  I've yet to not find an answer in some part on the itnernet.  The Answer is Out There if you look hard enough.  (You'll also find opinions supporting every side of agrument, enough so to confuse you if you don't use your own brain).

        To use the search engines the best think of the key words of the subject to hunt down. In this case it was patent and the number.  I guess the number is just a number and the OP found that out but define it a little further with Patent and the field get's narrowed.  In this case narrowed to the point that it was the 1st hit on the list.

        >...because I don't use a search engine or know how to post the source of items.. I suppose I could learn but to what purpose? <The truth has never hurt any of us after the initial impact.  None of us likes to be wrong.  For me the day that I close my mind to new ideas is the day they should start finalizing my funeral arrangements.  What's the use of life without new discoveries. 

        It really is amazing how much can be found on the internet and the things you can make it do for you.  Ever moreso when you figure 10 years ago it was still relatively new to all of us. 

        My Dad is turning 75 in a couple of days and he's learning how to Google quite well.  You can too if you put your mind to it.  5 years ago Dad said 'What do I need a computer for' when we were trying to convince him he'd appreciate it.  Now he screams when his Hi-speed internet is down. 

        Happy surfing.

        1. frenchy | Sep 04, 2007 02:11am | #26

          John,

           I'm only 15 years behind your father and I haven't had the help of anyone showing me the ins- and outs of computers.   Some things are remarkably easy when shown how but frankly I still fear the computer.

           I bought computer after computer because I was told that mine was hopelessly obsolete. Turns out most had just been infected with a virus or something. For A while I kept getting charged for stuff I never  ordered.  (latter I found out my  (then) preteen daughter had ordered it without telling me)..

              I'm very, very, tight... trying to stretch a dollar into 325 pennies.  I tried unsuccessfully to get rid of AOL  and get one of the discount internet service providers.. No luck,  I always wound up paying for both services.. I could manage to cancel the discount one but never ever AOL..

            I have a very  limited amount of time to go on line.. usually when I'm exhausted from working on the house and need to take a break.. (like right now) 

            In about 10 more minutes I'll be up working on the house again and should take another break about an hour and a half from now.  I started working at 7 this morning and I'll  quit around 9 to 10.00 tonight..

          I'm not closed minded, I simply have differant priorities.  computer skills are way down on my list. 

          1. highfigh | Sep 04, 2007 02:43am | #29

            I haven't read the whole thread but FYI- you really don't need to pay yahoo, AOL, or anyone else to use the internet. You need some way to connect, but that's the only charge you need to pay unless you don't have a landline (DSL won't work without a landline). You need to pay to use AOL but it's about the biggest virus out there, so I would wean yourself from it ASAP. My computer turned 7 years old in early January. I keep it clean, I switched to XP Pro and don't use Internet Explorer. I like my computer now and when I used IE, AOL and Norton, I wanted to toss it out my second story window. Shop around- there's probably some computer store that has a deal for DSL, which works fine and is a helluva lot faster than dial-up. Get the cheapest one you can find and if they want to charge more after a year, you can change providers. With DSL, you pay for guaranteed service, so speed should never be an issue. If you pay for 1.5 Mega Bits Per Second and you find that it's slow, they fix it unless it's the wiring in your house. Wireless isn't as fast as wired, so don't let anyone tell you that it is. It is, however, fast enough for most uses. The 54KBPS vs 100MBPS only refers to the connection between your computer and the rest of the local network connected to the modem/router. Look at finding information as the easiest thing to do on the 'net. Computers only do a few things, really. They count, compare and send on/off signals. google is a big program that sorts information and if you think in terms of a big catalog, that's what it is- it's just really fast. Just about anything that has been published is on the internet, so if you see a patent number, chances are, it'll be searchable. If you see a name, including yours, you can find info about it. Phone numbers- same thing. Plug yours into the search bar on google and if you're in the book, it'll come up.If you want info, the 'net is the place where you'll generally find it fastest and with computers being low on your list of priorities, finding shortcuts is a good thing. By the way- if you want to save, send or copy the address of a link, like this thread or post, go to the address bar, right click and look for 'copy', 'copy link location' or 'save as' (depending on what is showing) and click on that. You can then right click and paste it to an e-mail or other message, document, etc. If I recall, we're of similar age- one tip I think applies to computers is, "Think like a nerd". They aren't normal. They came up with all of this. The picture is something I saw when my computer was having major problems. True story!
            "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

          2. KenHill3 | Sep 04, 2007 03:17am | #30

            AOL BAAAAD, Mozilla Firefox on Apple GOOOOD.

          3. highfigh | Sep 04, 2007 03:42am | #32

            Firefox on XP GOOOOD! Me likee! ME been using for about 4 years and ME HAPPY! Norton, BAAAD! AntiVir, GOOOOD!
            "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

          4. KenHill3 | Sep 04, 2007 05:03am | #33

            Norton very bogus. Norton cause crash.

          5. frenchy | Sep 04, 2007 03:19pm | #37

            highfigh,

             I actaully have DSL but I'm still paying AOL.. Grrrr.  I'll come back and try your suggestions next time I sit down.

      4. bobbys | Sep 04, 2007 01:26am | #20

        Mr frenchy if i can do things on the computer ANYONE can, But i turn off the TV untill the teens around here show me though

        1. frenchy | Sep 04, 2007 01:47am | #25

          bobby's,

             My teenager is not willing to spend the time getting her old man up to speed. (and in all honesty it's really not her job)  I see friends with teenage sons who can wiz rthru the internet because their children showed them how and I am envious..

  2. User avater
    McDesign | Sep 03, 2007 09:45pm | #2

    It's a multiple-nutdriver.  Even does metric!

    Forrest

  3. pm22 | Sep 03, 2007 11:05pm | #9

    I have the Klein version of this variable nut driver. It's a nifty idea.

    However an important feature of a nut driver is the ability to tighten a nut at the base of a long shaft. Thus the hollow shaft. This tool does not have a hollow shaft and is only good for something like hex head sheet metal screws.

    It costs about ~$20~$30. You can get a set of Husky nut drivers from Home Depot for ~$15.

    ~Peter

     

    1. User avater
      Luka | Sep 03, 2007 11:10pm | #10

      Do I hear a neener neener in there somewhere ?;o)

      Yeh... That'll work.

    2. LeeLamb | Sep 04, 2007 12:24am | #12

      I just tested it out and it will drive a nut just over 1  5/16" onto a threaded rod.  That will do just about all the binding posts I run across.  There's a rollpin that prevents the threaded piece from going any further.

      I never saw a Klein version of this and I am a fan of their tools. I use Klein cuts and screwdrivers.

      1. User avater
        Sphere | Sep 04, 2007 12:28am | #13

        Go yank all the grease fittings offa something and lemme know if it works OK?  (G)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

        "If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"

        1. LeeLamb | Sep 04, 2007 01:09am | #16

          I yanked these off all of the machinery and vehicles I could reach. ;-)  It did not work on any of these fittings. The "bulb" on the fitting prevents the collet from closing. It worked fine on the screw on the left though.

          1. User avater
            Sphere | Sep 04, 2007 01:28am | #21

            LMAO...no battery to change either. (G)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

            "If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"

        2. john7g | Sep 04, 2007 01:23am | #18

          How about a rounded off nut? 

          1. User avater
            Sphere | Sep 04, 2007 01:29am | #22

            Hey, keep it clean, keep it clean.  The Mods are out in full force.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

            "If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done"

  4. bobbys | Sep 04, 2007 01:24am | #19

    A 5 dollar bill with the pic of the prez of iran on it ??????

  5. renosteinke | Sep 04, 2007 03:35am | #31

    As others have mentioned, it is a multi-size nut driver. Your particular one is mande by Stanley, which started making them in 1978.

    1. KenHill3 | Sep 04, 2007 05:05am | #34

      "As others have mentioned, it is a multi-size nut driver. Your particular one is mande by Stanley, which started making them in 1978."Stanley made it for Penney's?

      1. renosteinke | Sep 04, 2007 05:51am | #35

        Not impossible ... sure looks like the Stanley "100 Plus" handle ... which is what Stanley used for their version of this tool.

    2. LeeLamb | Sep 04, 2007 01:54pm | #36

      Thank you! I've always liked Stanley tools. Especially their trade-grade screwdrivers.

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