Wood-especially hardwoods-render the Yankee driver virtually useless. In reality, the Yankee driver is only practical when driving or removing screws in metal. The slightest angle when driving the screw will cause the drive bit to jump out of the slot. The screw has to fit perfectly into the hole, and there can be no resistance at all-zero friction. Or rather, it worked only under the most optimal conditions. The problem is that the tool never worked very well. In its day, the Yankee driver was of great appeal to DIYers and craft people tired of wrists that ached from manually driving screws.
If you have one around the house, you (or your kids) might be a little fascinated by it as a symbol of a bygone era. And it is fun to play with-an unusual tool with an interesting and rather ingenious mechanism. There is a nostalgic appeal to the Yankee driver, largely because most of us recall a father or grandfather using one. The mechanism of the Yankee driver, which involves a set of spiraling slots in the shaft and a spring action mechanism, allows you to push the handle straight down to twist the shaft and drive the screwdriver bit mounted in the tool's chuck. The Yankee driver is sort of like a predecessor to the cordless drill, designed to drive screws with less effort than turning a manual screwdriver by wrist action. The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.
