.. or is it an awl (forgive my ignorance) - the thing I mean is a spike with a handle that I use to poke a pilot hole/dent for screws and any other general "poking" jobs. It went missing in action, probably under a shower tray or something. I looked in B&Q - no luck, then Homebase - no luck. I thought it was a basic tool:(
I don't want to chase around town or order online for something worth only a few quid.
Any suggestions?
Was you looking in the woodwork tools department? or the local handyans store.
Have you a small srewdriver? cut the shaft in half and grind to a point.
Try Google
flat blade (as shown) and the sharp point version. (Mine is square cross section so digs quite well), the single point ones seem rarer.
Got my profile gauge from there...
Blimey! a center punch will do the trick.
A nail?
Try a second hand shop which does house clearances?
My small collection of bradawls comes from a time when drills weren't that common or cheap and you started all your screw holes with one.
Ooops!
Top posting courtesy of OE :-(
Wickes, got one in there last week for a few quid (cant remember the exact price) and the Wickes here is pretty small so i guess they would have it everywhere
It is - I'm really surprised B&Q didn't have it.
Or maybe with the advent of powertools and modern screws and which don't need pilot holes, perhaps the bradawl is destined for the scrap bin of history?
David
Whaddyaknow:
David
Mine also came from Wickes.
I got one in our local (normal) B&Q about a year ago.
I didn't know you could buy them! I just thought they got handed down from father to son. I have two - one was my Dad's and the other my Grandad's. Incidentally my Dad always called it a "sprigbit" not a bradawl - I'm not sure if this is a regional language variation (Lancashire) or are there actually two different tools?
Pete
My solution too.
Never heard of a "sprigbit", but I was taught that a bradawl is the pointy-ended thing you use to poke a straight hole for a nail (aka brad) but you start screws with a _gimlet_ which has a conical screw thread leading to a fluted shaft. Nowadays, I guess we all use a power drill, though hand tools can be easier in a tight spot.
But I agree it's getting hard to find basic tools in the sheds. I was looking unsuccessfully for a 1/4" round file the other day, the several I inherited from dad/granddads having gone walkies.
Chris
A screwdriver with a thin enough shaft like a bradawl will have too small a handle to press into wood with comfort.
snipped-for-privacy@proemail.co.uk pretended :
Thanks, I was trying to remember what that item was called :-)
Buy a cheap screwdriver that is comfortable in your hand and a cheap rough cut file and make your own. Just make sure that you file it to a slow taper. This can be done by hand.
Dave
FWIW I much prefer the ground square shaft version, with a slow taper to a point. Unfortunately this seems to come with a more expensive price tag ... made by eg. Marples at nearly a fiver a pop. You do get a wooden handle though. I think silverline do a cheaper version.
I've found them in _decent_ (old-fashioned or trade) tool shops within the last year. Online, eBay do them cheaper, but by the time you've added on postage ...
Jon N
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