In article ,
"Arfa Daily" wrote:

Totally off topic, but just for a bit of intellectual amusement ...

Why should the length of a screwdriver's shaft, affect the amount of torque
able to be given easily to the screw head ? This is something I learnt many
years ago as an apprentice. I have just fitted a new 'antique' bog roll
holder to one of my toilet rooms. The screws that came with it were nice
single slot chrome plated jobs to match, but were about 2" long. When I came
to drive them into the plastic wall plugs, I didn't want to use a power
driver for fear of slipping out of that slot, so I went by hand. By the time
I had got to 1.5" I was really struggling to keep the screw turning. Then I
remembered the long screwdriver trick. I have one about 18" long. The shaft
and tip and handle diameter were all near enough the same as the short
screwdriver I had just been using. Only now, the screws drive in like you're
putting them into a slab of butter. How can this be ?

If the long-shaft driver is perfectly in line with the screw, there is
no advantage. However, with a long-shaft driver, it's pretty easy to let
it lean to the side a bit, and when you do that, the amount "off to one
side" it is, gives you additional leverage -- like a short handle on a
socket wrench.

Isaac