Action flange crushing

[Phillip Ford]

>Hi Phil,
>
>>  Interesting that you have the number of 18 lbs (is that 18 in.-lbs,
>>  by the way?).  One factory rep told me, off the record, that he
>>  believed that 12 in-lbs would crush a maple flange.  Also, Guy
>>  Nichols seemed to recall that the Baldwin factory used 10 lbs (10
>>  in.-lbs?) for action screws.
>
>I don't own a torque wrench, but I have a cordless Ryobi drill/screwdriver
>that has torque settings from "5" to "25," as I recall.  Is this an inch-lb
>scale?  (Not that I would use the thing on a flange screw --- but at least I
>would know what 18 or 12 or 10 in-lb feels like on a screw placed into a 2x4
>or something.)
>
>Peace,
>Sarah

I don't know.  Other people have told me that they use a setting of 
so-and-so on their Milwaukee screwdriver, Acme screwdriver, etc.  I 
know the setting that I use on my electric screwdriver.  I suppose if 
you assembled all these devices, assuming that the factories that 
make them have strict enough quality control so that they are 
uniform, and checked them against a torque reading screwdriver you 
could start to get a picture of the torque that experienced techs 
use.  I had hoped some piano manufacturer had already done this 
research project.  Another thing to go on the list of things to do I 
guess.

Phil Ford