When doing domestic or professional work and you need to screw, loosen or screw some piece as convenient is to have a set of ratchet or socket wrench. It is one of the easiest tools to use and possibly the one that will save you the most effort and time. In most homes, there is a ratchet set in the toolbox, but most users do not really know how to use it.
Features
The ratchet wrenches are tools that have an extension arm and a set of keys that are removed. The latter is supported by a bolt that makes it possible to exchange the keys to adapt them to the nuts and bolts of different sizes. The ratchet can help us perform these functions when a plier or a screwdriver does not work. That’s why they are very useful and they are a great option to have in the toolbox.
It is a tool that performs a dual function. On one side, it allows you to unscrew or screw bolts and nuts, due to the presence of the characteristic recessed polygonal profile. On the other side, it allows you to unscrew any type of screw, from the cross to the flat head ones. In short, among its functions, the socket wrench can widely replace a screwdriver.
Let’s see how this particular type of key is structured. To start we find a steel rod, often equipped with an ergonomic handle cover. The rod ends with a large circular section. Inside this section, there is a little compass, on which the ratchet will be installed. This component is crucial, as it activates a double-direction mechanism. As for the ratchet, however, it is good to spend a few more words. In practice, this component on one side houses the recessed profile that will accommodate the head of the screw or bolt. On the other hand, it will host a square-female insert to allow connection with the key.
One of the great advantages of the ratchet is that it can turn 90º, so it can reach almost anywhere. With a single ratchet, you can have access to many screws and nuts of different sizes. This is impossible with screwdrivers or wrenches. Another characteristic of the ratchet is the sound they make as we spin them.
Its price in the market is not excessive and there are countless ratchet models, depending on the brand that makes them, although its usefulness is always the same; get where the conventional keys do not arrive. If you have a ratchet set with a wide variety of socket wrenches and a wide variety of heads, you will have some of the work saved if you dedicate to assembling parts since these tools are key to saving time.
Usages
A guide on the ratchet wrench could not disregard a section dedicated to its correct use. How to use ratcheting wrench is not at all difficult, and it is probably more complex to explain in words. To use it you must first fix the graft on the screw or bolt. Having done this you must turn the key in the verse that contrasts resistance. Just a turn of about 30 degrees to screw the component. If you unscrew it, turn the key in the opposite direction. It is necessary to continue with the half turns to screw or unscrew completely a bolt or a screw.
The compass tends to accumulate dust and grease when used. This will eventually end up ruining it and making the mechanism ineffective. To avoid arriving at this point, it is always the case to maintain it. Specifically, the heads must be cleaned and the bearings oiled.