How To Extend An Allen Wrench For More Leverage

How To Extend An Allen Wrench For More Leverage

Have you found yourself wondering if there is a way you can extend an Allen wrench or allen key to give you more leverage?

Maybe your Allen wrench or hex keys aren’t working for you as you want them to and want to know if you can extend them to get more leverage? Or are you just curious and want to know more? No matter what your reason might be, we have the answer for you! 

Allen wrenches and hex keys are a vital part of DIY and building work, especially when building flat pack furniture!

Typically, these small wrenches will help you tighten screws and assemble furniture without the need for a drill or power tool. Sound’s brilliant, right? But how do we get more leverage from our Allen wrench? 

You head online to see what you can find out but are met with little or conflicting information on hey keys and allen wrenches that leaves you unsure where to turn or who to trust. 

Well, no more! Today, we are here with the answers that you need. Just keep reading to find out how you can extend an Allen wrench or hex key for more leverage, and everything else you need to know. 

What Is An Allen Wrench?

Before we get into today’s article, let’s have a quick recap for those that need it. An Allen wrench, or hex key, is a driver used to screw bolts or screws into place.

These bolts or screws will have internal hexagonal recesses on their heads that the Allen wrench or hex key will fit into and tighten the screws or bolts without the need for a screwdriver or drill. 

An Allen wrench looks almost L-shaped, with one long side that curves into a shorter side. You typically find these wrenches along with your screws and bolts for flat pack furniture, like the kind Ikea sells.

They are a good alternative to screwdrivers and drills and ensure that no matter what you are making, you don’t need to worry about having the correct tools! 

To use an Allen wrench or a set of hex keys, simply place one of the hexagonal-shaped ends into the screw or bolt and hold the other end in your hand.

You will then turn the wrench to the right to tighten the screw or bolt into place. And if you need to loosen the bolt or screw, simply turn the Allen wrench to the left until the screw loosens or can be removed.

If you come across a particularly stubborn nut, make sure that the hex keys or wrench are in a suitable position to give you more leverage, and to make your grip more comfortable as you apply more force to one end of its length. 

Allen wrenches will often come in the same packet as screws and bolts for your furniture, but you can also purchase them at hardware stores or online in order to install your own furniture.

You can get them in multipacks or secure cases so you don’t need to worry about misplacing one or two Allen wrenches and you can avoid the awkward hunt for such drivers! 

Now that we have briefly established what an Allen wrench is, let’s move on to see how you can extend your wrench for more leverage! 

How-To-Extend-An-Allen-Wrench-For-More-Leverage-

How To Extend An Allen Wrench For More Leverage 

So how can you extend an Allen wrench for more leverage for one hand? Well, there are a few options you can choose from. Let’s take a look at them now. 

Use A Box-End Wrench

The easiest way to extend your Allen wrench for more leverage is to use another wrench to do so.

Sometimes the smaller arm of an Allen wrench isn’t going to cut it! It might not help you tighten a loose bolt, or help you get the right angle to tighten your bolt. 

In these cases, you can tax a box-end wrench and slip it over the small arm. This will increase the leverage and allow you to tighten the bolt as you see fit.

Ideally, you will want to use a 10mm or smaller box-end wrench to do this, but that does depend on the size of the Allen wrench you are using, of course! 

Make Your Own Extender 

Another option you have is to make an extension that you can sit your Allen wrench in. This will allow you to extend the wrench and increase the leverage too, without risking breaking the driver! So how can you do this? 

Start by taking a thick piece of dowel and drilling a hole through it. This will allow you to join the two together and thread them into each other to create more comfortable hex keys.

You can take the dowel and make a groove in it from the hole to the end of the dowel. Once you have made the hole, put the shorter leg of your Allen wrench into the hole and slide it until you can’t see the groove. 

The extension can be made as long as you need it this way, without needing to spend any money or search through the details of a guide book!

Of course, if you don’t have the tools needed to drill the hole into the dowel, you will need to budget the cost of this or see if you can borrow someone’s tools. 

Purchase An Extender 

Your final option is to purchase a handle or extender for your Allen wrench to make your job easier. These are the most expensive options but don’t panic, you can still pick them up for a reasonable price in some settings!

These are a fantastic option if you don’t have any tools or time to make your own extender, and you want suitable attachments! 

Extenders like the WISE Power Up Handle will help you add some leverage and torque, speeding up the process and allowing you to screw your screws and bolts in quickly without putting in too much extreme force!

The ten-inch-long extender is super easy to use too! Simply insert your Allen wrench into the slots at the top end, and you can use the long extender to reach tougher areas, improve your leverage, and screw screws and bolts into place quickly, using the long arm. 

You don’t need to spend a fortune to have a durable extender either! This extender is made from steel, so durability is not going to be a concern!

And with a weight of just over seven ounces, you don’t need to worry about it weighing you down and hindering your work. 

Whichever of these three options that you choose, you are sure to have success in not only extending your Allen wrench but increasing your leverage too!

This should make tasks in tight spaces a lot easier, and it also gives you a larger surface area to hold and work with. So you won’t need to worry about the small Allen wrench slipping through your fingers! 

Final Thoughts 

And there you have it, three simple ways that you can extend an Allen wrench to increase your leverage. By doing so, you can increase your leverage and also the speed that you work!

In no time at all, your bolts and screws can be tightly screwed into place or removed easily. Whatever you need from your Allen wrench, you should be able to do so easily now! 

If you want a cheap option, then making your own extender or a box-end wrench is the perfect option!

However, if you don’t have these tools to hand, you can purchase an Allen wrench extender or hex wrench extender for a reasonable price either at a hardware store or online.

Whatever option you choose, we are sure that you will be happy with the results and enjoy the extender! 

Don’t forget to check YouTube for some tutorials if you need an extra helping hand while you are completing your DIY task. There is plenty of help online that will take you from DIY novice to expert. 

Good luck!


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