Originally Posted by
HillRider
Yes it does and, for a job not done very often it's perfectly adequate. Over 25 years of working on my own and friends' bikes I've installed and/or replaced maybe six headsets and the all-thread/nuts/washer tool has done a fine job each time.
One refinement I've added is to make a set of leather disks the diameter of the biggest washer and use them as liners to protect the cups. This is particularly useful with Chris King and similar headsets that have unremovable bearing cartridges and must be pressed in using the edges of the cups.
Depends on how often you do headset installations. Over my 25+ years of working on my own bikes, I've replaced dozens of headsets. I've used the washer technique and I've come very close to screwing up a frame doing so. The proper tool is still preferable and far easier to use.