Screwing Around

[Terry Bond]

Found this interesting video on the history of the screw - excuse the stupid commercials, but the video is nicely done. 

Terry

[DB26]

Nice and informative. I didn’t know Canada had an exclusive fastener. 

[lump]

Fascinating. I love stuff like this.

[BearsFan315]

agreed, really cool info. heard of all three and i know that my 1929 Chevrolet is either Slotted/Flat Head Screws or Hex Head in a Few Places.

[Gangster]

My first job after university was in Milton, Ontario, I rented an apartment in the basement of a grand-daughter of Peter Robertson inventor of the Roberson screw about a mile from the manufacturing factory.

 

Over the years I have done a lot of building and woodworking and would use nothing but a Robertson head screw.  They are so easy to use, especially if removal may be required at some point.

 

Bob 

[1937hd45]

Canadian built Model A Fords used the Robertson screws. Bob 

[Mark Wetherbee]

45 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said:

Canadian built Model A Fords used the Robertson screws. Bob 

 

As did the Canadian Model T Fords.

Edited November 18, 2019 by Mark Wetherbee (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

Phillip's or slotted or as my wife calls them "plus or minus".

[Paul Dobbin]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years ago I bough the square drive screws from a magazine called McGreely or something like that.  I bought s bunch in all sizes and am now running low on my supplies.

Far better than a Phillps and never strip out the square hole.  Makes wood work enjoyable.   Anybody know who sells them now?

Edited November 18, 2019 by Paul Dobbin
spilling errors (see edit history)

[Guest]

Amazon sells them,

[lump]

Lowes sells them in my area, at least in Deck Screws. And each large box comes with a driver inside. 

[paulrhd29nz]

3 hours ago, Paul Dobbin said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Years ago I bough the square drive screws from a magazine called McGreely or something like that.  I bought s bunch in all sizes and am now running low on my supplies.

Far better than a Phillps and never strip out the square hole.  Makes wood work enjoyable.   Anybody know who sells them now?

Try any store in Canada since about 1913. It’s truly incomprehensible and utterly inconceivable that you all haven’t figured out the Robetson screw yet. 

[Bloo]

1 hour ago, paulrhd29nz said:

Try any store in Canada since about 1913. It’s truly incomprehensible and utterly inconceivable that you all haven’t figured out the Robetson screw yet. 

 

We did in the early 2000s, and they were in every hardware store. Now they have disappeared and been replaced by all sorts of clutch screw variants, some of which might be TORX... or not. They give you a bit in the box of screws. I'm not sure what you are supposed to do when it comes time to take the screws back out and you don't have the bit anymore. Phillips has made a big resurgence as well, never mind that they are literally designed to cam out.  It's infuriating.

[KLF]

I spent my whole working career in the fastener business in Vancouver BC. In 1976 I went to Alaska to try and get an order for bolts for the Alaska Pipeline construction. After talking to one of the buyers for quite a while he finally said that what he really needed was a good Canadian screw!! Naturally something else came to my mind. I thought I was being asked to supply a "perk" before he'd give me an order.  It was the wild, wild west up there at that time. I finally realized that he was talking about the Robertson drive screws. It was a good sales trip as I came home with an order for about $100,000 worth of bolts. No perk was required.

Ken

[wayne sheldon]

I hate Phillips screws! Inconsistent, difficult to hold straight and start,  Strip out as often as not. Screwdrivers don't fit, can't be sharpened. About thirty years ago, some security systems work we did used these odd square hole screws. Special drivers were supplied. I didn't know what they were called, but I decided I loved them! Better than anything else I had ever used, except for Torx. And they were cheaper than Torx. Besides, if I didn't have the driver handy? I could make a driver for those odd square hole screws on a bench grinder in about two minutes! I know, because I did so, and still have it in my old work tool box. Sure enough. I later found out those odd square hole screws were Robertson screws. Ain't politics grand? The USA should have gone with those as a new standard back before WWII.

 

Torx may be better for certain high strength applications. However, I have so far not been able to strip any of the hundreds of Robertson screws I have used. And some of those were high strength applications.