It would be very difficult to find an American household that did not have at least one screwdriver. Perhaps the most ubiquitous of hand tools, the screwdriver has a long genealogy, the result of a complicated manufacturing process. Archimedes is considered to have invented the screw in the third century b.c., though his invention was designed to transfer motion (as in the continuous worm of a worm and gear assembly) rather than to fasten things together.
By the first century b.c., large wooden screws were used in presses for producing wine and olive oil, and were turned with spikes stuck into or through a handle that resembled a modern corkscrew used for opening wine bottles, although larger. These were made of wood with a flat rather than a pointed end, and a container to hold the material being pressed.
Metal screws and nuts seem to have been used as fasteners in the fifteenth century, although the heads of these screws were turned with a wrench and not a screwdriverthe screw heads were either square or hexagonal. Screws with slots in their heads were found in armor in the following century, although the design of the tool used to work the screws, the screwdriver, is unknown.
The modern screwdriver descends directly from a flat-bladed bit used in a carpenter's brace circa . Woodworkers were using hand screwdrivers in the early s, and they became more common after , when machines made the automatic production of screws possible. These early screwdrivers were flat throughout the length of their shaft; the current design of a rounded bar that is flattened or shaped only at the working end makes the tool much stronger and takes advantage of the round wire used in its manufacture. The oldest and most common type of screwdriver is the slotted screwdriver, which fits a screw with a single slot in the head. There are perhaps thirty different types of screwdrivers available today in a variety of sizes, all with different purposes and all designed to fit into special screws.
The second most widely used screwdriver, the "Phillips," was invented in the late s by Henry Phillips. Soon after its introduction, the tool posed a dilemma for its userthe head of the driver pulls away from the screw as it is fastened, or "cam-out," leading to stripped screw heads and assemblies that are difficult to take apart. However, cam-out became a virtue; the screws were meant to be driven with a power tool, and the assembler would know that the screw was completely driven when his power tool slid out of the screw head. A screw head that could accept the greater torque (turning power) of a power tool was an advantage over hand-turned, slotted screw heads. Today, manufacturers are producing or gearing up production of Phillips screwdrivers that eliminate cam-out. Possible solutions (although details of some systems are company secrets) focus on the angle of the edges that fit into the Phillips screw, or using a better gripping material to coat or plate the screwdriver tip.
The torx screwdriver, widely used for automobile repair and other applications, was designed to take the torque that a Phillips screw can while eliminating the cam-out problem. It has six edges in a star pattern on its flat point, and fits flat into the screw head. It is not unusual to find torx drivers sold in a set with slotted and Phillips screwdrivers.
Other types of screwdrivers have been designed for special uses, and a well-stocked hardware store will have slotted, Phillips, torx, Robertson (a square shaft that fits into a corresponding square cut out in the head of the screw), and other more obscure types of screwdrivers. Some screwdrivers have not found a ready market, such as one that was designed to fit into special screws that have slots both on the top of the screw and on the side of the screw head, with corresponding grippers on the point of the screwdriver. There are so many screwdrivers and types of screws available that even a high quality of design innovation is overcome by consumer resistance to purchasing new types of screwdrivers and corresponding screws.
The raw materials for most screwdrivers are very basic: steel wire for the bar and plastic (usually cellulose acetate) for the handle. In addition, the steel tips are generally plated with nickel or chromium.
Making a flat-tip or slotted screwdriver is not very different than making any other configuration. Variations between a flat-tip and a Phillips screwdriver will be discussed later in this entry.
Other models might be assembled on hydraulic presses, three at a time. The least expensive models are assembled six at a time on one machine and placed by robot on a skin card machine that packages the screwdrivers for mass-market sale.
Consumer Reports magazine found, in tests, that the type of finish had little effect on the quality of screwdrivers, although most of their tested screwdrivers were plated. Poor-quality plating, on the other hand, might indicate that not enough care was paid to the tool in the manufacturing process. Similarly, poor-quality grinding can lead to rounded edges and corners which will not be as efficient as they could be; a tip that was burned during the grinding process may not be as hard as it should be.
Hoffman, E. Fundamentals of Tool Design. T/C Publications, .
Pollack, Herman W. Tool Design. Prentice Hall, .
Self, Charles R. Fasten It. TAB Books, .
Watson, Aldren A. Hand Tools: Their Ways and Workings. Portland House, .
Bailey, Jeff. "Does Henry Phillips, Bane of Handymen, Really Rest in Peace?" Wall Street Journal, September 15, , p. 4.
"Screwdrivers," Consumer Reports. January, , pp. 44-7.
Kinghorn, Bob. "The New Age of Screwdriving," Family Handyman. October, , p. 12.
Pierson, John. "Screwdriver Redesign Aims to Lock Out Slips," Wall Street Journal. January 22, , pp. 1-2.
Yeaple, Frank. "Zinc's Properties Enhance Hand Tool's Producibility," Design News. January 22, , p. 115.
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Lawrence H. Berlow
They dont make em like they used to. Cliché, I know. In some instances, that is a good thing. Think of the Ford Pinto or early cell phones.
The Pinto's gas tank was located too close to the rear bumper that led to a number of explosions from fender benders. (BTW We had a Pinto wagon when I was a kid)
Even today, power tools have taken significant strides from their humble beginnings.
Model E Saw from Skil
So, does the screwdriver fall into the older is better category or does todays technology triumph?
Sure, there are fancy cordless screwdrivers like the DeWalt Gyroscopic or the WORX Electric Screwdriver but, can they or will they replace the tried and true hand tool that has been responsible for countless connections? In my opinion, the old school option is still the best choice.
The oldest and most common type of screwdriver is the slotted or flat blade screwdriver. There are perhaps thirty different types of screwdrivers available in a wide variety of sizes, all with different purposes and engineered to fit into specific screws.
There are four basic sizes of Phillips screwdriver or insert bits, called point sized. They generally range from #0 to #4 with #0 being the smallest. The most common size is #2 and they are designated as P2. With slot head screwdrivers, the blade tips are measured in fractions of an inch and typically range in size from 1/8 to 1/2. Also, there are jeweler-size screwdrivers with blade tips measured in millimeters.
When I reach for a Phillips or a flat blade, my first choice is my wooden handle tools. Are they better? I dont know but, I like the weight, feel and grip. The hard plastic or even some of the soft molded screwdrivers just dont have the same feel.
Passed down from my grandfather and great-grandfather, here are a few of my favorites.
According to Rons Workshop, several models of both spiral ratchet, and ratchet screwdriver were made in Germany. Most of the screwdriver we see that were made in Germany were made in the -30's era, but some are still being manufactured in Germany today.
This ratcheting screwdriver has Germany stamped into the metal so, I assume that it is pretty old but, these types of screwdrivers were produced beyond the second world war so, there is no way of actually dating it.
In , Stanley launched the Yankee Spiraling Ratchet Screwdriver, considered by tool enthusiasts to be the worlds first cordless power tool.
The No. 2 Stubby, Super and Super all come from Apex Tool Group who recently celebrated 80 years in business.
The Unsinkable Screwdriver
My great-grandfather worked for White Star Line, the producers of the fabled Olympic class ships, Olympic, Britannic and Titanic. I do know that he worked on both the Britannic and Titanic as a carpenter and both suffered the same watery fate.
While we cant confirm (He suffered from Alzheimers in his later years), he said that he was tasked with the building of the Grand Staircase using this screwdriver. While no longer in use, this is my prized possession.
I can tell that this bad boy measures a little more than 24 in length with the driver blade covering 18 of the span and the tip of the blade is 7/16 wide. The shaft has two segments in it with the first, closest to the handle, appears it be a separate piece of metal. It seems as though, at one point, someone could swap out the end of the blade. It weighs close to 2 lbs.
My father worked for a casket company and they clear coated the blade and handle with the same chemicals that seal stainless steel caskets to preserve its integrity.
Share what you thinkare older hand tools better than todays products. If you have images of vintage tools, post a picture.
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