Robertson and Phillips, A History and Evolution

Interesting thread and likely news to most of us that simply take these things for granted. I have avoided slotted screws for a very long time because of their drive issues but it's common for our fancy copper/brass hinges to come with them. No idea why but they do. Square and multiple (star/square) drive screws are becoming quite common here in the USA but the drive design isn't my biggest gripe as it is the quality of the screw itself.

There are some real poor screws out there and the drive method doesn't really matter at that point. And then of course there's the fact that some of us aren't well schooled as to when a pilot hole should be drilled first and then drive the screw. Then there's the design of the thread itself where some are deeper than others. I guess the line of Kregg screws is as good an example as any. The type of thread (fine/course) is determined by the type of wood being used as well as the thickness of the boards. I for one have probably been a violator of using the proper screw more times than not.

Great video and thread. My first introduction to real performance of Robertson screws was when my younger brother ( a carpenter) took me to a job site in 1986 where they were building a cedar solarium. The boys were shooting 4" long #10 threaded Red (No.2) Robertsons into and thru fir and pine 2x4s and 2x6s without predrilling.
The Apex power bits and the 1/2" drive Metabo/Walther drills were the only thing that could survive this barbarism for 8 hrs a day. I remember them wearing gloves cause the metal body drills got so hot! Nothing like loading another 4" screw onto a Robby bit and being able to wave and manipulate the tool/screwdriver without fear of losing the screw. Even Pozidriv are not that good.

One thing curiously absent from the video, is the fact an exposed Philips screw looks finished and precise, especially when stainless or painted/coated. Robertson screws are ugly, maybe the deck screws are better, but no comparison when incorporating into a car dashboard or trim panel for example.
In a vehicle, there will be visible fasteners, Philips was THE standard, now Torx and other, more sophisticated designs exist, across screws, bolts etc. My favourite is the ARP stainless steel 12 pt head, as used in the aircraft industry. Huge pain to work with though, since they are not magnetically inclined lol.


More reading: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives

I saw this video over a year ago on YT. I found a book about the history of the screw, I was intrigued and sent an email to the author. He actually responded with a nice email. The book is One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver by Witold Rybczynski. A pretty good read. I recommend it.