Michael Kennedy wrote:

I've never seen anything with a posidrive screw in it.. They aren't used
very much in the USA or at least in Florida... I have yet to need a
posidrive screwdriver and I've taken all kinds of things apart in my life..
I consider a good set of torx and allen wrenches a necessity along with a
set of sockets and wrenches and of course a small set of jewlers
screwdrivers and mini torx bits, hammers, saws, etc...

The funny thing is I never knew what that weird looking phillips bit I had
was called until today.


Microdyne and Lockheed-Martin both use it, although Microdyne has
moved out of the area.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...
I despise Robertson screws, along with the "Clutch head" screws.
Every time I run into either of them, someone has put them in with a
worn bit that strips the head and makes them almost impossible to
remove. I've used surface grinders, drills, and a cutting torch to
remove them to make repairs. I generally replace them with hex head
screws and make sure that I always inspect the bit before I start a job.
--

Misdirected feelings - should be towards worn bits of all types that can
mess up all types of screws. Don't blame the screw for the fault of the bit
and the recklessness of the user. Among the three common wood screws here
(slot, Phillips and Robertson), I'll take the Robbie anyday. The ability of
the bit to retain the screw is a big advantage.

Tom

Tom Holden wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...
I despise Robertson screws, along with the "Clutch head" screws.
Every time I run into either of them, someone has put them in with a
worn bit that strips the head and makes them almost impossible to
remove. I've used surface grinders, drills, and a cutting torch to
remove them to make repairs. I generally replace them with hex head
screws and make sure that I always inspect the bit before I start a job.
--

Misdirected feelings - should be towards worn bits of all types that can
mess up all types of screws. Don't blame the screw for the fault of the bit
and the recklessness of the user. Among the three common wood screws here
(slot, Phillips and Robertson), I'll take the Robbie anyday. The ability of
the bit to retain the screw is a big advantage.

Tom


You can have all of them. I'll keep using hex and torx head screws,
thank you! ;-)


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 15:38:10 GMT, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:

You can have all of them. I'll keep using hex and torx head screws,
thank you! ;-)

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

I kind of like the square drive myself. I wonder why it's not more
popular? Is there an inherent deficiency I'm not aware of?

Bill, W6WRT

"Bill Turner" wrote in message
...


I kind of like the square drive myself. I wonder why it's not more
popular? Is there an inherent deficiency I'm not aware of?

The Robertson drive screws are ubiquitous in Canada where
they were first made (in 1908) and patented. They are less
so in the U.S. due to the fact that, after one business
fiasco with licensing the right to manufacture to a third
party in England, Robertson refused to license it to any
one else, including Ford in the U.S. Ford would not adopt
any screw for its production lines for which it could not
guarantee unbroken availability, despite the fact that the
screw proved to save considerable time in the production
of cars. So, they never really caught on there like they
did in Canada.

Greg Neill wrote:

The Robertson drive screws are ubiquitous in Canada where
they were first made (in 1908) and patented. They are less
so in the U.S. due to the fact that, after one business
fiasco with licensing the right to manufacture to a third
party in England, Robertson refused to license it to any
one else, including Ford in the U.S. Ford would not adopt
any screw for its production lines for which it could not
guarantee unbroken availability, despite the fact that the
screw proved to save considerable time in the production
of cars. So, they never really caught on there like they
did in Canada.


They're catching on. I recently had my deck surface replaced, and nearly
all the screws are square drive. (The remainder are Torx.) It's the
first use I've seen of them here. They're readily available now at Home
Depot and, I assume, other DIY stores.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Roy Lewallen wrote:

Greg Neill wrote:

The Robertson drive screws are ubiquitous in Canada where
they were first made (in 1908) and patented. They are less
so in the U.S. due to the fact that, after one business
fiasco with licensing the right to manufacture to a third
party in England, Robertson refused to license it to any
one else, including Ford in the U.S. Ford would not adopt
any screw for its production lines for which it could not
guarantee unbroken availability, despite the fact that the
screw proved to save considerable time in the production
of cars. So, they never really caught on there like they
did in Canada.


They're catching on. I recently had my deck surface replaced, and nearly
all the screws are square drive. (The remainder are Torx.) It's the
first use I've seen of them here. They're readily available now at Home
Depot and, I assume, other DIY stores.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL


They have been used in mobile homes for years in the US. I can buy
them bulk at several local building surplus stores. There are several
mobile home manufacturers in the area that dump a lot of leftover or
damaged items.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:55:26 GMT, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:

They have been used in mobile homes for years in the US. I can buy
them bulk at several local building surplus stores. There are several
mobile home manufacturers in the area that dump a lot of leftover or
damaged items.

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

I would think one advantage of square drive would be it is nearly
impossible to strip the drive hole, unlike Phillips and especially hex
(Allen). I think I'll scout around for some for my next building
project in 6-32, 8-32 and 10-32.

Who knows, might even try metric sizes.

Bill, W6WRT

Bill Turner wrote:

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:55:26 GMT, "Michael A. Terrell"
wrote:

They have been used in mobile homes for years in the US. I can buy
them bulk at several local building surplus stores. There are several
mobile home manufacturers in the area that dump a lot of leftover or
damaged items.

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

I would think one advantage of square drive would be it is nearly
impossible to strip the drive hole, unlike Phillips and especially hex
(Allen). I think I'll scout around for some for my next building
project in 6-32, 8-32 and 10-32.

Who knows, might even try metric sizes.

Bill, W6WRT



I have never seen them with machine screw threads, only as wood
screws.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
...
Bill Turner wrote:


I would think one advantage of square drive would be it is nearly
impossible to strip the drive hole, unlike Phillips and especially hex
(Allen). I think I'll scout around for some for my next building
project in 6-32, 8-32 and 10-32.

Who knows, might even try metric sizes.

Bill, W6WRT



I have never seen them with machine screw threads, only as wood
screws.

Ah, you poor deprived person! Got 'em aplenty up
here in the Great White North!