Who invented the Phillips head screw?
Phillips Head Screw. In the early 1930s, the Phillips head screw was invented by Henry Phillips. Automobile manufacturers now used car assembly lines. They needed screws that could take greater torque and could provide tighter fastenings.
What can screws tell about the history of antique furniture?
One of the most overlooked and least understood clues in establishing the date and authenticity of older and antique furniture is the story that screws can tell about the history of a piece. Screws are relative newcomers to the production of furniture primarily because they are so hard to make by hand.
How were screws made in 18th century?
Handmade screws of the 18th century started out much as the handmade nails of the period did—as square iron nail stock produced in a rolling mill. In the Colonies, these iron rolling mills existed all along the Atlantic coastline, turning out nail stock for the blacksmiths and “nailers” in the growing settlements.
What are screws in furniture?
Screws are relative newcomers to the production of furniture primarily because they are so hard to make by hand.
How can you tell the age of furniture with screws?
Screws were not made completely by machine until 1848. So if you find a furniture item using screws that have completely rounded shafts, pointed ends, and perfectly finished heads with matching cuts (much like a screw you would purchase today), the piece likely dates to the mid-19th century or later.
When did screws start being used in furniture?
Metal wood screws — for fastening into wood — appear to have originated in the 15th century. Screws are relative newcomers to the production of furniture and did not become a common woodworking fastener until more efficient tools were developed around the end of the 18th century.
When did they start using metal screws in furniture?
15th centuryThe use of metal screws as fasteners began in Europe in the 15th century. The screw was used in furniture but did not become a common woodworking fastener until efficient machine tools were developed near the end of the 18th century. The earliest record of lathe made wood screws dates to an English patent of 1760.
How can you tell how old furniture is?
Make sure to search for labels, stamps, or manufacturing tags that can tell when and where a piece was made. Furniture companies and makers often listed their names, locations, and year of production This information can be found on the inside of drawers, the backs of bureaus, and on the lower edges of pieces.
When did screws replace nails?
Widespread use of screws for carpentry didn't become practical until after 1760, when two English brothers, Job and William Wyatt, patented the first screw-making machinery.
Why are Phillips screws still used?
They are less prone to damage and stripping, as the Phillips screws cam out when excess torque is applied. They don't allow the screwdriver to slip out sideways and injure the operator.
How do you date an old chest of drawers?
Turn the piece over and examine the bottom of the chest of drawers for a paper label or stamp. Look at the back side of the chest of drawers and inside all the drawers. A label or stamp often contains the name of the company that made the chest of drawers and, in some cases, lists the year or city of manufacture.
When did they stop dovetail drawers?
Hand-cut dovetailing was the default until 1860 when uniform machine-cut joints were introduced. But fine cabinetmakers persisted in fitting their joints by hand until the early 1900s, and cabinetmakers in Europe cut dovetails by hand well into the 1930s.
What era of furniture has claw feet?
Claw foot tables became a common fixture in many European and American homes during the 18th and 19th centuries. From massive banquet tables to quaint candlestick tables, these tables can be found in a wide variety of sizes and styles.
How old does something have to be to be considered vintage?
least 20 years oldVintage simply means old. The meaning of the word “vintage” is simply “of age,” making it more difficult to set a specific age requirement. However, many say vintage items are at least 20 years old. So, generally speaking, something can be considered vintage if it is between 20 and 99 years old.
Who invented the Phillips head screw?
Phillips Head Screw and Other Improvements. In the early 1930s, the Phillips head screw was invented by Oregon businessman Henry Phillips (1889–1958). Automobile manufacturers now used car assembly lines. They needed screws that could take greater torque and could provide tighter fastenings.
When were screws invented?
Early Screws. Around the first century CE , screw-shaped tools became common, however, historians do not know who invented the first. Early screws were made from wood and were used in wine presses, olive oil presses, and for pressing clothes. Metal screws and nuts used to fasten two objects together first appeared in the fifteenth century.
What is a screw?
Updated October 04, 2019. A screw is any shaft with a corkscrew-shaped groove formed on its surface. Screws are used to fasten two objects together. A screwdriver is a tool for driving (turning) screws; screwdrivers have a tip that fits into the head of a screw.
What is a Robertson drive head screw?
Robertson drive head screws have a square hole and are driven by a special power-tool bit or screwdriver (this is a low-cost version of the hex head for domestic use). Torx head screws have a splined socket and receive a driver with a splined shaft.
What is a screw in science?
A screw is any shaft with a corkscrew-shaped groove formed on its surface. Screws are used to fasten two objects together.
What is a Pozidriv screw?
The Pozidriv is an improved Phillips head screw, and it has its own screwdriver, similar to cross-head but with better resistance to slipping, or cam-out. Hexagonal or hex screw heads have a hexagonal hole and are driven by a hexagonal wrench, sometimes called an Allen key or a power tool with a hexagonal bit.
What is square head screw?
A square-drive head on a screw is an improvement over the slot head because the screwdriver will not slip out of the screw's head during installation. The early 20th century Model T car made by the Ford Motor Company (one of Robertson's first customers) used over seven hundred Robertson screws.
Early Screws
Robertson Screw
- In 1908, square-drive screws were invented by Canadian P. L. Robertson (1879–1951), 28 years before Henry Phillips patented his Phillips head screws, which are also square-drive screws. The Robertson screw is considered the "first recess-drive type fastener practical for production usage." The design became a North American standard, as published in the "Industrial Fastener…
Phillips Head Screw and Other Improvements
- In the early 1930s, the Phillips head screw was invented by Oregon businessman Henry Phillips (1889–1958). Automobile manufacturers now used car assembly lines. They needed screws that could take greater torque and could provide tighter fastenings. The Phillips head screw was compatible with the automated screwdrivers used in an assembly line. A he...
Types of Screws
- Myriad types of screws have been invented to perform specific tasks. 1. A cap screwhas a convex head, usually hexagonal, designed to be driven by a spanner or wrench. 2. The wood screwhas a tapered shaft allowing it to penetrate the undrilled wood. 3. The machine screwhas a cylindrical shaft and fits into a nut or a tapped hole, a small bolt. 4. The self-tapping screwhas a cylindrical …
Shapes of Screw Head
- Pan head: disc with a chamfered outer edge
- Cheesehead: disc with a cylindrical outer edge
- Countersunk: conical, with flat outer face and tapering inner face allowing it to sink into the material, very common for wood screws
- Button or dome head screw: flat inner face and hemispherical outer face
Types of Screw Drive
- A variety of tools exists to drive screws into the material to be fixed. The hand tools used to drive slot-headed and cross-headed screws are called screwdrivers. A power tool that does the same job is a power screwdriver. The hand-tool for driving cap screws and other types is called a spanner (U.K. usage) or wrench (U.S. usage). 1. Slot head screws are driven by a flat-bladed scre…
Nuts
- Nuts are square, round, or hexagonal metal blocks with a screw thread on the inside. Nuts help fasten objects together and are used with screws or bolts.
Sources and Further Information
- Industrial Fasteners Institute. "IFI Book of Fastener Standards." 10th ed. Independence OH: Industrial Fasteners Institute, 2018.
- Rybczynski, Witold. "One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw." New York: Scribner, 2000.