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Phillips Head Screws Or Square Drive screws

9 July 2010

The jury is still out on wich is the best self tapping screwsystem, here is a little that I can add about Phillips head screws verses square drive screws to help you decide whats best for your project.

Phillips head screws apparently first invented by Mr Henry Phillips and originally named cruciform, not sure exactly when but I do know the first commercial application was apparently when he sold them to Generall Motors in 1936 and all cadillacs from that era used the new ground breaking screws. Anyone got 36 caddie so we can check?

At about the same time (1907) some Canadian gent named Mr P L Robertson invented the square drive. Hence Robinson screws!

Most of the screws we sell still have the diameter of the shank measured in the old wire guage, Quite confusing to someone not familiar with screws.

To convert to metic click this link

Whilst the popularity of square drive screws have certainly taken off recently Aussies and Americans are consuming a huge amount of stainless steel square drive decking screws. Popular amonst some chippies and boat builders for the better purchase provided by the more robust internal square drive.

Still we are selling much more phillips head screws especially in marine grade stainless steel screws, whilst the phillips head may strip out a little easier the screw can be driven at a slight angle and faster than the square drive screws due to it's better centering, unlike the square drive wich needs the driver inserted reasonably straight.

With huge improvment in screw drivers these days and the adjustable clutch in even the cheapest battery drills we see less and less stripping of the drive system.

Square drive screws are certainly becoming easier to obtain we have a range of pan head and countersunk self tapping screws in stainless steel and also zinc plated. No galvanised square drive screws yet.

Phillips head self tappers are still more readily available and certainly cost less than square drive self tapping screws another advantage is almost everyone has a phillips head screw driver. Even my wife keeps a phillips head screw driver in the kitchen, But I doubt she has a square drive.

If anyone has anything to add to this or if I have it wrong, please let us know and I will add it to this text, Just send it in an email and I will paste it in.

Written by Jimmy Gamble

JIMCO trading as www.boltsnutsscrewsonline.com