Robertson, Phillips, and the History of the Screwdriver

I will see from the beginning. I'm not the most skilled guy. I know which end of the hammer to hit with, but I'm not much more useful around the house than that, but I even have a lot of these

screwdriver

s here. I mean, after all, it is one of the most common tools in the world. Half your house is made up of screws and you have to hang your hat somehow. I would venture to guess that virtually everyone watching this has at least one

screwdriver

, but the funny thing is that if you're a viewer in Canada, there's a good chance you have a type of screwdriver that viewers outside of Canada have probably never seen or never heard of in your life and the reason Canada has its own type of screwdriver has to do with a truly unique moment in

history

where a group of technologies came together to drive a huge amount of innovation, but that innovation was affected by powerful world events at the time, such as the Russian Revolution and the First and Second World Wars. and the powerful personality of Henry Ford the great debate between the Robertson screwdriver and the Phillips screwdriver is

history

that deserves to be remembered the idea of ​​the screw which is an inclined plane that rotates in a spiral around a central axis is ancient the first known uses were water pump that may have been invented in syria to irrigate the hanging gardens of babylon one of the seven wonders of the ancient world in the first millennium b.c.

The device was in use in Egypt by at least the 3rd century BC, when the Greek mathematician and engineer Archimedes of Syracuse saw and described one, the device was later incorrectly attributed to Archimedes, as it is commonly called Archimedean screw. Screws were also used at least from the Hellenistic period to power presses for, for example, pressing olive oil or pressing grapes for wine, but screws were not used as fasteners. as we use them today without industrial methods, it would simply have been too expensive to manufacture. Other methods, including dovetails and dowels, were used for fixing and of course nail screws, much easier to produce as fasteners were apparently not produced until around the 15th century hardly mentioned in a manuscript from the end of the 15th century.

Its initial use was as a fastener for parts of medieval jousting armor and around the same period for early firearms, the wheel lock uses an internal spring to drive a piece of iron against a piece of pyrite to produce a spark. To ignite the powder, the pyrite wore out quickly and therefore had to be replaced frequently, which is why a screw was used, as it could be easily screwed and unscrewed. The first screwdrivers were built to service these weapons and were called a screw turner or twist screw and had a pear-shaped wooden handle and otherwise looked very much like a modern flathead screwdriver, but these Screws and screwdrivers would have been custom made and used in very expensive devices such as wheel locks. and jousting armor, so screws were not for the common people in 1760.

The work of the brothers and William Wyatt of Staffordshire patented a screw-making machine that used a file to cut the threads following the pitch of a screw advance, which allowed mass production of screws and was a precursor to industrial mass production machines, the idea of ​​using a lathe of some type to cut threads was improved in various ways until the rolling process was perfected of cold threads in the 1880s, but virtually all of these screws used only a few turning methods, either a hexagon or square that was turned externally or a flat slot cut to turn internally, and as anyone who has used one You know, flat head screws and screwdrivers have their problems, many alternatives were proposed and even patented in the second half of the 19th century, but most were not easily manufactured and slotted screws were still prevalent, but solutions were on the horizon Peter L Robertson was born in Haldeman County Ontario Canada in 1879 Tinkerer Robertson produced a number of inventions including a new design for cufflinks and even a better mouse trap In 1905 he received a patent in Canada for a new design of a corkscrew that focused on the bottle.

Around the turn of the century, Robertson was working in eastern Canada as what was called a high-tone man, that is, a traveling salesman for a Philadelphia tool company. High-toned men sold his where, say, on a corner of the county fair advertising his products, among the things he was selling was a device of his own design. Robert's 20th century wrench was a multi-tool that could be used as a wrench, clamp, vise, screwdriver and riveter and he called it the best tool in the world and if all that sounds impressive, there are actually several multiple tools that were very similar patented at that time, but it was in the demonstration of another tool, a spring. loaded screwdriver that gave

robertson

his most famous idea while demonstrating the flat blade screwdriver, the blade slipped and severely cut his hand, giving him the idea for a new type of screwdriver head that was less likely to break slip or come off, this is not a new concept.

There are a wide variety of new screw head designs patented in the second half of the 19th century, but most never went anywhere due in large part to manufacturing difficulties, but also because practically everyone already owned a flat head screwdriver; In fact, the basis of Robertson's idea a square-headed screw and screwdriver were not new; in 1875 Alan Cummings of New York City had been granted a patent for a screw that used either a square or triangular socket. Instead of a slot to address the same problem, Cummings' description noted that it is well known that the head of a common screw provided with a slot is very susceptible to injury caused primarily by the screwdriver slipping out of the slot when the screw is loosened. placed in wood or metal by making the usual slot and using the appropriately shaped cavity and the perfect screwdriver.

Safety is assured for the metal cap, but Cummings' design had one flaw: the way the cavity the screwdriver fit into was made by stamping it with a die and stamping it deep enough for the screwdriver to sit in. inside, it would deform or weaken the screw. Head Robertson had a better solution for which he applied for a patent in 1907. His screw gradually narrowed the sides of the square until it reached a pyramidal shape, which not only prevented the head from warping, but also helped align the grain of the metal while explaining how to knit. atoms together for greater strength, had the added advantage of less waste, as a slot was usually cut out of a slotted head screw, losing some metal and weakening the head of the screw because it was less likely to come out. more torque with the Robertson screw and driver as it was self-centering, could be used with one hand while a slotted screwdriver usually required two, the screw head was less likely to warp and the Robertson driver was much more capable of removing the The screw, if you did, also worked better than a slotted screw if the screw had been painted over the screw and Robert's screwdriver.

They were particularly attractive to furniture makers and boat builders, where it was more problematic if a flat head screw came out because it would damage the surrounding material and damage the value of the product, but perhaps best of all, the Robertson screw It can be cold formed, because the seal tapers inside the screw, meaning the screw can be built without having to heat Cummings' metal design. As ingenious as it was, it was probably never manufactured during the life of the patent because the screw simply could not be easily manufactured, but Robertson's design could be manufactured cheaply in the millions and he called his invention the greatest small invention in the world. 20th century until now.

Robertson obtained enough investors to open the manufacturing company P L Robertson Limited in 1908. He built a factory in Milton, Ontario, which provided him with tax breaks and a ten thousand dollar loan. The patent was approved in February 1909 and by then the company was already fulfilling orders. Robertson was only 30 years old while the company Robertson described the early years as difficult, as local competitors even challenged his patent. The Robertson screw only gained popularity among boat builders and furniture makers in 1913, Fisher Auto Body opened a factory in Walkerville, Ontario, manufacturing wooden parts for the Ford Model T. The Robertson screw offered a great advantage for manufacturing Fisher Se became one of Robertson's largest customers using around 700 screws per body.

Robertson later designed a metal screw for use in the all-metal body of the Ford model and, having obtained international patents, Robertson saw an opportunity to expand. abroad, so he went to Gillingham, England, and founded a company called Reces Screw Screw Company which marketed in British industry using the slogan The Screw That Grips the Driver, but his real plan was to manufacture crews in England but sell them in Germany and Russia in the First World War, the Russian Revolution thwarted their plan. Recess screws went into war production during the Great War and produced things like shooting needles and hand grenade pins, but after war recess kits failed, there appear to be several factors involved, including an excess of supply after the war and the actions of some unscrupulous investors, but Robertson resigned as a director of the company, but the company in Canada was still doing well and Robertson sought to expand to the United States.

He tried to negotiate a deal with a manufacturer in Buffalo, New York, but the company wanted a say in manufacturing decisions and Robertson, perhaps stung by his experience in England, refused to give up that control, so Henry Ford came to the table and An analysis showed that the use of Robertson screws at Ford plants in Canada had saved two dollars and sixty cents per car, a significant savings for a car that sold for only three hundred and ninety dollars and was being produced in the millions. Ford wanted to use Robertson screws in all of its US plants, but Ford wanted to say in production on an exclusive contract and Robertson stubbornly. he refused to give up that control when the deal fell through.

Not only did Robertson not get the contract for Ford's plans in the United States, he lost the contracts in Canada, almost a third of his business after three failed attempts. Robertson decided never to try to license his screws abroad. from Canada again, but their marketing skills made these screws and screwdrivers the preferred screwdrivers in Canada, although they are barely known across the border in the United States, but Ford still used flat screws which are even more problematic on the lines automated assembly. where if a screw came off it cost time and slowed down manufacturing the solution began with a patent application in 1932 by john p thompson, an auto mechanic living in portland, oregon, thompson's new screw design used a cruciform like the square head screw, this was not a new idea but again, similarly, previous patents for screws that use cruciform heads, as explained in the application, push the metal in front of the tool and thus alter the distribution of the metal up to the point of making the screw head extremely brittle.

Thompson's solution was similar to Robertson's by tapering the head of the screw. A star die could be used without distorting the metal and re-stamping the tapered design made the metal actually stronger. Also, when sharpening the screw a screwdriver could be used if it wasn't exactly the right size and again the new cruciform head screw would catch on the driver, making it less likely to come out than a flat head screw in 1933 , when the patent was granted, Thompson assigned it to Henry Frank Phillips as Robertson Henry Phillips had been a traveling salesman when the patent was assigned, he was the CEO of a mining company, the Oregon Copper Company, not very clear why Thompson assigned the patent to Phillips.

It could be that Thompson just didn't know how to sell it or couldn't find investors, but it could also be that he already had an agreement with Phillips when the patent was filed, but Phillips refined the design and was granted more patents, unlike Robertson Phillips was not. intended to make screws, but hoped to license the patents forTo manufacture and collect royalties, not surprisingly with his new invention, Phelps received many rejections from companies who told him that the idea had no promise of commercial success, but Phillips finally convinced Eugene and Clark of the American Screw Company of Providence Rhode Island to manufacture the design.

By 1934, the screw was available to consumers, while the tendency to come out could be problematic for anyone who screwed. It was a particular problem for manufacturing, which even at that time used power tools. Philips' later patent applications appear to have recognized the advantage. A 1934 application said that failure of the slotted screw to retain the blade driver, especially in power-driven operations, is not only dangerous to the operator but always detrimental to the work, it was clear what market he saw for his design in 1936, general motors was invited to test the design, the

phillips

head bolt was first used at gm, making the 1936 cadillac advantageous for large industries and small was obvious customers were enthusiastic about the amount of labor time saved in just a few years Virtually every US automaker, including Ford, used Phillips head screws.

The aircraft and railroad industries also changed in 1939. 20 companies had licenses to produce Phillips head screws in 1940. 85 percent of American crew manufacturers had a license for the design and the company raised more than 1.3 million tight dollars, while World War II limited foreign licensing and established the Phillips head screw as the industry standard among wartime manufacturers, hundreds of thousands of aircraft and engines. Vehicles built by the US during the war were largely bolted together with Phillips head screws. When Philips' patents expired in the 1960s, there were more than 160 domestic licensees and half that number foreign licensees, while Robertson had Phillips screws from Canada, according to industry estimates. by far the most popular type of screw worldwideIn other parts of the world there is still a heated debate about which is better the Robertson screwdriver or the Phillips screwdriver and that debate has become more heated recently as the Internet and fair trade make it easier to purchase Robertson equipment and drivers outside of Canada.

In general, the Robertson screwdriver grips the screw better and that means you don't have to apply as much pressure to turn the screw without it coming out and it's less likely to come off. break the screw, both problems that plague ordinary users. of Phillips head screwdrivers, but that ability to come out actually offers an advantage for manufacturing with a Phillips head screw, when the machine has placed the screw, it will come out and that prevents the screw from being overtightened and as an advantage in home. With a pinch, you can use a flathead screwdriver to turn a Phillips head screw and you can't do that with a Robertson screw.

Until now, the Phillips had remained supreme almost everywhere except Canada, but Robertson screwdrivers made significant inroads, especially among furniture. and boat manufacturers and the discussions become more complicated as there are now many more alternatives on the market, some of which are compatible with existing controllers. Their patents for the Phillips head expired long ago. The Phillips screw company today develops and licenses some of these new types of screws. and drivers the

phillips

head screw was so successful that it might have been too successful in 1947 the federal government funded charges against phillips and several manufacturers alleging that they had engaged in anticompetitive practices, including price fixing and the suppression of competition, the resolution final in 1948 was a consent decree that reduced phillip's ability to enforce his patents the

robertson

and phillips screws were the culmination of the development of screw technology over a couple hundred years and were two guys that rose to the top In an era where there was a lot of innovation in the field it is truly ironic that the events of the first world war were part of the reason why the robertson screw was never developed internationally, while the events of the second world war where The reason philips heads grew was and the relative fates between The two say that invention is not just about the inspiration and wordplay of the inventor, but about a complex interaction with historical forces and powerful personalities that can impact every tool in the toolbox.

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