Robertson screws are only superior when the screwdriver used on them is an exact fit. If your selection of screwdrivers is limited, you may find a Phillips screw more forgiving.
Matter of fact, in a moment of desperation I once used a Robertson driver on a Phillips screw ... successfully, I might add. Trust me, it won't work the other way around!
... And just today as I changed a smoke alarm, I was reminded of another attribute of the lowly Phillips-head screw, again to do with its versatility: In a pinch, one can also use a narrow-blade slot screwdriver to remove a Phillips screw.
I thought I would comment on the Phillips screw references. The picture of the planks shows the screws staggered. This is because the planks are laying on sleepers, which are pieces of framing lumber lying on their sides. There is risk of splitting, so the screws are not in a straight line as they would be if they were screwed into joists.
The Phillips screw reference also makes me think of the Canadian screw, the Robertson, which is far superior. It stays on the screwdriver better and strips much less easily. The Robertson is standard here, but seems to be unable to penetrate other markets
Thank you, Cameron. You once taught me to stagger deck screws (and to use the Pythagorean theorem to ensure that corners' angles are correct while creating a foundation); and as you point out the Phillips screws in the walkway are indeed staggered, but their staggering is not staggered harmoniously; there is no pattern. The photo is a terrible and does not indicate this – I will take another. You also taught me to love the Robertson screw, which was actually invented by a man named Robertson, and which I've just read predates the Phillips-Thompson screw by several decades. Over 700 Robertson screws were used in the Ford Model T car. According to Witold Rybczynski's book One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw, using the Robertson saved about 2 hours of work for each Model T. Henry Ford tried to get an exclusive licence for the screw in the US, but Roberston refused. So Ford cut a deal with Phillips instead.
Robertson screws are only superior when the screwdriver used on them is an exact fit. If your selection of screwdrivers is limited, you may find a Phillips screw more forgiving.
Matter of fact, in a moment of desperation I once used a Robertson driver on a Phillips screw ... successfully, I might add. Trust me, it won't work the other way around!
Could there possibly be better Sunday morning reading anywhere other than Hexagon? I do not think so.
I’ve never wanted to visit a library more.
... And just today as I changed a smoke alarm, I was reminded of another attribute of the lowly Phillips-head screw, again to do with its versatility: In a pinch, one can also use a narrow-blade slot screwdriver to remove a Phillips screw.
If that's all you have, I mean.
I thought I would comment on the Phillips screw references. The picture of the planks shows the screws staggered. This is because the planks are laying on sleepers, which are pieces of framing lumber lying on their sides. There is risk of splitting, so the screws are not in a straight line as they would be if they were screwed into joists.
The Phillips screw reference also makes me think of the Canadian screw, the Robertson, which is far superior. It stays on the screwdriver better and strips much less easily. The Robertson is standard here, but seems to be unable to penetrate other markets
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Thank you, Cameron. You once taught me to stagger deck screws (and to use the Pythagorean theorem to ensure that corners' angles are correct while creating a foundation); and as you point out the Phillips screws in the walkway are indeed staggered, but their staggering is not staggered harmoniously; there is no pattern. The photo is a terrible and does not indicate this – I will take another. You also taught me to love the Robertson screw, which was actually invented by a man named Robertson, and which I've just read predates the Phillips-Thompson screw by several decades. Over 700 Robertson screws were used in the Ford Model T car. According to Witold Rybczynski's book One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw, using the Robertson saved about 2 hours of work for each Model T. Henry Ford tried to get an exclusive licence for the screw in the US, but Roberston refused. So Ford cut a deal with Phillips instead.
I will change joists to sleepers. Thanks again!
Great read!