Screwdrivers

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I gather from ferreting around in old books that many cabinetmakers' and joiners' kits in the late 19th and early 20th centuries contained a set of countersinks (snail for wood, rose for brass and flat for steel) and a couple of rimers (reamers), one square and one half-round. The reason was that hardware had to fitted to the screws available by the craftsman - so rimer to fit the hole to the screw shank, countersink to fit the screwhead. As manufacturing of hardware improved, and presumably standardisation of screw sizes came in, that necessity waned.

However, if you're fitting screws to hardware, it's not much more effort once the job is installed, to pull a screw out, give the countersink a twirl with a countersink, and pop the screw back in with the slot nicely aligned. In fairness, probably a detail reserved for high class work, but not difficult if the tools are part of a standard kit.

Another tip I picked up somewhere (but haven't tried yet) is to keep a few steel screws the same size as the usual brass ones. If the steel ones (which can have a notch filed along the length of the thread to form a sort of cutting edge) are put in first, they 'tap' the hole for the brass ones, thus reducing the torque required on the 'finish' screw, and the risk of shearing the head or mangling the slot. Especially useful in harder woods.
 
Late 19th C many screws may have still been hand made so not necessarily consistent in dia. etc. Need to think through that a bit, not sure of dates, but I have come across mixed sizes of screws and what would be hand made studs into brass plate pulls with one off theads on them.

Steell screws before brass is a good one. Also candle wax to ease entry is handy. Lard will do if you are stuck but a bit soft! Rather like an engineer oiling a bolt thread to give a tighter pressure.
 
Cheshirechappie":2qwd02nl said:
Another tip I picked up somewhere (but haven't tried yet) is to keep a few steel screws the same size as the usual brass ones. If the steel ones (which can have a notch filed along the length of the thread to form a sort of cutting edge) are put in first, they 'tap' the hole for the brass ones, thus reducing the torque required on the 'finish' screw, and the risk of shearing the head or mangling the slot. Especially useful in harder woods.

Having had a couple of (large, expensive) brass screws shear off, I "invented" that tip for myself, and have used it ever since.

BugBear
 
I have to agree that slotted heads look better(although I think tha'ts just because I don't like "modern"), but Pozidrive are technically superior in so many ways.
And slotted heads look terrible if they've been even slightly abused.

Reminds me of the CD versus vinyl LP debate.
It may be true that a Deutsche Grammophon LP sounds better than a CD the first few times you play it(although even that is debatable) but the robustness, easy random access and size of the CD win in the long run.
If only the makers of CD's didn't insist on using the-most-breakable-plastic-known-to-mankind for the so-called jewel cases - strange really, when the CD itself is almost indestructible without using power tools.
 
bugbear":3crwwvdn said:
Cheshirechappie":3crwwvdn said:
Another tip I picked up somewhere (but haven't tried yet) is to keep a few steel screws the same size as the usual brass ones. If the steel ones (which can have a notch filed along the length of the thread to form a sort of cutting edge) are put in first, they 'tap' the hole for the brass ones, thus reducing the torque required on the 'finish' screw, and the risk of shearing the head or mangling the slot. Especially useful in harder woods.

Having had a couple of (large, expensive) brass screws shear off, I "invented" that tip for myself, and have used it ever since.

BugBear
:) I was taught this 45yrs ago at school.
 
"The heads are thick on purpose. A temporary slot would be cut in the.......AndyT

I wonder if this is how brass screws were used in military chests and brass bound boxes, where the heads are very flush with the banding. I have always assumed that they were lightly peined in like a rivet after being screwed in, filed and then rubbed up. It would atke much to get teh brass head sitting very tight into a thin countersink

Your photo shows how you could file down to a fine surface. Wouldn't get that with a crosshead. I can understand how a brass pin can be peined in.

Interesting thanks.
 
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